Study of Maine Underground Storage System Annual Inspection Reports
July 2000 Marcel Moreau Associates
Background
Purpose of This Study
View or Download Report - in pdf format
Percentage of UST Facilities with Valid Annual
Inspection Conducted in 1999
BACKGROUND EXCERPT
Reliable operation of leak detection, spill prevention, corrosion protection and safety equipment installed on underground tanks is essential to long term public safety and environmental protection. Maine's underground storage system regulations include a requirement that all operating storage systems must be inspected on an annual basis by a qualified person. The purpose of the inspection is to establish that all equipment required by regulations is correctly installed and functioning properly.
An inspection report form is mailed annually to the owners of all active storage systems in the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) data base. The DEP encourages storage system owners to voluntarily return completed inspection reports, but there is no regulatory requirement that inspection reports be filed with the DEP. As a result, there is little reliable information concerning the operational status of storage systems in Maine. In addition, enforcement of the annual inspection requirement is labor intensive because storage systems that are not being inspected annually are not readily identifiable.
PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY
The purpose of this study is to answer the following questions:
- What percentage of UST systems are inspected annually?
- What percentage of annual inspection records are voluntarily submitted to the DEP?
- What percentage of UST annual inspections discover problems?
- What types of problems are discovered during annual inspections?
- Are problems discovered during annual inspections repaired?
Based on the answers to these questions, the study is to evaluate:
- Whether the annual inspection program contributes significantly to the proper operation of UST systems.
- Whether modifications to the annual inspection program should be made to improve its effectiveness.
View or Download Report - in pdf format
