Underground Storage Tank (UST) Operation and Maintenance

To monitor compliance for federally regulated UST systems in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, EPA follows this general approach:

Identify facilities that have UST systems that are federally regulated
Educate UST facility owners / operators on federal regulations regarding UST systems and provide compliance assistance
Monitor their compliance by conducting inspections
Select and carry out a timely and appropriate enforcement response when violations are found
Follow up with facility owners / operators to ensure subsequent compliance

Inspections - General Information	EPA Inspections
Installations, Change-In-Service and Closures

Program Information

UST/LUST Home
LUSTs
Enforcement
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Information Resources
Forms
EPA & State Contacts

This program is managed by

the Groundwater Protection Unit of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement.

UST INSPECTIONS - GENERAL INFORMATION

Why Conduct UST Inspections?
During inspections and leaking underground storage tank (LUST) investigations, EPA has found that many UST systems are not being installed, operated or maintained properly, resulting in leaks to nearby soils and groundwater. Often times, equipment is found to be not functioning, broken or missing; therefore, many tank owners cannot detect leaks or spills or whether a piece of equipment has failed.

Who Conducts Inspections in Region 10?
In Region 10, EPA Inspectors can inspect UST facilities in any state. On Indian Lands, EPA, not the state, conducts inspections at UST facilities, which includes facilities on Indian reservations owned by non-Indians.

In Alaska, which has a Third-Party Inspection program, EPA performs periodic audits to ensure consistency and adequacy of the program. For more information on Alaska’s UST inspection program, visit the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) web site.

Idaho Department of Environmental Quality

In Idaho, EPA conducts inspections of UST facilities. So far, UST rules have not been adopted in Idaho. However, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ) offers technical assistance and handles leaking underground storage tank issues and cleanup except on Indian Lands. For more information on the IDEQ program, visit the IDEQ web site.

For more information on EPA’s inspection program in Idaho, contact Erik Sirs, EPA Inspector and State Coordinator, at sirs.erik@epa.gov or (208) 378-5762.

In Oregon, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) and EPA are conducting inspections in Oregon. In January 2003, ODEQ adopted rules for USTs; however, EPA has not yet approved their program. Therefore, both agencies conduct inspections in Oregon. For more information on the ODEQ program, visit the ODEQ web site.

In Washington, EPA has approved Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology)’s UST program for UST facilities; therefore, Ecology conducts inspections for UST facilities within Washington except those facilities within Indian Lands,. For more information on Washington’s UST inspection program, visit the Washington Department of Ecology web site.

EPA INSPECTIONS - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Note: For UST inspections conducted by the state, contact your applicable state agency. To find out who you should contact, visit our EPA & State Contacts page.

What Tanks are Inspected?
All currently in use and temporarily out of use UST systems that are federally regulated may be inspected.

How Can I Prepare for an EPA Inspection?

Have all your records pertaining to your UST system(s) and invoices of any equipment or work conducted on your UST system ready for the inspector to review. To find out which records you should have available during the inspection, refer to this list – Documents Required During an EPA Inspection.
Use the Self-Evaluation Checklist.
Use the EPA manual, Operating and Maintaining UST Systems: Practical Help and Checklists, to review your system requirements. For more information, review EPA UST information documents that pertain to the specific release detection methods and equipment that you are using on your UST system.
Review your equipment manuals and booklets.
Contact an EPA UST inspector if you have any questions. Find one in our EPA & State Contacts page.

What Happens During an EPA Inspection?
Usually, an EPA Inspector will contact the owner / operator of an UST facility within a week or two beforehand to schedule an inspection. However, EPA periodically conducts unannounced inspections as well. During the inspection, the EPA Inspector will determine whether you are operating and maintaining your UST system in compliance with federal UST regulations. The EPA Inspector will examine your records, including documentation pertaining to financial responsibility (e.g. insurance documents), release detection, any repairs or upgrades that you have had performed on your UST system, and cathodic protection / tank lining (if applicable). The EPA Inspector also will examine your UST system itself, including the tank, piping, dispensers, overfill and spill protection equipment, release detection equipment, and corrosion protection equipment (if applicable). The EPA Inspector will ask the operator and their employees questions to determine whether they understand how to operate and maintain the UST system and whether they know what to do in the event of an emergency (i.e. an alarm sounding, a spill).

