WAC 173-360-120   Definitions.  For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:

     "Abandoned" means left unused indefinitely, without being substantially emptied or permanently altered structurally to prevent reuse.

     "Aboveground release" means any release to the surface of the land or to surface water. This includes, but is not limited to, releases from the above-ground portion of an UST system and aboveground releases associated with overfills and transfer operations as the regulated substance moves to or from an UST system.

     "Accidental release" means any sudden or nonsudden release of petroleum from an underground storage tank that results in a need for corrective action and/or compensation for bodily injury or property damage neither expected nor intended by the tank owner or operator.

     "Ancillary equipment" means any devices including, but not limited to, such devices as piping, fittings, flanges, valves, and pumps used to distribute, meter, or control the flow of regulated substances to and from an UST.

     "Belowground release" means any release to the subsurface of the land and/or to groundwater. This includes, but is not limited to, releases from the belowground portions of an underground storage tank system and belowground releases associated with overfills and transfer operations as the regulated substance moves to or from an underground storage tank.

     "Beneath the surface of the ground" means beneath the ground surface or otherwise covered with earthen materials.

     "Bodily injury" shall have the meaning given to this term by applicable state law; however, this term shall not include those liabilities which, consistent with standard insurance industry practices, are excluded from coverage in liability insurance policies for bodily injury.

     "Cathodic protection" means a technique to prevent corrosion of a metal surface by making that surface the cathode of an electrochemical cell. For example, a tank system can be cathodically protected through the application of either galvanic anodes or impressed current.

     "CERCLA" means the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended.

     "Certified UST supervisor" means a person certified by the International Fire Code Institute or another nationally recognized organization, as approved by the department. Washington registered professional engineers who are competent, by means of examination, experience, or education, to perform site assessments, are not required to be certified for site assessment work.

     "Closure" means to take an underground storage tank out of operation, either temporarily or permanently, in accordance with WAC 173-360-380 or 173-360-385. The term is synonymous with "decommissioning."

     "Compatible" means the ability of two or more substances or materials to maintain their respective physical and chemical properties upon contact with one another such that the stored substance will not pass through the wall or lining of the tank and connected piping for the design life of the tank system under conditions likely to be encountered in the UST.

     "Connected piping" means all underground piping including valves, elbows, joints, flanges, and flexible connectors attached to a tank system through which regulated substances flow. For the purpose of determining how much piping is connected to any individual UST system, the piping that joins two UST systems should be allocated equally between them.

     "Consumptive use" with respect to heating oil means consumed on the premises.

     "Controlling interest" means direct ownership of at least fifty percent of the voting stock of another entity.

     "Corrosion expert" means a person who possesses a thorough knowledge of the physical sciences and the principles of engineering and mathematics acquired by a professional education and related practical experience, and is qualified to engage in the practice of corrosion control on buried or submerged metal piping systems and metal tanks. Such a person shall be accredited or certified as being qualified by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers or be a registered professional engineer who has certification or licensing that includes education and experience in corrosion control of buried or submerged metal piping systems and metal tanks.

     "Decommissioning" means to take an underground storage tank out of operation, either temporarily or permanently, in accordance with WAC 173-360-380 or 173-360-385. The term is synonymous with "closure."

     "Deferral" means a category of UST systems which are subject to certain, but not all, of the requirements of this chapter as specified in WAC 173-360-110(3).

     "Delegated agency" means a state or local government agency which has been delegated responsibility by the department for administering any portion of an UST program.

     "De minimis concentration" means either less than one inch of regulated substance, or less than a reportable quantity, as defined under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).

     "Department" means the department of ecology.

     "Dielectric material" means a material that does not conduct direct electrical current. Dielectric coatings are used to electrically isolate UST systems from the surrounding soils. Dielectric bushings are used to electrically isolate portions of the UST system (e.g., tank from piping).

     "Director" means the director of the department of ecology.

     "Electrical equipment" means underground equipment that contains dielectric fluid that is necessary for the operation of equipment such as transformers and buried electrical cable.

     "Emergency power generator" means an engine that uses fuel to produce auxiliary electrical or mechanical energy for use in emergencies.

     "Emergency power generator tank" means a tank that stores fuel solely for use by an emergency power generator.

     "Excavation zone" means the volume containing the UST system and backfill material bounded by the ground surface, walls, and floor of the pit and trenches into which the UST system is placed at the time of installation.

     "Existing UST system" means an UST system used to contain an accumulation of regulated substances or for which installation had commenced on or before December 22, 1988. Installation is considered to have commenced if: The owner or operator had obtained all federal, state, and local approvals or permits necessary to begin physical construction of the site or installation of the tank system; and if

     Either a continuous on-site physical construction or installation program had begun; or

     The owner or operator had entered into contractual obligations -- which cannot be cancelled or modified without substantial loss -- for physical construction at the site or installation of the tank system to be completed within a reasonable time.

