Underground Oil Storage Tanks Enforcement

For questions regarding the Underground Oil Storage Tank Program, please contact staff in the tanks program at (207) 287-2651.

What to expect during an Inspection:

DEP staff may inspect as many as 400 underground oil storage facilities per year for compliance with the underground oil storage facility Rules. Inspections begin with a review of the underground oil storage tank paperwork the facility owner is required to maintain, including but not limited to annual inspections, daily inventory, Statistical Inventory Analysis (SIA) tests, spill logs and electronic alarm history printouts. DEP staff inspects the facility’s primary method of leak detection and other underground oil storage tank components. While on site, DEP staff instructs the owner or operator on how to operate the underground oil storage tanks in compliance with the rules. The inspection concludes with a review of DEP staff findings, which may include a Notice of Violation for those violations identified during the inspection. A Notice of Violation will include corrective action deadlines to bring the facility into compliance with the underground oil storage tank rules.

This inspection does not substitute for the annual inspection that is done by a Certified Tank Installer or Certified Tank Inspector. For example, DEP staff may identify but will not repair malfunctioning equipment, while staff will check for compliance with some requirements that are not covered in an annual inspection, such as a spill log and SIA.

 

 

Maine.gov | DEP Home | Remediation & Waste Management Home | Site Policies | RWM Webmaster