Section 170.670  Removal or Abandonment-in-Place of Underground Storage Tanks

 

a)         Removal:

 

1)         Remove all petroleum or hazardous substances and all accumulated sludges from the tank and connecting lines;

 

2)         Disconnect piping at all tank openings;

 

3)         Remove all sections of connecting lines that are not to be used further and cap or plug all tank openings.  At least one plug or cap must have an ⅛-inch hole;

 

4)         Before removal and at any time thereafter, as determined by the OSFM, the tank shall be gas freed (vapors from the combustible or flammable liquid from the tank are not present in a concentration sufficient to support combustion) on the premises in accordance with API Recommended Practice 1604, incorporated by reference in Section 170.410;

 

5)         Remove tank from ground;

 

6)         At least 5 percent of the lower flammable limit shall be obtained before the tank is considered safe for removal, instead of 20 percent, as required in the above cited API Recommended Practice 1604.  Dry ice shall not be allowed as a method of inerting tanks as referred to in API 1604;

 

7)         Compliance with this subsection (a) is the responsibility of the contractor.

 

b)         Disposal of Tanks:

If a tank is to be disposed of as salvage, it shall be retested for combustible or flammable vapors and, if necessary, rendered gas free.    If the tank last contained leaded gasoline, an unknown petroleum product or a hazardous substance, it may only be scrapped as salvage or re-certified.  If tanks are being re-certified, the contractor must give written notice to the OSFM on the removal permit as to the intent to re-certify and re-use the tanks being removed.  The re-certified tank must be re-installed within 6 months from removal.  Compliance with this subsection (b) is the responsibility of the contractor.

 

c)         Removal Procedures:

 

1)         Secure proper permitting and provide required notice of removal to OSFM;

 

2)         All removal monitoring equipment shall be maintained according to manufacturer’s specifications;

 

3)         Establish an exclusion zone within which smoking is prohibited.  The use of spark producing/non-explosion proof equipment is prohibited in the vapor hazard area;

 

4)         Excavate to the top of the tank, drain and remove all piping except the vent lines.  Pipe trenches shall remain open for inspection by the OSFM Storage Tank Safety Specialist (STSS);

 

5)         Remove all liquids from the tank using explosion-proof pumps or hand pumps.  When suctioning product out of tanks, plastic pipes shall not be allowed as a suction tube;

 

6)         The tank atmosphere and the excavation area shall be regularly monitored with a combustible gas indicator for flammable or combustible vapor concentration until the tank is removed from both the excavation and the site.  Monitoring the UST shall be done at 3 levels in the tank: top, middle and bottom;

 

7)         Monitor the tank to insure explosive conditions do not exist.  Lower explosive limit (LEL) 5% or less, or oxygen 5% or less, shall be attained;

 

8)         Vapor freeing shall be done in accordance with API 1604 Section 4.2.  When vapor freeing the tank with compressed air or using inert gases under pressure, all devices shall be bonded to the tank, and the tank shall be grounded to a separate ground.  When using inert gases the cylinder shall be equipped with a pressure gauge, so that no more than 5 psi can be discharged into the tank during vapor freeing procedures.  To ensure and maintain proper grounding and bonding, such connections shall be tested by the contractor for continuity.  This testing shall be done with equipment designed for continuity testing.  When vapor freeing of tanks, plastic pipes shall not be allowed as a vent tube on eductors;

 

9)         Plug and cap all accessible tank holes.  One plug should have an ⅛-inch vent hole;

 

10)         Excavate around the tank to prepare for removal.  This shall include excavation along one side and one end, from top to bottom;

 

11)         OSFM STSS is to be on site before cutting and cleaning operations or tank removal can proceed;

 

12)         Protective equipment for tank cleaning personnel shall be a minimum personal protection of:

 

A)        supplied air with full face mask;

 

B)        level B personal protective equipment with body harness and tag line;

 

C)        protective booties;

 

D)        continual monitoring of LEL and oxygen during cleaning;

 

E)         attendant/observer;

 

F)         confined space entry permit to include MSDS sheets;

 

G)        positive flow of fresh air shall be supplied during the cleaning operations;

 

H)        Requirements in this subsection (c)(12)(A) – (G) shall not apply in the event that no physical entry is made into the tank;

 

13)        Equipment with sufficient lifting capacity shall be used to lift the tank from the excavation;

 

14)        Any UST removed from the excavation zone shall be cleaned on site the day of the removal and removed from the site within 24 hours;

 

15)        Tanks larger than 2,000 gallons in capacity shall have holes or openings no less than 3 ft. x 3 ft., one on each end or side, for cleaning.  Tanks less than 2,000 gallons capacity shall have one entire side removed from end to end and shall be no less than 3 ft. wide;

 

16)        Continuous spark producing equipment will only be allowed when proper inerting procedures have been followed according to API 1604 Section 4.2.3;

 

17)       Tank owner must file an amended Notification of Underground Tanks form with OSFM within 30 days after the tank removal. Any tank being removed without a State permit will be required to be put back in the excavation if it has not been removed from the site and covered with backfill until a permit and licensed contractor can remove it properly.

 

d)         Abandonment-in-Place:

 

1)         Tanks, outside the jurisdiction of the City of Chicago, filled with inert material, as described in subsection (d)(2)(C) of this Section, prior to October 1, 1985, need not be removed; however, the owners shall provide documentation of fill material and date of fill, upon request by the Office of the State Fire Marshal.  The documentation shall be a receipt or a written statement from the contractor who did the fill, a statement from the inspector who inspected the tank or a written statement from anyone designated by the State Fire Marshal or the Director of the Division of Petroleum and Chemical Safety.  Tanks, inside the jurisdiction of the City of Chicago, which were abandoned-in-place prior to July 28, 1989 (the date of repeal of home rule by the City over USTs) in accordance with City laws, regulations or ordinances, need not be removed.

