Texaco recently received a state Environmental Excellence Award for going above and beyond the call of duty when it cleaned up gasoline that had seeped into a Ballard restaurant and forced it to close. The award was presented to Texaco staff at its retailer trade fair on October 9.
In November 1993, a Burger King restaurant at 5500 Market Street in Ballard was filled with dangerous fumes when gasoline seeped into an underground sump that drains water from the building’s foundation. The Seattle Fire Department temporarily closed the restaurant to protect workers and customers.
A Texaco service station uphill from the restaurant appeared to be the most likely source of the problem. Investigation and initial cleanup work, however, revealed no direct link between the service station and the fumes in the restaurant. In fact, a clear connection to a responsible party was never found.
Texaco followed through with a full cleanup despite the lack of proof that it was responsible. The company installed a state-of-the-art soil-vapor/ground water extraction system that, after five years of operation, has substantially cleaned up the soil and groundwater in the area. The cleanup has cost Texaco about $350,000. Most leaking underground storage tank cleanups cost less than $100,000.
"This is a fine example of good corporate citizenship," said Mike Rundlett, director of Ecology’s northwest regional office. "The Texaco folks didn’t have to step forward and do this cleanup, but they did the right thing anyway. If Texaco had not taken on the task, cleanup would have been delayed while the state went through an expensive search for a responsible party."
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Federal funding pays for Ecology’s LUST staff, who in turn provide technical assistance on LUST sites and review independent cleanup reports, among other things.
The process turned out to be very helpful – both to Ecology and to site owners and operators. Many owners and operators of LUST sites were unaware that their site may still be "considered" contaminated or were unsure of the reporting requirements.
As for Ecology, according to Guy Barrett, Ecology’s LUST Coordinator "As a result of the LUST letters, we have received information to close out many LUST sites, thereby making us eligible for additional federal assistance."
Return to Table of Contents"Currently, about 2,500 of the existing 5,000 sites in the state are fully upgraded and will receive a compliance tag," said Barry Rogowski, Underground Storage Tank Coordinator for the Department of Ecology. He noted, "The other half have received a warning letter and will get a final warning letter at the end of this month."
"We got a huge response from the first warning letter that went out. Tank owners are sending in so much information about upgrades and closures -- we can barely keep up!" added Rogowski.
Facility compliance tags will become effective December 22, 1998. Any underground storage tank site that doesn’t have a tag after that date can’t legally receive fuel. Truck drivers delivering fuel should check for a compliance tag at the emergency shutoff switch or some other visible location before delivering the fuel. The penalty for delivering fuel to an untagged tank site can be as much as $1,500 per tank. . In addition, you may have the expense of pumping the gas from your tank and having it disposed.
Starting in January 1999, Ecology will house an underground storage tank violation hotline. Anyone who sees an untagged site or sees product being delivered to an untagged site should report the information via the hotline. An UST inspector will then investigate the site.
**Ecology will issue compliance tags until close of business on December 22, 1998, and thereafter for any newly constructed site or site that attains compliance after that date.
Return to Table of ContentsIt’s important to stress that an incorrect address could affect whether or not you receive your facility compliance tag. You need to have the correct address on all the paperwork you send to Ecology.
Additionally, please check the address on all the mail you’ve received from Ecology. If it’s different from where you want your tag mailed, you need to let your nearest Ecology regional office know.
We want to make sure your facility compliance tag is sent to you, and you receive it before December 22, 1998.
Return to Table of ContentsSome people think the deadline will be extended, or that Ecology will not enforce it. The message from Ecology and the Environmental Protection Agency is the deadline will not be extended, and Ecology will enforce it.
If you haven’t upgraded your tank system, here’s some timeframes you should take a look at!
If the service provider you choose can get the upgrades completed in time, make sure you both complete a Retrofit/Repair Checklist, and send it to Ecology immediately. That way, you’ll be able to get your facility compliance tag before the December 22, 1998 and stay in business.
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A "farm tank" is a tank located on a tract of land devoted to the production of crops or raising animals. The tank(s) must be located on the farm property and used for farm purposes. "Farm" includes fish hatcheries, rangeland, and nurseries with growing operations. It does not include laboratories where animals are raised, land used to grow timber, pesticide aviation operations, retail stores or garden centers where nursery products are marketed but not grown, cemeteries, golf courses, or other facilities dedicated primarily to recreation or aesthetics or other non-agricultural activities.
According to the UST regulations Chapter 173-360-110 (g), the only exemption is "farm or residential UST systems of 1,100 gallons or less capacity that are used for storing motor fuel for noncommercial purposes."
Petroleum distributors must follow the same regulations when delivering product to underground farm tanks as when delivering product to a major gas station. If the tanks are not in compliance and not permitted, product shouldn’t be delivered. Delivery to a tank out of compliance and/or not registered is a violation of the Underground Storage Tank law. It subjects the distributors and the owner or operator of the tanks to penalties and fines.
If you have questions or concerns or would like technical assistance in regards to your tank(s), please call your local regional office (refer to the map on the back of this newsletter).
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Tanks can be temporarily closed up to 12 months. However, you’ll still need to carry pollution liability insurance and maintain your license.
Temporary closure must be performed by a certified supervisor. Ecology must receive a temporarily closure checklist, completed and signed by the owner or operator and the certified supervisor.
If deciding to go with temporary closure, Ecology suggests that you have your tanks pumped dry so you won’t have to maintain a form of release detection.
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Many owners and operators have already had their tanks upgraded to meet (and beat) the December 22 deadline. But did you know that metal piping is required to be corrosion protected too. All metal piping, including the copper lines that are often attached to emergency power generators, must be protected.
Metal piping may be protected in the following ways:
If you don’t provide Ecology with documentation that your piping has been cathodically protected, you won’t receive a facility compliance tag from Ecology, and you can’t legally receive product.
If you have any questions, please call your nearest Ecology regional office.
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