Are Your Fuel Tanks Out of Compliance?

Wright Environmental Services, Inc. can help you comply with the new regulations for your Underground Storage Tank. We can provide the services that you need!

What You Need to Know

What is Upgrading?
Upgrading means bringing an underground storage tank (UST) system, including piping, up to current regulatory standards. Depending on how your system is equipped, it may mean installing any one or a combination of the following:

  • Interior lining
  • Cathodic protection
  • Spill container
  • Overfill prevention equipment
  • Striker plates
  • Secondary equipment for the tank and piping
  • Automatic pump shutoff.
     

Which Tanks Need to Be Upgraded?
The following tanks need to be upgraded:

  • Single-walled tanks
  • All tanks that do not have spill and overfill prevention and striker plates
  • All single-walled waste and oil tanks
  • Any tank not in compliance with California regulations.

Exemptions?

  • Any tank used for agricultural purposes that is 1100 gallons or less is exempt from UST upgrading.

Which Piping Needs to be Upgraded?

  • Any piping that does not have corrosion protection
  • Single-walled piping other than motor vehicle fuel piping needs to be upgraded (replaced) with secondary containment.

When Was the Deadline?
December 22, 1998. The deadline has not been extended by either the federal or state government.

Whom Do I Notify About Upgrading?
You must notify your local implementing agency (LIA) before you upgrade your system. In California, LIAs my be either city or county offices. It is the same agency that issued your UST operating permit. If you’re unsure where your agency is, call your County Department of Health or City Fire Department.

Do I have to Upgrade My UST?
If you want to keep using your UST, you can either upgrade or replace it with a new one that meets California requirements. Whether you upgrade or replace, you’re going to need a licensed contractor.

What If I Don’t Want the Tank Anymore?
Get permission from your LIA to close it (have it removed). Be sure to get a licensed contractor and follow closure requirements in Article 7 of California’s UST regulations.

Why Should I Upgrade So Early?
Because if you wait:

  • Licensed contractors may be booked.
  • Supplies needed for upgrading may be scarce.
  • Your LIA may be inundated with requests for upgrading or removal permits, making your request take longer.
  • Your insurance company may not honor your policy if your tanks are not in compliance by the deadline.
  • Availability of State low-cost loans for upgrading or replacing tanks may decrease as the deadline nears.

What Is a Spill Container?
A container installed around the fill pipe to contain spills during deliveries to the tank.

What is Overfill Prevention Equipment?
Overfills happen when someone tries to put more product into a tank than it will hold. There are three main types of overfill protection: automatic shutoff devices, ball float valves, and overfill alarms.

What is Automatic Pump Shutoff?
 By December 22, 1998, all single-walled pressurized piping must be able to shut off automatically.

What is Cathodic Protection?
It means protecting a tank system against corrosion. Corrosion happens when bare metal, soil and moisture combine to produce an electric current that destroys hard metal. Over time, corrosion creates holes in tanks and then leaks occur. To protect against corrosion, you may do one of the following:

  • Install cathodic protection for the tank and piping. Methods include an impressed current system or a sacrificial anode system, and added interior lining to the tank.

OR

  • Replace with a double-walled tank and piping that are already protected against corrosion.

Once I Upgrade With Interior Lining and Cathodic Protection, Then What?

  • Cathodic protection systems must be inspected within 6 months of installation and every 3 years thereafter. Impressed current systems must also be checked every 60 days.
  • Cathodic protection systems must be checked within 6 months of any repair or modification to a UST facility in which the modification may have affected the cathodic protection system.
  • Interior Lining must be inspected in 10 years and every 5 years thereafter.

How Can I get Financial Help to Upgrade My Tank?
The California Trade and Commerce Agency, Office of Small Business, offers low interest loans to small businesses with USTs. Call the Office of Small Business at (916) 323-9879 for information.

More Information and Contacts
Wright Environmental Services, Inc.
67 E. Tenth Street
Tracy, CA 95376
Tel. (800) 200-6556
Fax. (800) 200-7053
E-mail. wright@inreach.com

For a copy of the California compliance regulations, please contact the State Water Resources Board or the County Department of Environmental Resources.

County Department of Environmental Resources
1716 Morgan Rd.
Modesto, CA 95358
Attn: Sonja
(209) 525-4158

State Water Resources Board
Underground Storage Tank Program
P.O. Box 944212
Sacramento, CA 94244-2120
(916) 227-4303

Industry Standard: For Lining:

American Petroleum Institute (202) 682-8000
Natl. Leak Prevention Assoc. (208) 389-2074
U.L. Outline #1856 (708) 272-8800

Industry Standards for Cathodic Protection

American Petroleum Institute #Rpl-1632 (202) 682-8000
Nace #Rp-0619-92 (713) 492-0535
Steel Tank Institute #Rp-892-91 (708) 438-8265