| EPA
Underground Storage Tank Regulations Fact Sheet
Applicability
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates underground
storage tanks (USTs) and piping system in excess of 100 gallons
that store petroleum (excluding fuel oils used consumptively on-site.)
Leak Detection
Requirements
Underground Storage Tanks
All tanks
must now have leak detection. One of the following eight
methods must be utilized:
- Automatic tank gauging system.
- Groundwater monitoring.
- Vapor monitoring.
- Secondary containment with interstitial monitoring.
- Statistical inventory reconciliation - NOT daily inventory
monitoring.
- Manual task gauging (for tanks less than 2000 gallons).
- Annual tank tightness testing and inventory control where
tank and piping systems are not protected from corrosion
or spill and overfill prevention have not been installed.
- Five-year tank tightness testing and inventory control
where tank and piping systems are protected form corrosion
and have spill and overfill prevention equipment installed
(can only be used for ten years after the tank is protected
form corrosion or until December 1998, whichever is later).
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Piping
Pressurized piping must have automatic line leak detectors and
annual tightness testing or one of the following:
- Groundwater monitoring.
- Vapor monitoring.
- secondary containment with interstitial monitoring.
- Statistical inventory reconciliation - NOT daily inventory.
- Monitoring.
Upgrading Requirements
You should be in compliance with the "upgrade" requirements
if you meet all of the major () bullet points below:
- Spill Protection provided by a catchment basin (to contain spills
from delivery hoses).
- Overfill protection provided by an automatic shutoff device,
overfill alarm, or ball float valve.
- Corrosion protection for the tank provided by one of the following:
- Steel tank has corrosion-resistant coating AND cathodic
protection (you must monitor the cathodic protection system
annually).
- Uncoated steel tank has cathodic protection system (you
must monitor the cathodic protection system annually).
- Uncoated steel tank has interior lined with noncorrodible
material (you must internally inspect the tank after 10 years
and every 5 years thereafter).
- Uncoated steel tank has cathodic protection AND interior
lined with noncorrodible material steel tank (you must monitor
the cathodic protection system annually).
- Corrosion Protection for piping provided by one of the following:
- Uncoated steel piping has cathodic protection (you must
monitor the cathodic protection system annually).
- Steel piping has a corrosion-resistant coating AND cathodic
protection (you must monitor the cathodic protection system
annually).
- Piping mad of (or enclosed in) noncorrodible material
- If you have decided not to upgrade your existing UST system
by December 1998 with the items above, you must properly close
the UST system. At closure a site assessment must be done
to document that no contamination exists in the environment.
If you subsequently install a new UST system, the new installation
meets all the regulatory requirements for installations after
December 22, 1988.
For inquiries email
bob@iraconklin.com
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