&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Underground Storage Tank Program
25 YEARS OF PROTECTING
OUR LAND AND WATER
United States Office of Solid Waste and
Environmental Protection Emergency Response (5401P)
Agency
EPA-510-B-09-
March 2009
www.epa.gov/ou
25
-------
>,ars Of Progress Through Stronf
Partnerships
10
12
14
16
-------
Ill
25 Years Of Progress Through Strong Partnerships
In 1983, CBS's 60 Minutes aired a story titled "Check the Water,"
which brought national attention to families suffering from the effects
of a gasoline leak. Less than a year later, Congress passed and the
President signed a new law directing EPA to protect our nation's land
and water from underground storage tank (LIST) leaks. At the time,
there were approximately two million underground storage tanks.
Twenty-five years later, two-thirds of these tanks have closed, leaving
approximately 623,000 tanks at 235,000 gas stations and other
facilities still operating.
Preventing new releases from underground tanks and cleaning up
existing releases have been key to the program's success and are an
important part of protecting our environment. Even a small amount
of petroleum released from an underground tank can contaminate
groundwater, which is the drinking water source for nearly half of all
Americans. Even more alarming, states have reported that petroleum
released from underground tanks is the most common threat to our
country's groundwater.
For the past 25 years, EPA, states, tribes, and regulated industry
have been working together to protect our land and water by
preventing and cleaning up releases from underground tanks.
Because of this strong partnership, the nation's tank programs have:
• Properly closed almost 1.7 million substandard underground
storage tanks;
Reduced the annual number of underground storage tank
releases from almost 67,000 in 1990 to just over 7,300 in
2008; and
Cleaned up over 377,000 releases, more than 80 percent of all
reported releases.
Despite this great progress, challenges remain. The underground storage
tank program's priorities are to: meet the mandate to inspect all 623,000
federally-regulated tanks every three years, boost compliance rates to
minimize future releases, and clean up old and new tank leaks. Beyond
these core activities, it is important to also encourage sustainable reuse
of thousands of abandoned gas stations, ensure safe storage of ethanol-
blended fuels and biofuels, update our 20-year-old regulations, and solve
new problems that have yet to emerge.
EPA developed this booklet to celebrate the progress so far and outline
the challenges ahead. This booklet focuses on five experiences that
describe how EPA and our tank partners are making a difference through
conducting inspections; reusing abandoned gas stations; adapting to new
fuels; updating underground storage tank regulations; and promoting
green gas stations, green cleanups, and other sustainable strategies. For
additional information about these activities and more, please visit EPA's
underground storage tanks Web site at www.epa.gov/oust.
-------
Inspections: Our Program's Ounce Of Prevention Is
Worth A Pound Of Cure
Twenty-five years ago there were no federal tank regulations, and
inspections were rare. In a few states, an inspector or local fire
marshal would occasionally conduct an on-site underground storage
tank inspection. But in most places, buried tanks were out of sight
and out of mind, typically not inspected for a decade or more, if at
all.
In the 25 years that have passed, a lot has changed. Today, with the
passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, every underground tank
must be inspected every three years. With 623,000 tanks, that's
a huge task requiring a significant commitment. Fortunately, EPA
and our state and tribal partners are making such a commitment.
Many states are hiring new inspectors; some are taking advantage
of portable, state-of-the-art equipment to improve efficiency. Other
states are using contract or third-party inspections; still others are
using a mix. In Indian country over the past two years, EPA has
issued inspector credentials to several tribal inspectors. This allows
the tribal inspector to conduct an inspection on behalf of EPA and
is helping to ensure that all tanks in Indian country will be inspected
every three years.
Although we are only in the first
three-year inspection cycle, our
collective efforts are starting to
pay off. After a slight decline,
compliance rates are beginning to
improve and fewer new leaks are
being reported each year. And
by continuing our investment in
inspections, EPA hopes to see even
fewer new releases and a bigger
payoff. Preventing just one new
release will save $125,000, the
estimated average cost to clean up
a contaminated site. So it's easy to
see that an upfront investment in
inspections - our program's ounce
of prevention - is certainly worth a
pound of cure
Measuring the product level in a tank
Developing Federal Credentials For Tribal Inspectors
Designating tribal inspectors as
authorized representatives of EPA to
inspect underground tanks can help
increase the geographic coverage
and frequency of inspections
in Indian country. It also helps
enhance relationships and increase
the capabilities of tribal inspectors.
