Tag: Release Detection
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Coleman Oil has been charged over $189,000 in fines for spilling more than 3,840 gallons of biodiesel into the Columbia river and nearby areas.
The cause of the spill was the result of a corroded underground pipe that was laid at Coleman Oil’s oil plant in 1935. Coleman Oil did not complete their regular inventory control procedures or underground piping industry standard inspections which caused the corrosion and leak to go undetected. The biodiesel leaked into the Columbia river which caused an on and off sheen on the rivers surface.
The Department of Ecology Spills Program responded to the site on March 17, 2017 when the visible sheen was first reported. Tests were conducted and lab results identified the pollution as biodiesel. The Department of Ecology was able to trace the leak back to the Coleman Oil facility located near the river. According to Dale Jensen, the manager for the Department of Ecology Spills Program, the spill “could easily have been prevented if the company had been properly monitoring the fuel level in that tank.”
Coleman Oil’s oil plant in Wenatchee is now a toxic cleanup site. According to news sources, the company has been cooperative and responsive during the investigation and has worked on site cleanup since October 2017. Additionally, groundwater monitoring wells are installed and regularly sample the groundwater to verify how much contamination remains and pump out any remaining toxic contaminants to protect the river. According to the Department of Ecology, the investigation will continue and they will verify whether the river’s sediment or surrounding ground is contaminated from the spill.
Coleman Oil has been charged $189.000 in fines in addition to $213,400 to be paid to the state for spill response costs. The resource damage assessment, environmental restoration costs, enhancement project costs, and additional funding costs are still to be determined. The total state penalty including the cost reimbursement and damage assessment are expected to total more than $1 million. All funds collected from the penalty are to be put towards the state’s Coastal Protection Fund.
If you haven’t been keeping up with your State and Federal compliance requirements or if you’re struggling to understand your requirements, leave us a comment or call us at 888-400-3511.
Read the original story here: http://www.kpq.com/coleman-oil-could-face-1-million-in-fines-and-damages-for-columbia-river-spill/
The Warren County Airport located in McMinnville, Tennessee was inspected by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) on June 27th, 2018. TDEC found a release detection violation within the airport’s Underground Storage Tank (UST) systems. According to TDEC’s records, the airport “was missing six months of release detection records”. Additionally, the airport was unable to provide records for the Automatic Tank Gauge’s (ATG) alarm history at the time of the inspection – a direct violation of State regulations.
While the airport was able to submit documentation of these records, they were received documentation on September 20th, 2018 – after the initial inspection was concluded.
TDEC has ordered the Warren County Airport to pay a civil penalty of $3,200, though the airport may make an early payment or undertake UST training to lessen the civil penalty amount.
Read the entire news release written by Walter Wright here: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/storage-tank-enforcement-tennessee-91680/
A Sunoco station in Philadelphia has agreed to pay $22,080 in penalties due to not meeting the UST’s leak detection and recordkeeping compliance requirements between 2015 and 2017. As part of the agreement, the Sunoco is now within the State and Federal compliance requirements.
The EPA’s UST regulations are intended to protect the public from a contaminated or a polluted water supply. If a UST malfunctions and a leak is detected, it endangers the health and safety of surrounding neighborhoods.
For site owners still scrambling after the October 13th deadline, we’re here to help! We complete over 2,000 inspections a month and we have over fifty years combined experience in the fuel compliance industry. Our team of professionals can help you navigate both your federal and state requirements to minimize your site’s non-compliance risk.
To speak to one of our compliance experts, call us at 888-400-3511 or email us at info@7g-enviro.com.
Read the original article here: https://www.petrolplaza.com/news/9635
As of June 1st, 2018 Oregon DEQ has revised UST regulations promulgated to rule and are now in effect. The regulations underwent public comment in February, and Environmental Quality Commission adopted the proposed rules on May 11th, 2018.
Some revises changes to the regulations include the following:
- 30 day notification for changing regulated substances of a UST containing greater than 10% ethanol or 20% biodiesel
- Demonstrations of UST system compatibility
- Under Dispenser Containment required for each new, moved, or modified dispenser
- All new or replacement USTs and connected piping must be secondarily contained and monitored using interstitial monitoring
- Flow Restrictors/Ball float valves are now longer allowed to be installed and cannot be repaired
- 30 day release detection for spill prevention and containment sumps used for interstitial monitoring
- 30 day walkthrough inspections for spill prevention and release detection begins 7/1/2020
- Annual inspections for containment sumps and hand held release detection
- Maintain these inspections for at least one year
- 24hr reporting on corrosion protection test failures
- Annual release detection operability testing
- Overfill prevention inspected at least once every 3 years
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On or after July 1st, 2020, owners and permittees of FCTs and AHSs must comply with 340-150-0137(2) and the training requirements for UST operators in this rule
- Vapor monitoring and groundwater monitoring are now longer allowed as an approved release detection method
- 24 hour notification to the DEQ for unusual operating conditions such as:
- erratic behavior of dispensing equipment
- sudden loss of product
- widely fluctuating water levels
- liquid in interstitial space (when brine is not used)
- Emergency generator tanks are subject to release detection requirements on 7/1/2020.
- All newly installed emergency generator tanks are subject to release detection requirements immediately