 

2)         Waiver of the removal requirement for a tank and piping, allowing them to be abandoned-in-place, shall be granted where it would be infeasible to remove the UST due to loss of adjacent or subjacent support of nearby structures, railroad tracks, streets (as defined in Section 1-201 of the Illinois Vehicle Code [625 ILCS 5/1-201]), other USTs or in unusual situations where removal is infeasible due to other reasons, as determined by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, or is infeasible because of inaccessibility, as determined by the Office.  The following criteria shall be met:

 

A)        A complete plan or diagram of the area shall be provided and show the location of tanks, fill pipes, vent lines, sewers, streets, product lines and buildings;

 

B)        A Certification of Site Condition shall be provided, which includes but is not limited to, facility name and location, number and size of USTs involved and that the subject UST site is clean or contaminated.  This certification of site condition shall be based on a professional site assessment from soil sampling and this site assessment must accompany the site certification form;

 

C)        The tank shall be filled with inert material such as sand, gravel, clay, bentonite or inert material mixed with portland cement to increase flowability.  The portland cement concentration may not exceed 50 lbs. per cu. yd. of mixed material.   The procedure for filling shall be in accordance with API Recommended Practice 1604, incorporated by reference in Section 170.410;

 

D)        When a UST is allowed to be abandoned-in-place, as specified in this subsection (d), the abandoned-in-place UST shall be removed when the condition for issuing the abandonment permit no longer exists.  The removal procedures shall be followed and a removal permit is required;          

 

E)         Compliance with this subsection (d) is the responsibility of the contractor;

 

F)         When a UST is abandoned-in-place, the owner of the UST shall keep a permanent record of the UST location, the date of abandonment-in-place and the procedure used for abandonment-in-place.  Upon request by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Division of Petroleum and Chemical Safety, the owner shall forward a copy of such record to the Office, within 14 days after receipt of a written request by the Office sent to the last know address by United States registered or certified mail;

 

G)        In the event there is a delegation of authority to the City of Chicago to enforce UST rules and regulations, pursuant to 430 ILCS 15/2, subject to the terms of such agreement, the City has the authority to modify subsection (d)(2) of this Section, to issue permits to abandon-in-place USTs located within the jurisdiction of the City and request records of abandonment-in-place; however, any such criteria for abandonment-in-place shall be as stringent as that of the Office of the State Fire Marshal;

 

H)        For UST abandonment-in-place, the following steps shall be adhered to:

 

i)          Secure proper permitting and provide required notice of abandonment-in-place to OSFM;

 

ii)         An on-site inspection shall be done to determine the accuracy of the Certification of Site Condition and the submitted site drawing.  If the ability to abandon-in-place is questioned, a third-party professional structural engineer may be used to determine the feasibility of removal;

 

iii)         All health and safety monitoring equipment shall be maintained according to manufacturer’s specifications;

 

iv)        Establish an exclusion zone within which smoking is prohibited.  The use of spark producing/non-explosion proof equipment is prohibited in the vapor hazard area;

 

v)         Excavate to the top of the tank, drain and remove all piping except the vent line.  Any associated piping to be abandoned-in-place shall have prior approval by OSFM.  Pipe trenches shall remain open for inspection by the OSFM Storage Tank Safety Specialist (STSS);

 

vi)        Remove all liquids from the tank using explosion-proof pumps or hand pumps;

 

vii)        The tank atmosphere and the excavation area shall be regularly monitored with a combustible gas indicator for flammable or combustible vapor concentration.  Monitoring the UST shall be done at 3 levels in the tank: top, middle and bottom. Confined space entry permit and MSDS sheets will be required;

 

viii)       Vapor freeing shall be done in accordance with API 1604.  When vapor freeing the tank with compressed air or using inert gases under pressure, all devices shall be bonded to the tank and the tank shall be grounded to a separate ground.  When using inert gases, the cylinder shall be equipped with a pressure gauge so that no more than 5 psi can be discharged into the tank during vapor freeing procedures.  To ensure and maintain proper grounding and bonding, such connections shall be tested by the contractor for continuity.  This testing shall be done with equipment designed for continuity testing;

 

ix)        Monitor tank to insure explosive conditions do not exist.  Lower explosive limits (LEL) 5% or less, or oxygen 5% or less, shall be attained.

 

x)         OSFM STSS shall be on site before cutting and cleaning operations of abandonment-in-place can proceed.

 

xi)        A sufficient number of holes or openings shall be made in the tank for abandonment-in-place procedures if existing openings are not adequate.

 

xii)        Cleaning procedures, as per API 2015, and protective respiratory equipment for tank cleaning personnel shall be the type that provides positive air pressure to a full-face mask throughout the breathing cycle, in accordance with API 2015;

 

xiii)       Proceed to introduce an approved, inert material through openings in the top of the tank to minimize any surface settling subsequent to disposal of the tank in place;

 

xiv)       After the tank is filled with inert material, all tank openings shall be plugged or capped unless it was necessary to cut open the tank top.  Disconnect and cap or remove the vent line; and

 

xv)       Tank owner shall file an amended Notification of Underground Storage Tanks form with the OSFM within 30 days after the abandonment-in-place.

 

(Source:  Amended at 27 Ill. Reg. 8164, effective May 1, 2003)