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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations require underground storage tank (UST) owners and operators to respond to a release by:
The 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.
One of the EPA’s top priorities in the UST program is to help state and local governments make cleanups faster, cheaper, and more effective.
What to do if a release is suspected
Alarms and warning signals may indicate that an underground storage tank (UST) is leaking. A company can minimize damage to the environment, and to the business, by paying attention to early warning signals and taking immediate action before major problems develop.
A company should suspect a release when they observe these warning signals:
If a company investigates an unusual operating condition or release detection alarm and determines a release has not occurred, the company does not need to report a suspected release as long as they immediately fix the problem. Otherwise, call the implementing agency and report the suspected release.
To find out quickly if the suspected release is an actual release, use these investigative steps:
If the system tests and site checks confirm that a release has occurred, follow the actions for responding to confirmed releases. Respond quickly to any evidence of released petroleum that appears at or near the site. For example, neighbors might tell the company they smell petroleum vapors in their basements or taste petroleum in their drinking water. Or the company may notice unusual operating conditions such as erratic behavior of the dispensing pump and liquid in the interstitial space of secondarily contained systems. If evidence of this type is discovered, report this discovery immediately to the implementing agency and take the required investigative steps and follow-up actions.