The PASS Training Marketplace

Department: South Dakota Division of Environmental Services, Ground Quality Water Program, Storage Tank Division
Contact: Doug Miller
Address: 523 East Capitol Pierre , SD 57501
Phone: (605) 773-3296
Website: View Site →

UST Operator Certification Procedures

Class A/B Operator Training
PASS' Class A/B Operator Training in South Dakota is approved thru the DENR
Class C Operator Training
PASS' Class C Operator Training in South Dakota is approved thru the DENR

All of PASS’ UST operator training courses meet and exceed the federal requirements for UST operator training and are offered through our in-house designed and built Learning Management System (LMS). PASS’ state-specific A/B training courses are custom tailored to meet state requirements, and are accepted by more states than any other training provider. Our courses are available on demand, 24/7 and are accessible from any internet-connected computer, tablet, or phone. The student can complete an entire course in a single session or take the course in segments. The training may be stopped and restarted, allowing for maximum schedule flexibility. PASS also does not impose time restrictions on course access, so students may take as much time as they need to complete their training. Once training is completed a certificate is available to save and print.

Registration & Fees

Owners/operators of all USTs must register their USTs with the DENR by submitting a Notification for Underground Storage Tanks form.

Release Reporting

Owners/operators must report any suspected or confirmed releases to the DENR at (605) 773-3296 within 24 hours. Spills or overfills of 25 gallons or more or that cause a sheen on surface water must be reported to the DENR immediately. Owners/operators may use the Incident Follow-Up Report to report a release online.

Release Detection

UST owners/operators in South Dakota may use any of the following methods of release detection:

Manual tank gauging and tank tightness testing;
Automatic tank gauging (ATG);
Groundwater monitoring;
Vapor monitoring;
Secondary containment with interstitial monitoring;
Statistical Inventory Reconciliation (SIR); or
Inventory control and tank tightness testing.

Release Prevention

South Dakota USTs must have catchment basins — also called spill buckets — installed at the fill pipe to contain spills that may occur as a result of fuel deliveries. Spill buckets need to be large enough to contain any fuel that may spill when the delivery hose is uncoupled from the fill pipe. Spill buckets typically range in size from 5 gallons to 25 gallons.

South Dakota USTs must also have overfill protection installed to help prevent the overfilling of tanks. Three types of overfill protection devices are commonly used:

 Automatic shutoff devices
Overfill alarms
 Ball float valves

Financial Responsibility

South Dakota follows the federal financial responsibility coverage amounts found in 40 CFR §280.93 (scroll to page 77 of 119 in the pdf document). Owners/operators may use any of the following mechanisms to demonstrate financial responsibility.

Financial test of self-insurance
Guarantee
Insurance and risk retention group coverage
Surety bond
Letter of credit
Trust fund
Stand-by trust fund

Owners/operators may also use the Petroleum Release Compensation Fund as a financial assurance mechanism.

Delivery Prohibition/Non-Compliance Enforcement

If a South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) inspector determines that a UST or UST system is out of compliance with UST regulations, he or she may initiate non-compliance enforcement procedures. The DENR will notify the owner/operator in writing of all violations discovered at the facility. The DENR may also affix a red tag to the fill pipe of the ineligible UST, indicating that the UST is ineligible for delivery, deposit, or acceptance of product until the DENR is satisfied that the violations have been corrected.

Temporary & Permanent Closure

Temporary Closure

You may temporarily close your UST for up to 12 months by following these requirements:

Continue to monitor for leaks by maintaining the UST's leak detection. (If your UST is empty, you do not need to maintain leak detection.) Also, continue to monitor and maintain any corrosion protection systems. If a release is discovered, quickly stop the release, notify DENR, and take appropriate action to clean up the site.
If the UST remains temporarily closed for more than 3 months, leave vent lines open, but cap and secure all other lines, pumps, manways, and ancillary equipment.

After 12 months of temporary closure, you have two options:

1. UST systems that meet the 1998 compliance requirements and have had all product removed from them, may be left in temporary closure provided an assessment has been done to show no leakage has occurred from the tank system and the results from the leak detection system show no loss of product.

2. USTs may be left in place longer than 12 months provided certain specific site conditions are met. Please contact DENR's UST section to discuss the conditions.

Permanent Closure

If you decide to close your UST permanently, follow these requirements:

Notify the Department of Environment and Natural Resources at least 30 days before you close your UST.
Perform a site assessment to determine if the tank has leaked. The simplest form of a site assessment is to collect soil samples under each tank (in the case of removal) or as close to the tank basin (in the case of in-place closure), and also from beneath the dispenser. A soil sample must also be taken from under the distribution line, if it is more than 25 feet long. A third person, for example local sheriff or fire marshall, must be present to certify that the samples were collected from beneath the required locations. If the tanks are more than 1100-gallons in capacity, the person who takes the sample must be certified by the state. These samples must be sent to a laboratory to be analyzed for the presence of contamination.
The test results must be sent to the DENR. If the test results show samples are free from contamination, you will receive a tank closure letter from DENR. If there is contamination, you may have to take corrective action.

A program was developed by the South Dakota Legislature to provide funds for clean up of contamination caused by the release from petroleum underground storage tanks. The program is administered by the Petroleum Release Compensation Fund (PRCF). For specific information on fund deductibles and certification requirements, please contact the PRCF at Phone (605) 773-3769.

Recordkeeping

Keep results of your release detection systems, and manual tank gauging tests for at least 1 year. Your monitoring equipment may provide printouts that can be used as records. Unless you are recording actual release detection results at least every 30 days and maintaining records for at least 1 year, you are not doing leak detection right.
Keep all records of calibration, maintenance, and repair of your release detection equipment for at least 1 year.
Keep all performance and certification claims supplied by the installer, vendor, or manufacturer for at least 5 years. These records include the certification of your leak detection equipment, tank tightness test .
Keep the records of investigations conducted as a result of any monthly monitoring conclusion of inconclusive or fail for at least 1 year. This may include the results of a tightness test performed during the investigation or a re- evaluation based on corrected delivery or dispenser data.
Impressed Current Cathodic Protection Systems, you need to keep records of at least the last 3 rectifier readings.
Sacrificial Anode Cathodic Protection Systems, you need to keep the results of at least the last two tests on file.