Many tanks are approaching their warranty expiration after an EPA rule change three decades ago. But experts say proper maintenance can extend the service life well beyond that period. An interesting question and article from C-Store Dive, which has its introduction here. Photograph is courtesy of the PEI.
1988 brought a big change for gas stations. That year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency updated its regulations for underground storage tanks, requiring many to be replaced in a relatively short timeframe.
“The industry was given this kind of [ultimatum that] by 1998, you need to have an upgraded system or you need to have addressed your system,” said Scott Boorse, senior director of technical programs and industry affairs for the Petroleum Equipment Institute, a trade organization for companies that make, install and service petroleum and energy handling equipment.
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Boorse, who has investigated petroleum contaminated sites and also spent over 20 years with Wawa’s fuels program, said the problem was that older steel tanks sometimes corroded enough to leak their contents into the environment.
“If you were to bury anything over a period of time, because of electrolysis, it will start to disintegrate,” said Bob Renkes, executive director of the Fiberglass Tank & Pipe Institute.
If a fuel tank does develop holes, it can not only cause a headache for the business owner who needs to replace the tank and clean up what spilled, but also for the properties around it, since the spilled fuel can creep into their land as well.
It’s been around 30 years since those tanks got replaced under the EPA’s rule change. Data from the EPA shows a steady decline in the number of fuel leak incidents from underground tanks, pipes and other parts in recent years, indicating the rule change and evolving technology is helping keep tanks sturdy and in service.
However, since the warranty on many tanks expires after three decades, it’s worth asking: When should fuel tanks get replaced?
Full article at When should retailers replace their fuel tanks? | C-Store Dive (cstoredive.com)
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