Various warning signals can indicate that your underground storage tank (UST) may be leaking and creating problems for the environment and your business. You can minimize these problems by paying careful attention to early warning signals and reacting to them quickly before major problems develop.
You should suspect a leak when you discover any of the following warning signals:
- You, your co-workers, or customers smell escaped product or see anything like an oily sheen on water near the facility.
- Your neighbors complain of vapors in their basements or about water that tastes or smells like petroleum.
- Someone reports unusual operating conditions at your facility, such as erratic behavior of the dispensing pump.
- You receive or generate results from leak detection monitoring and testing that indicate a leak.
It’s Leaking, Here’s What You Do
If you suspect that a release may have occurred, you must immediately notify your state or local implementing agency. If your tank is in Indian Country, you must contact EPA’s regional UST program office. Quick action on your part can minimize the extent of environmental damage and the threat to human health and safety, and it can minimize your share of the high costs that can result from cleaning up extensive releases and responding to third-party liability claims.
Remember, federal law requires that all Class C operators must be trained on or before August 8, 2012 (or sooner in some states). Prepare your employees for their emergency response duties with the newest course from Employee Training Center: Class C UST Operator Training. With only a few minutes’ setup, your company will have a complete Web-based training program with professionally developed courses, employee testing capabilities, and systematic documentation of employee training sessions and scores.
Visit Enviro.BLR.com for more information.