State implements new gas tank safety measures

Number of underground storage tanks in Houston, Geneva and Henry counties: 570 at 195 facilities
Number of underground storage tanks in Alabama: 17,198 at 6,239 facilities
State compliance rate: 80 percent

For additional information, go to: http://www.adem.state.al.us

Representatives from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management met with local gas station owners Tuesday in Dothan to discuss new federally mandated regulations designed to ensure safety in underground fuel storage tanks.

The key point of the meeting was to explain the state’s new legal ability to prohibit delivery and acceptance of product to non-compliant underground storage tank facilities.

ADEM gained the legal ability to enforce delivery prohibition in April, but has chosen to wait until Aug. 4 to begin its list of facilities under prohibition.

“We have planned a program of outreach to delivery companies and owners to make sure that we get out to where the owners are and give them best opportunity to find out about program before we implement it,” said Sonja Massey,  chief of the groundwater branch in the land division of ADEM. “The week of
August 4 will be when we start to implement it.”

Facilities will be placed on prohibition if the owner fails to install, operate and maintain tank protection, ensure compatibility between the tank and the product, perform required testing, pay regulatory fees or take corrective action for leaks.

Most gas stations use underground storage tanks, and Massey said the danger involved with leaks is significant.

“Leaks from underground storage tanks can cause contamination of public wells and private wells. We’ve had to help people get moved out of their homes because of leaks from underground storage tanks,” Massey said. “Leaks in underground storage tanks are the most common cause of groundwater contamination in the nation.”

Wiregrass residents have no need to fear, however. In fact, Alabama is one of the top states in underground storage tank compliance.

“Compliance for state is 80 percent, and the EPA ranked us as the fifth best compliance rate in entire nation,” said ADEM spokesman Scott Hughes. “That being said, we certainly would like for that rate to increase. We have inspectors out in field on a daily basis. That, along with the new delivery prohibition rule, should result in an increase in compliance.

ADEM will post weekly updates to its list of prohibited facilities, removing stations when they come into compliance and adding new violators.

Massey said owners of stations in danger of being put on the list have been given at least 90 days’ notice, and penalties could be steep.

“If someone does deliver to a tank that’s under delivery prohibition, or if an owner accepts a delivery and they know their tank is under delivery prohibition, there can be a penalty both for the owner of the tank and the product delivery company,” Massey said.

To keep up with the latest list of prohibited stations in the state, visit ADEM’s Web site, http://www.adem.state.al.us, weekly, beginning in August.