xvEPA
                    United States
                    Environmental Protection
                    Agency
                    Office Of Solid Waste And.
                    Emergency Response
                    (5401G)
                    Office Of Underground Storage Tanks
 Leak Detection
 Fact Sheet #1
  EPA510-F-98-012
     March 1998
Www.epa.gov)OUSTJ
                     For Some  USTs,
                     Inventory  Control "Expires"
                     December  22,1998
"Installed with
corrosion protection"
means tank is made of
coated and cathodically
protected steel (such as
sti-P3®), fiberglass, or
steel that is clad or
jacketed with a
noncorrodible material.
"Corrosion protection
added" to tank means
adding external
cathodic protection,
internal lining, or both.
 For some older underground storage tanks (USTs),
 December 22, 1998 marks the end of the use of inventory
 control and tank tightness testing to meet federal leak
 detection requirements.

 If your UST matches the description below,
 make sure you are ready to start new monthly monitoring
 leak detection by December 23, 1998.     /

 This deadline affects your leak detection practices if your tank was
, either installed with corrosion protection or had corrosion protection
 added before December 22, 1988. These USTs could temporarily
 meet federal leak detection requirements by using a combined method
 that includes both inventory controf and tank tightness testing.
 Similarly, many tanks of 551 to 2,000 gallons capacity could use a
 combined method that includes manual tank gauging and periodic tank
 tightness testing.

 Federal regulations limit the use of combined methods with these
 USTs until December 1998. For these USTs only, "temporary use"
 of the combined method  ends December 22,1998.

 Starting December 23, 1998, these USTs must have monthly
 monitoring leak detection using such methods as interstitial monitoring,
 an automatic tank gauging system, vapor monitoring, groundwater
 monitoring, or statistical inventory reconciliation.

 See the table on the reverse side for minimum federal
 requirements.
                     Leak Detection Fact Sheet #1
                         March 1998
      Page 1 of 2

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    For USTs Installed Or Upgraded Before December 22,1988
Questions
Does tank have ,
corrosion
protection
(and, if so, when)?
No
No
Yes (any time)
Yes
(on or before
12/22/88)
Yes
(after 12/22/88)
Does piping have
corrosion
protection and
does UST have
spill and overfill
protection?
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Answers
You can use inventory control plus
tightness testing (or, if applicable, manual
tank gauging plus tightness testing)
Annually
Through 12/22/98
Through 12/22/98
Through 12/22/98
-->•
-->
Every 5 years
No
No
No
Through 12/22/98
Until 10 years
after tank has
corrosion
• protection
Please note that you may need to begin monthly monitoring leak detection earlier than
shown above, if the tank's upgrade was based on an alternative integrity assessment
method (such as corrosion modeling or video inspection). Check with your
implementing agency for requirements in your area.

To find out how long USTs may be able to use the combined method of leak
detection, check with your implementing agency for guidance. For information
on contacting your implementing agency or to ask questions about UST
requirements, call EPA's toll-free hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or visit our Web site
at http://www.epa.gov/OUST/.
Leak Detection Fact Sheet #1
March 1998
Page 2 of 2

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