Immediately After Release
If you suspect that a release may have occurred, you must immediately notify your state or local implementing agency. If the tank is in territory controlled by Native Americans, you must contact the EPA 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.
For a hazardous substance release, follow the same short-term and long-term responses as for petroleum releases, in addition to the following:
- Owners must immediately report hazardous substance spills or overfills that meet or exceed their "reportable quantities" to the National Response Center at 800-424-8802.
- Owners must also report hazardous substance spills or overfills that meet or exceed their reportable quantities to the state regulatory authority within 24 hours.
If a hazardous substance spill or overfill is smaller than its reportable quantity and is immediately contained and cleaned up, it does not have to be reported.
Owners and operators may not be required to report petroleum spills of less than 25 gal if they are immediately contained and the releases are cleaned up. If cleanup cannot be accomplished within 24 hours, or another reasonable time period established by the agency, owners and operators must immediately notify the implementing agency. Be sure to check state rules for any stricter requirements.
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Within 24 Hours
For a short-term response, owners are required to:
- Stop and contain the leak or spill.
- Call the state regulatory agency for the state in which the UST is located within 24 hours to report the release.
- Identify and mitigate fire, explosion, and vapor hazards.
- Determine the extent of the release and recover as much petroleum as possible.
- Report progress to the appropriate regulatory agencies within 20 days after the initial report.
- Investigate possible environmental damage.
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As Soon as Possible
For a long-term response to a release, you must:
- Develop a corrective action plan.
- Make sure you meet the requirements for your site under 40 CFR 280.
See tomorrow’s Advisor for release reporting requirements within 30 days and 45 days of the release.