     "False alarm" means indicating that an UST system is leaking when in fact it is tight.

     "Farm tank" is a tank located on a tract of land devoted to the production of crops or raising animals, including fish, and associated residences and improvements. A farm tank must be located on the farm property and used for farm purposes. "Farm" includes fish hatcheries, rangeland, and nurseries with growing operations. It does not include laboratories where animals are raised, land used to grow timber, pesticide aviation operations, retail stores or garden centers where nursery products are marketed but not grown, cemeteries, golf courses, or other facilities dedicated primarily to recreation or aesthetics, or other nonagricultural activities.

     "Field-constructed tank" means an underground storage tank that is constructed in the field rather than factory built because of its large size.

     "Financial reporting year" means the latest consecutive twelve-month period for which any of the following reports used to support a financial test is prepared: A 10-K report submitted to the SEC; an annual report of tangible net worth submitted to Dun and Bradstreet; or annual reports submitted to the Energy Information Administration or the Rural Electrification Administration. "Financial reporting year" may thus comprise a fiscal or a calendar year period.

     "Firm" means any business, including but not limited to corporations, limited partnerships, and sole proprietorships, engaged in performing tank services.

     "Flow-through process tank" is a tank that forms an integral part of a production process through which there is a steady, variable, recurring, or intermittent flow of materials during the operation of the process. Flow-through process tanks do not include tanks used for the storage of materials prior to their introduction into the production process or for the storage of finished products or by-products from the production process.

     "Free product" refers to a regulated substance that is present as a nonaqueous phase liquid (e.g., liquid not dissolved in water).

     "Gathering lines" means any pipeline, equipment, facility, or building used in the transportation of oil or gas during oil or gas production or gathering operations.

     "Groundwater" means water in a saturated zone or stratum beneath the surface of land or below a surface water body.

     "Hazardous substance UST system" means an underground storage tank system that contains a hazardous substance defined in section 101(14) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (but not including any substance regulated as a hazardous waste under Subtitle C) or any mixture of such substances and petroleum, and which is not a petroleum UST system.

     "Heating oil" means petroleum that is No. 1, No. 2, No. 4 -- light, No. 4 -- heavy, No. 5 -- light, No. 5 -- heavy, and No. 6 technical grades of fuel oil; other residual fuel oils (including Navy Special Fuel Oil and Bunker C); and other fuels when used as substitutes for one of these fuel oils. Heating oil is typically used in the operation of heating equipment, boilers, or furnaces.

     "Hydraulic lift tank" means a tank holding hydraulic fluid for a closed-loop mechanical system that uses compressed air or hydraulic fluid to operate lifts, elevators, and other similar devices.

     "Immiscible" means largely incapable of blending or mixing.

     "Installation" means the activity of placing an underground storage tank system or any part thereof in the ground and preparing it to be placed in service.

     "Legal defense cost" is any expense that an owner or operator or provider of financial assurance incurs in defending against claims or actions brought: By the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state to require corrective action or to recover the costs of corrective action; by or on behalf of a third party for bodily injury or property damage caused by an accidental release; or by any person to enforce the terms of a financial assurance mechanism.

     "Liquid trap" means sumps, well cellars, and other traps used in association with oil and gas production, gathering, and extraction operations (including gas production plants), for the purpose of collecting oil, water, and other liquids. These liquid traps may temporarily collect liquids for subsequent disposition or reinjection into a production or pipeline stream, or may collect and separate liquids from a gas stream.

     "Maintenance" means the normal operational upkeep to prevent an underground storage tank system from releasing a regulated substance.

     "Motor fuel" means petroleum or a petroleum-based substance that is motor gasoline, aviation gasoline, No. 1 or No. 2 diesel fuel, or any grade of gasohol, and is typically used in the operation of a motor engine.

     "New UST system" means a tank system that will be used to contain an accumulation of regulated substances and for which installation commenced after December 22, 1988. (See also "existing tank system.")

     "Noncommercial purposes" with respect to motor fuel means not for resale.

     "Occurrence" means an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to conditions, which results in a release from an underground storage tank.

Note:

This definition is intended to assist in the understanding of WAC 173-360-400 through 173-360-499 and is not intended either to limit the meaning of "occurrence" in a way that conflicts with standard insurance usage or to prevent the use of other standard insurance terms in place of "occurrence."

     "On the premises where stored" with respect to heating oil means UST systems located on the same property where the stored heating oil is used.

