• Owner/operator training required.
• Require secondary containment on all regulated new UST systems.
• Expanded language on compatibility.
• Many STI standards and RPs referenced as "codes of practice."
• No continuous interstitial monitoring.

• Questions and Answers about the 2015 Underground Storage Tank Regulation
• EPA's Comparison of 1988 and New 2015 UST Regulations
• EPA OUST website

Fines totalling $135,000 have been assessed for two companies in California for failure to comply with several SPCC plan requirements. Violations include lack of SPCC Plans, failure to implement tank inspections, and lack of adequate secondary containment.

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While very difficult to predict, natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and fires leave UST systems especially vulnerable to damage that could release hazardous substances into the environment.

EPA has several resources available to help prepare for and limit damage to your UST system in the event of a natural disaster

In the June issue of Tank Talk, we asked readers to respond to a brief survey about the factors determining whether a tank should be replaced or rehabbed. 

The survey was in response to an article by Carol R. Eighmey, executive director of the Missouri Petroleum Storage Tank Insurance Fund, in which she concludes that "tank age is only, one ­­and probably not the most important, factor in assessing risk of leaks." It's apparent from the survey results that Tank Talk readers agree, depending on the risk factor. For example, for "Release of stored product to the environment has occurred", 88% of respondents said it has a significant impact on the decision to replace a tank.

A California bill passed in September 2014 made changes to the underground storage tank program regarding design and construction of USTs.

On July 24, 2015, the California State Water Resources Control Board published Local Guidance-171: Permanent closure of underground storage tanks that do not meet Health and Safety Code, Chapter 6.7, Section 25291, Subdivisions (a)(1)-(6).

 

On the same date and under the same regulation, the Control Board also issued a memo titled Compatibility of underground storage tanks storing gasoline with ethanol. 

"While tanks with steel primary containment are able to accommodate the reformulation of gasoline with ethanol, fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) tanks that previously were not approved for storing alcohol or alcohol mixtures are now storing gasoline with ethanol...only FRP tanks with a UL 1316 listing/approval that explicitly includes a ratng for alchol or alcohol mixtures are acceptable to store gasoline with ethanol."

The memo includes a chart "Ethanol Compatibility Timeline for Fiber Reinforced Plastic USTs."