Underground Storage Tanks

Many businesses use storage tanks, although they are most closely associated with the energy and petrochemical industry. Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) are typically used by service stations and convenience stores to store gasoline, diesel fuel, and kerosene. Local governments, fleet service operators, and the U.S. military also use them for this purpose. ARM Environmental Services provides many services related to the maintenance, contamination assessment and remediation, and removal of UST and AST systems.

Storage Tank Regulations

Tanks may be classified into Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) and Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) generally considers a tank to be a UST if at least 10 percent of the tank system is underground, including the piping. Tank systems sometimes develop a leak, are damaged or overfilled. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency half of a million UST releases have been documented in the US as of the beginning of 2018. State and Federal regulators require that the contamination from a release is assessed to determine the potential risk to human health and the environment. The United States Code (USC) describes the regulation of USTs in Title 42, Chapter 82, Subchapter IX, which include the provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Subtitle I of the Solid Waste Disposal Act that pertain to USTs. This law also grants the EPA the authority to regulate USTs in the U.S. The focus of these regulations is to prevent releases, evaluate releases when they occur, and mitigate the impact from Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) systems.

Process

ARM is a full-service UST release assessment and remediation firm. We often provide these services as part of state Trust Fund assessment or remediation projects, which are administered by the Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) in North Carolina and the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) in South Carolina. A state-funded trust fund system with a tiered deductible is present in North Carolina to assist UST system owners with the costs for assessment or remediation of petroleum releases. The trust fund in South Carolina for petroleum UST releases is the State Underground Petroleum Environmental Response Bank (SUPERB) fund. The SUPERB program works much like a private insurance policy to assist UST owners with the costs for assessment or remediation of petroleum releases. The fund is available to qualified UST owners, has a deductible, and is funded by a SC fuel impact fee as well as the owners and operators of all UST systems via annual tank registration fees.

Qualifications

ARM has many staff members with specific training and qualifications in this area. ARM is certified Class I / Class II UST Site Rehabilitation Contractor (SC cert #004), and has successfully completed thousands of UST and AST projects over more than two decades. ARM completes tank work in South Carolina in compliance with the most current iteration of the Department of Health and Environmental Control UST Section Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP). ARM also maintains a South Carolina DHEC-approved Annual Contractor Quality Assurance Plan.

ARM has been providing environmental services throughout the Southeastern United States since 1991. Our headquarters are located in Columbia, South Carolina, and we also have a branch office in Charlotte, North Carolina. Call us today to find out what we can do for you.