UST Operator Certification Procedures

Registration & Fees

• Before opening for business, the motor fuel dispensing facility must be inspected and approved by the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM).  If approved, the OSFM will issue a motor fuel dispensing permit (Application for Motor Fuel Dispensing Permit) for that facility appropriate to the station’s classification (e.g., attended self-service, unattended self-service, fleet, marine, and full service facilities).  Motor fuel dispensing facility permits must be prominently displayed at all times.
• Motor fuel dispensing facility permits must be renewed every other year on or before December 31 of that year and after passing a certification audit inspection performed by an OSFM inspector or by a Chicago Department of Public Health inspector.

Release Reporting

• Spills or overfills over 25 gallons must be reported to the 911 call center and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency’s (IEMA’s) spill notification line:
  • 800-782-7860 from within Illinois
  • 217-782-7860 from outside of Illinois

Release Detection

• Automatic tank gauging (ATG)
• Interstitial monitoring
• Secondary containment with interstitial monitoring
• Statistical Inventory Reconciliation (SIR)
• Manual tank gauging
• Vapor monitoring
• Groundwater monitoring
• Tank tightness testing

Release Prevention

• Illinois regulations require that liquid-tight containment sumps be installed in the following situations:
  • When new tanks with submersible pumps or American suction piping systems are installed;
  • When an existing submersible is removed and replaced with another submersible, or when piping, flex connectors, or other transitional components at the submersible are replaced;
  • When a new dispenser is installed where there was previously no dispenser;
  • When an existing dispenser is removed and replaced with another dispenser and equipment at or below the shear valve; or
  • If more than 20 feet or 50% of a piping run is replaced.
• Illinois regulations require that all cathodic protection systems must be designed by a corrosion expert who is NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers) certified or by a state Licensed Professional Engineer who has passed the ICC (International Code Council) exam for cathodic protection.
• Impressed current system testing conducted by a qualified cathodic protection tester must be done annually and must produce a minimum reading of -850 mV (millivolts).  If anodes fall below -850 mV, they must be replaced and retested.
• Sacrificial anodes must be tested by a qualified cathodic protection tester every three years as long as they read -875 mV or higher.  If they read below -875 mV but above -850 mV, they must be tested annually.  Corroded, or depleted, anodes or those reading below -850 mV must be replaced and retested.

Financial Responsibility

Inspection & Testing Requirements

• The Class A/B operator must conduct a quarterly inspection at each UST facility for which he or she is responsible and complete the required Illinois Quarterly Inspection Checklist.  The A/B operator is also responsible for creating and maintaining an Operations and Maintenance Plan at each UST facility.  You can find the OSFM’s guide to preparing an Operations and Maintenance Plan here.
• Impressed current system testing conducted by a qualified cathodic protection tester must be done annually and must produce a minimum reading of -850 mV (millivolts).  If anodes fall below -850 mV, they must be replaced and retested.
• Sacrificial anodes must be tested by a qualified cathodic protection tester every three years as long as they read -875 mV or higher.  If they read below -875 mV but above -850 mV, they must be tested annually.  Corroded, or depleted, anodes or those reading below -850 mV must be replaced and retested.

Delivery Prohibition/Non-Compliance Enforcement

Temporary & Permanent Closure

1. The tank and product lines must be emptied so that no more than one inch of residue remains. If more than one inch of product remains, release detection equipment must continue to be maintained.
2. Cathodic protection equipment must be maintained. The cathodic protection system must be tested as required and records kept of those test results.
3. Within 30 days after the last date the tank was used, the owner/operator must submit a written request for temporary closure status to the OSFM.
4. Vent lines must be left open and functioning.
5. Within 7 days after the last date the tank was used, the owner/operator must cap and secure all product lines, and secure all pumps, manways, and ancillary equipment.
6. The owner/operator must inspect the UST every 6 months for compliance with temporary closure requirements and submit a form to the OSFM attesting to compliance status.

1. Both tanks and lines must pass a precision test.
2. Tank and line release detection equipment must be tested and operational.
3. Cathodic protection systems must be tested and must meet performance requirements.
4. A site assessment must be conducted.

1. To change a UST from a regulated substance to a non-regulated substance, the UST must be emptied and cleaned and a site assessment must be conducted. This kind of change-in-service may only occur within two years of the date of installation.
2. To change a UST from a regulated substance to a different regulated substance, the UST must be emptied and cleaned, and its compatibility with the new regulated substance verified.
3. Changing from a non-regulated substance to a regulated substance is not allowed unless the tank has been re-certified as a UST and it complies with all applicable upgrade requirements (including release detection, spill and overfill protection, and corrosion protection) for newly installed USTs.

• If a UST is not returned to service within 5 years from the date of last use, the UST must be removed from the ground within 60 days of the end of the 5-year period. The owner/operator must ensure that a removal permit is obtained and a removal date scheduled with the OSFM. The owner/operator must also ensure that a site assessment is performed, usually within 24 hours after the UST removal. The removal must be conducted by an OSFM-licensed contractor. The owner/operator must also file a Certification of Removal form with the OSFM.
• The removal requirement does not apply while the tank manufacturer’s warranty is in place if corrosion protection has been and continues to be maintained, a site assessment has been performed, defective UST components have been replaced 45 days prior to return to service, and all of the return-to-service requirements previously listed have been met.

• Abandonment-in-place is when a UST is left in the ground instead of removed. No tank or piping may be abandoned-in-place unless the permit applicant can demonstrate that removal of the UST:
  • Would weaken support for adjacent structures;
  • Is not feasible due to the UST’s inaccessibility; or
  • Is not feasible for any other reason, as determined by the OSFM.
• If abandonment-in-place is allowed, an on-site evaluation must be conducted and a Certification of Site Conditionprepared. The tank and all associated piping must be emptied and rendered free of explosive vapors, and the tank filled with an inert solid material. The owner/operator must file a Certification of Abandonment-in-Place form with the OSFM.  The owner/operator must keep a permanent record of the UST location, the date of abandonment-in-place, and the procedure used for abandonment-in-place.

Recordkeeping

• Owners/operators must maintain the following documentation for the life of a UST:
  • Documentation of operation of corrosion protection equipment, methods, and testing;
  • Documentation of UST repairs;
  • Records demonstrating compliance with release detection requirements;
  • All written performance claims pertaining to any release detection system used;
  • Manufacturer’s warranties and third-party testing documents;
  • Written documentation of all calibration, maintenance, and repair of release detection equipment permanently located at the site;
  • The results of any sampling, testing, or monitoring;
  • Results of the site assessment conducted at removal or change-in-service;
  • Proof of current financial responsibility; and
  • Copies of all records submitted to OSFM.
• All tank and piping precision test results must be kept for 2 years or until the next precision test, whichever is longer.
• Retain results of cathodic protection systems tests for 6 years.