&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste And
Emergency Response
5403W
EPA510-F-94-006
August 1994
UST Program Facts
Cleaning Up Releases
What is the cleanup program?
In Subtitle I of the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act, Congress directed the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish
regulatory programs that would prevent, detect, and
clean up releases from underground storage tank
systems (USTs). EPA regulations require UST
owners and operators to respond to a release by:
• Reporting a release,
• Removing its source,
• Mitigating fire and safety hazards,
• Investigating the extent of the contamination,
and
• Cleaning up soil and groundwater as needed to
protect human health and the environment
EPA developed the UST regulations and program to
be flexible and to be implemented by state and local
agencies. Every state and many local governments
now have active UST cleanup programs.
How many releases need attention?
As of July 1994, more than 262,000 UST releases
had been confirmed. As the graphic on the next
page shows, many of these releases have been
cleaned up, but much work remains to be done. The
number of new releases reported continues to
outpace the number of sites cleaned up.
EPA estimates that the total number of confirmed
releases could reach 400,000 in the next several
years, primarily releases discovered during the
closure or replacement of USTs. After this peak,
EPA expects fewer releases as USTs comply with
requirements.
Currently, state and local UST cleanup program staff
oversee an increasing caseload of active cleanups.
State staff frequently have 50-400 cases to manage
at any given time. Staff work is often further
complicated by administrative bottlenecks in
oversight processes. At the same time, state staff
face an increasing backlog of sites awaiting
response.
Increasing caseloads, administrative bottlenecks,
backlogged sites, and staff overload slow down
cleanup responses. Over time, release sites in the
planning stages of corrective action and those
awaiting a response gradually become more difficult
and costly to clean up. Regulators have difficulty
finding the time necessary to perform inspections
and review corrective action plans. Delays in the
cleanup process disrupt businesses and make
cleanups more expensive for many owners,
particularly small businesses.
Can streamlining and alternative
technologies help?
One of EPA's top priorities in the UST program is to
help state and local governments make cleanups
faster, cheaper, and more effective. Two approaches
being used to reach this goal are streamlining
administrative procedures and using alternative
cleanup technologies.
Streamlining
EPA staff and consultants help states to streamline
cleanup oversight processes:
• They teach Total Quality Management
techniques to help identify delays and other
opportunities for improvement.
• They show state managers and staff how to use
flowcharts and performance indicators to
document, analyze, and improve their programs.
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Growing Number Of Cleanup Sites
Cleanup Sites
Confirmed Releases
Cleanups Started
Cleanups Completed
Cleanups Awaiting Action
300.000
250,000
200,000
"S 150,000
100,000
50,000--
July 1990 July 1991 July 1992 July 1993 July 1994
• They support state managers and staff in
streamlining efforts: developing clear guidance
materials and hosting "consultants days" to
improve the quality of cleanup plans and
reports; designing process changes that reduce
delays and paperwork; and providing training
that enables people to perform more
efficiently.
Alternative Technologies
In cooperative efforts with contractors, consultants,
tank owners, and states, EPA is also working to
promote the use of alternatives to traditional site
assessment and cleanup technologies. Even though
some promising technologies—such as air sparging,
bioremediation, and low temperature thermal
desorption—have proven advantageous in field
applications, they are not yet widely used across the
country. EPA is using a variety of training,
demonstration, and outreach projects to increase the
acceptance and use of technologies that can help
make cleanups faster, less costly, or more effective.
Are EPA's efforts helping?
By streamlining cleanup oversight processes and
promoting wider use of alternative technologies for
site assessment and cleanup, many states have made
improvements. States have reduced delays in
permitting, site assessment, corrective action, and
reimbursement processes. States are providing
clearer guidance to consultants and contractors,
which is resulting in better plans and reports,
speeding up the work, and cutting paperwork costs.
As training and demonstration projects progress,
alternative technologies such as soil vapor
extraction, air sparging, and bioremediation are
being used more often.
"Cleaning Up Releases" is one in a series of fact sheets
about underground storage tanks (USTs) and leaking
USTs. The series is designed to help EPA, other federal
officials, and state authorities answer the most frequently
asked questions about USTs with consistent, accurate
information in plain language. Keep the fact sheets
handy as a resource. This fact sheet addresses federal
regulations. You may need to refer to applicable state or
local regulations, as well. For more information on
USTpublications, call the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at
800424-9346.
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Printed with Soy/Canota Ink on paper that
contains at least 50% post-consumer recycled fiber
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