Underground Storage Tanks

EPA Region 5 works with 34 Native American tribes and six states - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin - in the Midwest. Each state has its own agencies and organizations which provide quality underground storage tank/leaking underground storage tank programs.

Below are highlights of Region 5 accomplishments over the past 20 years.

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Petroleum Revitalization

Region 5 states received over $5.5 million in petroleum brownfields grants for fiscal year 2003; this represents 25 percent of the total petroleum brownfields funding awarded. All states in the region currently have active petroleum brownfields projects, either through federal or state grants. Within the next year, Region 5 plans to hold a symposium to build partnerships that promote the cleanup and reuse of leaking underground storage tank sites. For more information and examples of petroleum brownfields projects in Region 5, see http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/cars/brownfieldspetro/brownfields.htm

Wisconsin Natural Attentuation Study

Natural attenuation is a cleanup approach that relies on natural processes to achieve remediation objectives in a reasonable time frame. A key component of natural attenuation is monitoring contaminate concentrations to achieve measurable goals. After natural attenuation is chosen as the remedy at a leaking underground storage tank (LUST) site, a facility is required to continue sampling to monitor the progress of natural attenuation. The Wisconsin study will examine whether long-term monitoring is beneficial or necessary for site closure. The purpose of the study is to determine how long a site should be monitored before a trend indicates it is unnecessary to continue sampling. As a result, sites could be closed sooner and save state funds from paying for unnecessary sampling. For more information on the Wisconsin Natural Attenuation Study, see http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/r5lust/WI_NA.htm

IDEM-EPA-Shell Oil Multi-Site Agreement

Region 5 helped develop a multi-site agreement (MSA) between the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and Shell Oil. This agreement is an example of innovative federal leadership because it is the first of its kind between EPA, a state agency, and a major oil corporation for LUST remediation. The purpose of the MSA is to increase the pace of tank remediation by standardizing the corrective action process, ensuring consistency, improving communication, prioritizing sites, and establishing response time frames. This will result in a more efficient use of resources and time. For more information on this MSA or on MSAs in general, see: http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/r5lust/IDEM_EPA_Shell_MSA.htm

Monitoring Well Comparison Study

Region 5, Region 4, BP Amoco, and several state agencies are evaluating the performance of direct push monitoring wells versus conventional monitoring wells. The primary function of a groundwater monitoring well is to provide subsurface access to measure liquid, vapor, and gas releases for analysis. Existing data suggest measurements obtained from direct push monitoring wells are equivalent to those obtained from conventional monitoring wells, provided the direct push wells are properly developed. Direct push monitoring wells have the potential to be more useful and cost effective than conventional monitoring well, yet still provide equivalent results. For more information regarding the monitoring well study, see: http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/r5lust/Monitoring_Well_Comparison.htm

MTBE

• Diving Plume Study - In early 2001, Region 5 requested the National Risk Management Research Laboratory conduct research to identify and predict diving plume behavior at groundwater sites contaminated with MTBE. The study looked at how different land use options affect plume movement. The National Groundwater Association is scheduled to publish results from this research in fall 2004. For more information on the MTBE diving plume study, see: http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/r5lust/MTBE_Diving_Plume.htm
• Roselawn, Indiana - Region 5's Underground Storage Tank Section and Ground Water and Drinking Water Branch combined efforts to address MTBE-contaminated drinking water at an elementary school in Roselawn, Indiana. Region 5 responded to a citizen complaint regarding underground storage tanks at a service station, which led to discovery of drinking water with 10 times the EPA advisory for the gasoline additive MTBE at the nearby elementary school. Both Region 5 programs collaborated to prevent the children's continued exposure to contaminated drinking water. The grade school initially installed a water pretreatment system. In August 2003, Indiana began an ozone micro sparaging pilot study at the site, which will assess the effectiveness of this type of remediation on groundwater and soil. For more information about this site, see: http://www.in.gov/idem/land/lust/sitesummary/roselawn.html

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Historical Accomplishments:

• Criminal Enforcement In 1999, a task force was formed to investigate claims of false tank tightness tests. The task force included several members of Region 5's underground storage tank program as well as eight federal and two state agencies. Thanks to an exceptional investigation effort, in August 2002 a national tank testing company plead guilty to 10 felony counts of presenting false claims and making false statements to federal agencies. Nine federal agencies came together and worked as a team to prevent this company from continuing to put the environment at risk. For a press release on this case, see: http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2002/October/02_enrd_626.htm
• RBCA Region 5 was instrumental in promoting the use of Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA) to clean up tank sites. Risk-based decision making takes into account the current and potential future risk posed by releases. The risk is defined by using site-specific data on receptors; exposure potential; site hydrogeology; and the type, amount, and toxicity of chemicals of concern. The objective of this process is to ensure that corrective actions protect human health and the environment. Along with several industry leaders, Region 5 was one of the original participants in a workgroup which developed the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard Guide for Risk-Based Corrective Action Applied at Petroleum Release Sites (ASTM E1739-95). This standard provided states with a tool that allowed them to develop similar RBCA plans and fostered other EPA programs' adoption of the concepts of risk-based corrective action. More information about this Standard is available on ASTM International's web site.
• Underground Tank Technology Update Region 5 provided to the University of Wisconsin-Madison an initial grant to publish Underground Tank Technology Update (UTTU). Designed by Region 5 and the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Engineering Professional Development, UTTU is a bimonthly newsletter which supplies useful information and the latest developments to stakeholders in the LUST remediation field. Since 1987, UTTU has provided in depth articles pertaining to such topics as bioremediation, hydrocarbon characteristics, and movement and RBCA. To request a free subscription, see UTTU's website at: http://uttu.engr.wisc.edu/

For additional information about the UST program in Region 5, visit their home page at: http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/tanks/index.htm

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