In 2007, EPA regions first began
issuing federal credentials, and
so far inspectors from the Eastern
Band of the Cherokee Indians,
Navajo Nation, Nez Perce Tribe,
and Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are credentialed. With federal
credentials, these individuals can conduct federal underground
storage tank inspections at their tribal facilities and potentially other
facilities. EPA will continue to work with tribes to train other tribal
inspectors and issue additional credentials.
I
Inspecting a spill bucket
Third-Party Inspections Help States Achieve Inspection Goals
Years ago, Pennsylvania developed an innovative concept to
augment inspection staff, increase field presence, and achieve
the goal of increasing the number of inspections done in that state
each year. The concept - a third-party inspection program - is
a cost-effective way to increase the number of eligible inspectors
without increasing the number of state-paid inspectors. In a
third-party inspection program, state-
authorized third-party inspectors
are paid by the underground tank
owners to perform on-site inspections.
Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, and
Montana have joined Pennsylvania
and are using third-party inspectors
to achieve their inspection goals. This
is the kind of innovative approach
that has been a hallmark of the
Inspecting under the
dispenser underground tank program.
-------
Reusing Abandoned Gas Stations Is Helping To
Revitalize Neighborhoods
Along Kansas City, Missouri's Prospect corridor, restaurants now
line the streets. The Steptoe Battlefield State Park in Rosalia,
Washington has a new visitor center. And several families are now
living in Habitat for Humanity homes in Oakland, California. None
of these stories would be particularly remarkable, except that all
of these activities are taking place on former brownfields sites with
petroleum contamination.
For too many years, these and other properties were hiding in plain
sight, attracting crime but not investors. Fortunately, these and other
old, vacant properties are now valuable real estate and a source of
revenue and pride for the community. Thousands of other vacant
properties just like these are scattered along our highways and in
our neighborhoods. Many of these abandoned gas stations are so
commonplace that some people no longer even notice them, and to
others they are too small to worry about.
But to many people, these old abandoned corner gas stations
provide large cities and small towns with opportunities to clean up
and reinvigorate neighborhoods. Between 2000 and 2002, EPA
funded 50 USTfields pilots to clean up and reuse many of these
abandoned properties. In 2002, Congress passed a Brownfields
Law and over six years, EPA has provided almost $130 million to
assess and clean up abandoned gas stations and other petroleum
brownfields sites, resulting in new parks, community centers,
restaurants, retail spaces, police stations, and fire stations.
Today, EPA has a new Petroleum Brownfields Action Plan to build
on this progress. Through this plan, EPA, states, tribes, local
communities, and the private sector are working together to return
even more abandoned gas stations back to productive use and
giving neighborhoods new hope. For a copy of the action plan,
please visit EPA's underground storage tanks Web site at www.epa.
gov/oust/rags/petrobfactionplan.pdf.
Trenton, New Jersey: Abandoned Gas Station To New Firehouse
Using grant funds, New Jersey and Trenton successfully partnered
to remove four underground storage tanks and contaminated soil
at an abandoned gas station site and transform it into the much
needed West Ward Firehouse. This project demonstrates that
unsightly, abandoned properties can be cleaned up and reused to
benefit the community's residents and enhance the aesthetics and
environment of the neighborhood.
Abandoned gas station
Site reused as a firehouse
Zebulon, North Carolina: Dilapidated Property To New Business
This property consisted of four parcels of land totaling 1.75 acres
with four existing structures: a former restaurant, an auto sales
dealership, an auto service garage, and a hair salon. The soil and
groundwater were contaminated with petroleum from above ground
tanks used by previous bus and gas stations and surrounding
off-site leaking underground storage tanks (LUSTs). Underground
storage tanks were also discovered on site during the remediation
of the petroleum-contaminated soil. The site was redeveloped into
a stand-alone drug store near the town center of Zebulon.
