Tag: Underground Storage Tank

As of October 13th 2018, the Illinois Office of State Fire Marshall (OSFM) requires that all Illinois UST owner and operators  conduct regular operation and maintenance walkthrough inspections. 

The Regulations Explained

The new OSFM regulations require that Class A Operators (who are responsible for operating and maintaining the UST systems) and Class B Operators (who are responsible for daily operation, maintenance, and record keeping for the UST systems) must perform walkthrough inspections of each UST system and must record the results of each inspection on a checklist. These checklists must be maintained with the facility records.  

Monthly Requirements

As a part of the requirements, the walkthrough inspections must be completed at least once every thirty days, now referred to as ‘The 30 Day Rule‘. As a part of the 30 day rule inspections, owner are required to inspect:
  • Release detection methods, monitoring systems and associated sensors
  • Spill and overfill prevention and spill containment equipment and manholes
  • Dispensers, hoses, breakaways and hardware 
  • Operational status of impressed current cathodic protection systems which includes:
    • Checking and recording that the power is on
    • Verifying that the voltage, amps and hour meter have the appropriate readings required under Section 175.510(f)
    • Creating a log entry that shows date of inspection, initials of inspector, hour, volt and amp readings, and power on verification.

Yearly Requirements

Once per year, UST Owners are required to:
  • Inspect all containment sumps
    • Document any visual damage to the sumps, covers and lids
    • Document any presence of regulated substances or any indication that a release may have occurred
    • Inspect sumps and the interstitial areas for any double-walled sumps with interstitial monitoring are free of water, product and debris
  • Inspect all UST equipment including:
    • Emergency stops for the presence or absence of visible damage to any UST component
  • Document  emergency stops and verify that they were tested by the owner/operator or a contractor for interconnection and pump shutdown
  • Document that the shear valves were visually inspected by the owner/operator or a contractor
  • Verify all required signs and ensure they are fully visible and all communication systems are in place and operational
  • Maintain all daily, 30-day, monthly and annual inspections, testing, reporting and records 
  • If applicable, the tank gauge stick or groundwater bailers, for operability and serviceability (manual tank gauging or groundwater monitoring)
We have over 50 years combined experience in the fuel compliance industry – let us take over your walkthrough inspection requirements. Our employees and trainers are Joint B Operators, so we can perform onsite Operator C training to attendees as needed and complete all the new requirements. Email us to get more information or schedule a pilot with us today! Read the original press release here: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/periodic-operation-and-maintenance-83132/
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/

Cope’s Supermarket Inc. and Norma Jean Cope in Ravenswood, West Virginia are tied up in a non-compliance lawsuit that could cost the companies up to $25,000 per day in damages. The lawsuit is spearheaded by Harold D. Ward, the acting director of the Division of Water and Waste Management of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

According to the WV DEP office, the defendants own and operate three underground storage tanks in Ravenswood and have failed to correct documented violations that were reported back in 2016. The consequences of this lawsuit could result in civil penalties of up to “$25,000 per day for continued noncompliance and $10,000 per day all other violations of the USTA, costs, disbursements, attorney, witness and consultant fees, and other relief as the court deems just”.

If you’re struggling to navigate the EPA’s newest regulations, we’d be happy to explain both the federal and state UST requirements. We pride ourselves in covering the entire compliance supply chain from fulfilling your monthly and yearly physical inspection requirements to obtaining valuable data related to your site inefficiencies. More often than not, our services reduce your overhead costs and save you time, money, and stress. For more information or to ask us any compliance-related questions, please contact us at info@7g-enviro.com or call us at 888-400-3511.

To read more and continue to monitor these lawsuits, see the original article here: https://wvrecord.com/stories/511619503-wvdep-director-alleges-ravenswood-underground-tank-owners-failed-to-comply-with-order

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

The ADEM has delayed publishing their 30 day and annual walkthrough forms until the first week of December due to poor quarterly meeting turnout.

The updated legislation draft was published to the ADEM website during the ADEM conference last year, however there has been no update to the legislation.

We spoke to their offices directly for an update on Alabama’s walkthrough forms and proposed regulations which include delaying sump testing, overfill testing, and release detection or EPG tanks. According to their offices, there was low attendance at the previous ADEM quarterly meeting and the commission was unable to vote on the forms and proposed regulations. Therefore, the legislation approval was delayed.

However, there was another quarterly meeting with high-attendance in October and the commission was able to approve their annual walkthrough forms and proposed regulations. Due to Alabama’s mandated 45-day waiting period between approval of legislation and implementation, the regulations will not go into effect until the first week of December. Once the legislation is in effect, the documentation will be published to the general form list.

The general form list will be published to the ADEM website here.

Overview: The EPA has determined that the State of Utah’s UST program meets all requirements for the program’s approval and will go into effect on January 4th, 2019.  The rule is subject to withdraw by the EPA prior to December 5, 2018 if implications arise.

 The program approval by the EPA means that now all Utah UST systems must be ‘equivalent to, consistent with, and no less stringent than the federal UST program’. Because of the update to the EPA’s federal guidelines, states are required to revise their programs to comply with the federal guidelines and submit their revisions to the EPA for approval. This program approval does not impose additional requirements since these requirements were already in effect in Utah. However, it does make these regulations federally enforceable.

For a full list of questions and responses by the Government Publishing Office, click here.

For a full list of Utah state requirements, click here.

In Fenton, Michigan lied the old Fairbanks gas station that was once a Marathon. It had been in the Fairbanks family for over 55 years when the station closed down in 2003 and was finally demolished in early October 2018.

A petroleum leak was first found at the station’s Underground Storage Tank (UST) site in 2015 after a follow-up investigation years after the station’s closure in 2003. According to investigators and the Tri-County Times press release, the contents in the UST taken after the initial investigation surpassed the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) limits.

The investigation showed the surrounding soil and groundwater was contaminated and had migrated off-site. The settlement agreement concluded in May 2018 with the landowner responsible for resolving the cleanup obligations. Also, the agreement allowed the DEQ to initiate site cleanup and work began in September 2018.

Clean-up and restoration activities include removal of the UST’s and contaminated soil and asbestos building materials. In addition to removal, sheet piling will be installed to ensure that the excavation efforts do not damage roadways or pavement. The total removal, cleanup, and demolition will total $595,000. Once cleanup efforts conclude, the site will continue to be monitored for leak detection and soil contamination for a year after excavation. Once their initial investigation concludes, the DEQ will create a report documenting the release available in January 2019.

Sources: https://www.tctimes.com/news/deq-cleaning-up-leak-at-old-fairbanks-gas-station/article_bf9ef8c2-dec7-11e8-a096-f70ddb84fe93.html http://lindenmi.us/index.php/news/216-remediation-at-former-fairbanks-marathon.html