Underground storage tanks (USTs) have been a source of soil and groundwater
contamination. Because nearly one-third of all USTs are suspected of leaking,
federal law requires owners and operators of to upgrade or replace their
USTs by December 22, 1998. Upgrading of USTs consists of adding corrosive
protection and spill/overflow protection.
Corrosion protection prevents USTs from rusting and releasing their contents through corrosion holes. The three basic methods of corrsion protection that may be used to upgrade existing steel USTs are installation of a noncorrodible material such as fiberglass inside the UST, placement external cathodic protection or coating of a UST exterior with non-corrosive material.
Spill protection consists of the construction of a catch basin to contain spills that may occur when vehicles are overfilled during fueling . The catch basin collects the spilled product and pumps it to a reservoir where it is later disposed. Overfill protection may be automatic shutoff devices, overfill alarms or ball float valves that prevents the USTs from being overfilled during fuel deliveries.
UST owners or operators who do not want to upgrade their USTs had to take them out of service by December 22, 1998. Under federal law, USTs may be temporarily closed for up to 12 months provided the owner or operator empties the USTs, continues to monitor for leaks and maintains any corrsion protection and takes appropriate action to clean up any releases that are detected.
Permanent closure consists of removing the USTs from the ground and remediating any contamination caused by the USTs. Some states allow USTs to be left in place and filled with an inert substance such as cement so long as any contamination is remediated.
We can help you address the various regulatory issues associated with
USTs including determining responsibility for previously abandoned USTs
on a site, negotiaing a cost-effective investigation and cleanup
using the risk-based corrective action approach, helping you seek funding
from state UST cleanup funds that may be available as well as seeking
financial reimbursement from other parties who may have been partially
responsible for some of the cleanup costs.
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