WHAT ARE UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS?
An UST is a tank system, including piping connected to the tank, that has at least 10 percent of its volume underground. Federal and state regulations apply only to those USTs containing petroleum products or certain hazardous chemicals. USTs not regulated include: Farm or residential tanks 1,100 gallons or less, used non-commercially. Tanks storing heating oil, used on the premises. Flow-through process tanks. Emergency spill and overflow tanks. Tanks holding 110 gallons or less. Others as described in the federal register. WHY WORRY ABOUT AN UST RELEASE? Utah obtains more than 50% of the population’s drinking water from groundwater. Currently, there are more than 3000 leaking UST sites in Utah. These sites have resulted in contaminated ground water and in some cases, explosive situations. Many more USTs in Utah could leak or have yet to be discovered in the future adding to the existing problems. WHAT DO THE UST REGULATIONS ACCOMPLISH? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with