What Happens if the EPA Inspector Finds Something Wrong?
Depending on the severity and nature of the violation, an EPA Inspector could issue the owner / operator an enforcement action that requires the owner / operator to correct the violation within a certain time period and may involve a monetary fine. Any serious noncompliance issues may be referred for formal enforcement. Pursuit of these violations is at the discretion of the EPA UST / LUST Program and the Department of Justice. For further information, visit our Enforcement page.

UST INSTALLATIONS, CHANGE-IN-SERVICE AND CLOSURES

If you are installing, changing-in-service or closing an UST system, you should notify appropriate authorities at least 30 days before doing so. (Note: Some agencies require prior notification and/or permits. Check with the appropriate agency.) If installing a new system, the proper authorities will add it to their operating UST facilities list; likewise, if closing an UST system, they will remove it from this list after proper closure. Also, by notifying appropriate authorities, it will give an UST Inspector an opportunity to visit your facility while the work is being conducted to assist you in the process and answer any questions that you may have.

Our goal is to ensure that UST systems are installed, operated, maintained and closed safely, and in compliance with UST regulations, to prevent harm to others and the environment. We are here to assist you so that you can start operation of your UST system on the right foot. Likewise, we can provide you assistance so that you can close out your UST system properly, in accordance with UST regulations, the first time round.

Who Should I Contact? What Should I Do?
In EPA Region 10, the appropriate authority to notify for UST installations and closures is based on whether or not your facility is located on Indian Lands.

If your facility is NOT on Indian Lands, you should contact your appropriate state agency that regulates UST installations and closures. States have various notification requirements, including submitting written notifications, obtaining permits, finding out the minimum time for submittals and submitting site assessment reports for UST closures. Check with your state agency.

If your facility is on Indian Lands, including sites on Indian reservations owned by non-Indians -

For installations, you should contact an EPA Indian Lands Inspector. After installation, you will need to submit to EPA a Notification Form (pdf, 53 KB, 5 pages). For additional information on UST installations, contact the Indian Lands EPA Inspector.

If you will be conducting a change-in-service modification or closing an UST system, you must notify EPA of your intent to perform closure work, preferably in writing using the 30-Day Advance Closure Notification Form (pdf, 7 KB, 1 page), which should be sent to EPA via mail or fax. Refer to the Indian Lands section of the EPA & State Contacts page for our address and fax number. After the closure, you must submit to EPA a Certification of Completed Closure Form (pdf, 7 KB, 2 pages) and a site assessment. For further information on UST closures and regulatory requirements, read the Closure Guidance for USTs on Indian Lands in Region 10 (pdf, 33 KB, 13 pages) in Adobe Acrobat.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

REMEMBER...

You can contact either a state or federal UST Inspector at any time to answer any questions that you might have pertaining to your UST system and UST regulations. We are here to assist you. You also can find additional information about various UST operation and maintenance issues, including insurance, release detection, release prevention, installation, change-in-service and closures, by checking out our Information Resources web page. We also offer various forms of compliance assistance. For more information, check out our Compliance Assistance web page.

Note: If your state has UST regulations (i.e. Alaska, Oregon and Washington), it is recommended that you contact a state UST inspector, not EPA, for answers to questions. In Idaho, because there are no state UST regulations, you may contact EPA for UST related matters; however, for leaking UST related matters, you should contact the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. You can access your state web site by visiting the State section of our EPA & State Contacts page.

For future reference, use our shortcut address -- www.epa.gov/r10earth/ust.htm, which will take you to our main webpage.

Underground Storage Tank (UST) Operation and Maintenance

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