Underground Storage Tanks

Below are the federal reporting and recordkeeping requirements. You should check with your state or local regulatory authority about particular reporting and recordkeeping requirements in your area.

What Do You Need To Report?

You need to report to the regulatory authority on the following occasions:

• When you install an UST, you have to fill out a notification form and submit it to your state or local agency. This form provides information about your UST, including a certification of correct installation. (You should have already used this form to identify your existing USTs. If you haven't done that yet, be sure you do so now.)
• You must report suspected releases to the regulatory authority. If a release is confirmed, you must also report follow-up actions you plan or have taken to correct the damage caused by your UST.
• You must notify the regulatory authority 30 days before you permanently close your UST.

What Records Must You Keep?

You will have to keep records that can be provided to an inspector during an on-site visit that prove your facility meets certain requirements. These records must be kept long enough to show your facility's recent compliance status in four major areas:

• You will have to keep records of leak detection performance and maintenance:
  • The last year's monitoring results, and the most recent tightness test.
  • Copies of performance claims provided by leak detection manufacturers.
  • Records of recent maintenance, repair, and calibration of on-site leak detection equipment.
• You will have to keep records showing the required inspections and tests of your corrosion protection system.
• You must keep records showing that a repaired or upgraded UST system was properly repaired or upgraded.
• For at least 3 years after closing an UST, you must keep records of the site assessment results required for permanent closure. (These results show what impact your UST has had on the surrounding area.)
• You must keep records that document your financial responsibility, as explained in EPA's booklet, Dollars And Sense.

The preceding discussion is summarized from the regulatory language in 40 CFR Part 280.34 as published in the Federal Register, Vol. 53, No. 185, Friday, September 23, 1988.

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