Temporary Closure
You must notify Ecology within thirty days of placing your UST into temporary closure. To meet this requirement, a special form must be completed and returned to Ecology within 30 days of tank closure. The form is entitled, “
Temporary Closure Notice". What you are required to do to your UST system during a temporary closure depends on whether or not the tank is empty, what the tanks are made of (steel, fiberglass etc.), and how long the tank will be temporarily closed. Also, in addition to notifying Ecology of your temporary closure, the regulations require that facility compliance tags (the small blue and white license plates) be returned within 30-days after completing closure activities. Read the DOE's
Requirements for Temporarily Closed Underground Tank Systems for more.
Permanent Closure
At least 30 days prior to beginning permanent closure activities, a 30-Day Notice must be submitted to Ecology. This form, which includes service provider and owner information, provides the UST inspector advance notice so that he or she may visit the project site while decommissioning work is being conducted. If the exact date of closure is unknown when the 30-Day Notice is submitted, be sure to contact the Ecology inspector at least three business days prior to the project start date. It is your responsibility to contact other local authorities, including the fire marshal, for any additional policies and/or permits. During the 30-day notice period, the contents of the tank may be pumped from the tank and recycled or disposed of as dangerous wastes. Owner Operator must also complete a
Permanent Closure Notice form.
All forms, checklists and reports must be submitted to:
Department of Ecology
Underground Storage Tanks
P.O. Box 47655
Olympia, WA 98504-7655