Residents of the Castle Farms development off Juniata Gap Road in Logan Township have paid for installation of a water tank in the neighborhood for fire protection.

There is no public water source in the development, which is uphill and to the east of Juniata Gap Elementary School, according to information provided by Logan Township United Fire Department Chief Rusty Shoenfelt at the most recent Logan Township supervisors meeting.

The 4,000-gallon concrete tank is located at about the halfway point of 0.4-mile-long Windsor Drive, next to a detention pond, according to Shoenfelt.

The location would allow firefighters to reach the ends of the short stub of Queens Way on the western end of Windsor and also the cul-de-sac on the eastern end of Windsor — as well as partway down Castle Farms Road, toward Juniata Gap Road, Shoenfelt said.

The 4,000 gallons in the tank “is better than zero gallons,” Shoenfelt said.

If a fire occurs in that area and water from the tank is in danger of being depleted, firefighters can use tanker trucks to refill it for a continuous supply, said Supervisors Chairman Jim Patterson.

The construction of the tank was at no cost to the municipality or the fire department, Shoenfelt said.

Homeowners in the area will be responsible for maintenance of the tank, Shoenfelt said.

The fire department will be responsible for keeping it filled, he said.

The presence of the tank could help with fire insurance costs for residents, Shoenfelt said.

United Fire Department, Newburg Volunteer Fire Department — also of Logan Township — and Ashville Fire Company installed a steel tank last year on the grounds of the Intermunicipal Relations Committee’s compost facility in Dysart, Shoenfelt noted.

There is no usable water source in that area in case of a fire, including a compost fire, officials said then.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to have water,” Shoenfelt said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.