Petroleum-contaminated
property
Site reused as a drug store
-------
Milestones In The Underground Storage Tank Program
1984
1986
1988
1990
National LUST National EPA Approves
UST Program Trust Fund UST Regulations First State
UST Program
1993
Leak
Detection
Deadline
1998
Upgrade or
Replace
Deadline
2005
Energy
Policy
Act
2009
25th
Anniversary
-------
LIST Regulations Then and Now
In the early 1980s, when Congress directed EPA to develop a
comprehensive regulatory program for underground storage tanks,
Ron Brand, EPA's first underground storage tank program director
said, "We wanted to be sure that the regulations were practical.. .we
always thought of the 16-year old gas station worker measuring the
tanks at 6 a.m. on a cold day...".
EPA knew 25 years ago that our success would depend on states,
tribes, owners and operators, and many others to implement the new
program. With that in mind, EPA crafted regulations that provided
a basic level of protection for everyone by preventing, detecting,
and cleaning up leaks. Because of the large and diverse regulated
universe -from Fortune 500 corporations to small, one-station
owners - EPA provided flexibility for implementing the requirements.
As a result, for the past 25 years, the regulations have served
our program and country well. EPA has seen a steady decline
in reported releases, expanded use of better tank systems, and
continued progress cleaning up leaks.
In the two decades of implementing the tank regulations,
underground storage tank systems have changed. The old, wooden
dipsticks have been replaced with automatic tank gauging; bare steel
tanks replaced with double-walled systems; and green gas stations
are now built with energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly
equipment. But the federal underground storage tank regulations
have not changed, and some of the requirements are out of date.
Fortunately, with the enactment of the Energy Policy Act of 2005,
we now have new tools and new requirements for the next quarter
century of the program.
To take full advantage of today's better technology and move the
program forward, EPA is looking beyond the Energy Policy Act. At
the quarter century mark, EPA began a process to revise, update,
and improve the federal tank regulations. Although the process is
just beginning, the Agency plans to issue a proposed rule in spring
2010, followed by a final regulation that will carry the program well
into the future.
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
-
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
'89 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08
Annual UST Releases 1988-2008
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
'88 '89 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02'03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08
Cumulative LUST Cleanups Completed 1988-2008
-------
Storing New Fuels In Old Tanks Can Be A
Challenge
A quarter century ago, corn was a popular side dish at summer
barbecues and vegetable oil was used for cooking. Now, corn and
vegetable oil are new ingredients in fuel for our cars and trucks.
Although several mid-western states have used biofuels - such as
ethanol made from corn - for decades, it is only recently that our
nation is seeing widespread use of alternative fuels.
About ten years ago, EPA saw an increase in drinking water
contaminated with methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), a chemical
added to gasoline to make it burn cleaner and improve air quality.
Since underground storage tanks at facilities such as gas stations
had historically stored gasoline, diesel, or other petroleum products,
this increase in MTBE contamination led to heightened awareness
of the potential risks posed by fuel additives. And EPA is facing this
challenge again, but with biofuels instead of MTBE.
Many gas stations across the country
now sell gasoline blends containing
biofuels to help improve air quality and
reduce our country's dependence on
foreign oil. But because these blended
products have significantly different
characteristics than gasoline and diesel,
alternative fuels present new challenges
to underground tank programs. We
need to adapt our storage strategies for
new fuels and prevent a new generation
of releases. In order to keep our land
and water free of contamination, EPA and states are working with
tank owners to address the compatibility of biofuels with the tank
systems in which they are stored.
Corn: the primary source of
fuel-grade ethanol
MTBE Contaminated Water At Roselawn, Indiana School
When petroleum containing MTBE leaked from underground
storage tanks, it contaminated soil and, in some instances,
groundwater, which is a source of drinking water for many
Americans. MTBE makes drinking water supplies undrinkable
because of its offensive taste and odor, which is similar to
turpentine.
In Roselawn, Indiana, a public elementary school is located
about one-third of a mile from a gas station. After receiving a
citizen's complaint, EPA, Indiana's Department of Environmental
Management Tank Program, and Indiana's Newton County Health
Department investigated a strong smell of petroleum emanating
from a water faucet in the gas station's rest room. After further
investigation in the neighborhood, including the elementary school,
EPA found levels of MTBE in the school's well water approximately
10 times higher than EPA's drinking water advisory for MTBE
levels. EPA directed the school to immediately stop using the
water for drinking, cafeteria cooking, and cleaning. Without the
swift response, quick intervention, and combined efforts of state
and local authorities and EPA, children at the Roselawn elementary
school might have unknowingly continued to ingest high levels of
MTBE.
Safe drinking water is a critical
resource
As are the children who drink
the water
-------
Greening Underground Storage Tank Operations
And Cleanups
Shoppers have been choosing between paper and plastic bags for
years. Now, with many shoppers choosing reusable cloth bags, the
choice is becoming moot. In supermarkets all across the country,
consumers are incorporating sustainability and environmental
stewardship into their daily lives.
EPA is also embracing the need for all of us to become better
stewards of the environment. In the underground storage tank
program, we are working with states and tribes to prevent and clean
up leaking underground storage tank releases, and incorporate
sustainability and environmental stewardship in the daily work of
tank management. Efforts across the country have resulted in
examples that demonstrate how cleaning up the environment can
make good business sense. Today more businesses, such as the
Zarco 66 Earth Friendly Fuels and SeQuential biofuels stations
highlighted on the next page, are building new green gas stations
that are energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
Applying green strategies to underground tank cleanups means
more than simply using a green backhoe. It means using natural
resources and energy efficiently; reducing the collateral impacts of
a cleanup on the soil, water, and
air; and minimizing or eliminating
pollution at the source. It's a new
way of thinking for some, but
worth the effort. A green cleanup
may save energy, fuel, and dollars
over traditional methods. And
with almost 103,000 underground
petroleum tank releases in the
cleanup backlog, we have a
great opportunity to reduce the
footprint of cleanup and promote
sustainability.
Solar panels on a green roof
Green Gas Stations Are Our Future
Zarco 66 Earth Friendly Fuels
station
In Lawrence, Kansas, the Zarco
66 Earth Friendly Fuels station
showcases the blending of biodiesel
and ethanol fuels at the pumps;
demonstrates electricity generation
with a wind turbine; and features
a green roof, an energy-efficient
lighting scheme, and recycling bins.
Video screens on fuel dispensers
allow customers to learn about the
benefits of biofuels, roof gardens,
and other environmental topics
while filling their vehicles. The on-site
coffee shop uses Energy Star-rated
appliances and biodegradable corn-based cups. A rain garden
and solar panels will be installed at the facility. This innovative
fueling station occupies a former gas station site that had a
gasoline release in the mid-1990s.
In Eugene, Oregon, a SeQuential biofuels station sells an
assortment of biofuels for gasoline and diesel vehicles. The I
plant that supplies these biofuels is minimizing its carbon dioxide
emissions by reducing the amount of fuel shipped from great
distances and recycling cooking oil from restaurants throughout
Oregon and Washington. This biofuels station is powered using
100 percent renewable energy, uses grassy retention areas to
contain stormwater runoff, and has a living roof to reduce the flow
of stormwater. Similar to the Kansas station, this sustainable facility
in Oregon occupies a former gas station site that was contaminated
with petroleum in the 1990s.
Sequential biofuels station
-------
Working Together Toward A Greener America
With half the country depending on groundwater as a drinking water
source and leaks from underground storage tanks the most common
groundwater threat, it is essential that we continue to make progress
in preventing and cleaning up leaks. As we celebrate this 25th year
of the underground storage tank program and look to the future, EPA
will continue to depend on states, tribes, industry, and other partners
to meet our latest challenges. Together we've accomplished a lot,
but much work remains as we continue to protect our land and water
from underground storage tank leaks, while working toward a greener
America for future generations.
------- |