     "Operational life" refers to the period beginning when installation of the tank system has commenced until the time the tank system is properly closed under WAC 173-360-380 through 173- 360-398.

     "Operator" means any person in control of, or having responsibility for, the daily operation of the UST system.

     "Overfill release" is a release that occurs when a tank is filled beyond its capacity, resulting in a discharge of the regulated substance to the environment.

     "Owner" means: In the case of an UST system in use on November 8, 1984, or brought into use after that date, any person who owns an UST system used for storage, use, or dispensing of regulated substances; and in the case of any UST system in use before November 8, 1984, but no longer in use on that date, any person who owned such UST immediately before the discontinuation of its use. In the event that the owner of an UST system cannot be physically located, the owner shall be the person who owns the property where the UST system is located, except any lien holder and any agency of the state or unit of local government which acquired ownership or control involuntarily through bankruptcy, tax delinquency, abandonment, or circumstances in which the government involuntarily acquires title. This exclusion does not apply to an agency of the state or unit of local government which has caused or contributed to a release or threatened release of a regulated substance from the UST system.

     "Owner or operator," means, for the purposes of WAC 173-360-400 through 173-360-499, when the owner or operator are separate parties, the party that is responsible for obtaining or has obtained financial assurances.

     "Party" means a person or group concerned or having or taking part in any affair, matter, transaction, or proceeding.

     "Permanently closed" means: (1) In the case of an UST system taken out of operation before December 22, 1988, the UST system was substantially emptied of regulated substances or permanently altered structurally to prevent reuse; (2) in the case of an UST system taken out of operation after December 21, 1988, and before the effective date of this chapter, the UST system was closed in accordance with 40 CFR 280; and (3) in the case of an UST system taken out of operation on or after the effective date of this chapter, the UST system was closed in accordance with WAC 173-360-385.

     "Person" means an individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, federal agency, corporation, state, municipality, commission, political subdivision of a state, or any interstate body. "Person" also includes a consortium, a joint venture, a commercial entity, and the United States government.

     "Petroleum marketing facilities" include all facilities at which petroleum is produced or refined and all facilities from which petroleum is sold or transferred to other petroleum marketers or to the public.

     "Petroleum marketing firms" are all firms owning petroleum marketing facilities. Firms owning other types of facilities with USTs as well as petroleum marketing facilities are considered to be petroleum marketing firms.

     "Petroleum UST system" means an underground storage tank system that contains petroleum or a mixture of petroleum with de minimis quantities of other regulated substances. Such systems include those containing motor fuels, jet fuels, distillate fuel oils, residual fuel oils, lubricants, petroleum solvents, and used oils.

     "Pipe" or "piping" means a hollow cylinder or tubular conduit that is constructed of nonearthen materials.

     "Pipeline facilities (including gathering lines)" are new and existing pipe rights-of-way and any associated equipment, facilities, or buildings.

     "Property damage" shall have the meaning given this term by applicable state law. This term shall not include those liabilities which, consistent with standard insurance industry practices, are excluded from coverage in liability insurance policies for property damage. However, such exclusions for property damage shall not include corrective action associated with releases from tanks which are covered by the policy.

     "Provider of financial assurance" means an entity that provides financial assurance to an owner or operator of an underground storage tank through one of the mechanisms listed in WAC 173-360-413 through 173-360-436, including a guarantor, insurer, risk retention group, surety, issuer of a letter of credit, issuer of a state-required mechanism, or a state.

     "Regulated substance" means:

     Any substance defined in section 101(14) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980 (but not including any substance regulated as a hazardous waste under Subtitle C of the Federal Solid Waste Disposal Act, or a mixture of such hazardous waste and any other regulated substances); and

     Petroleum, including crude oil or any fraction thereof that is liquid at standard conditions of temperature and pressure (sixty degrees Fahrenheit and 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute). The term "regulated substance" includes but is not limited to petroleum and petroleum-based substances comprised of a complex blend of hydrocarbons derived from crude oil through processes of separation, conversion, upgrading and finishing, such as motor fuels, jet fuels, distillate fuel oils, residual fuel oils, lubricants, petroleum solvents, and used oils. The term "regulated substance" does not include propane or asphalt or any other petroleum product which is not liquid at standard conditions of temperature and pressure.

     "Release" means any spilling, leaking, emitting, discharging, escaping, leaching, or disposing from an UST system to groundwater, surface water or soils.

     "Release detection" means determining whether a release of a regulated substance has occurred from the UST system into the environment or into the interstitial space between the UST system and its secondary barrier or secondary containment around it.

     "Repair" means to restore a tank or UST system component that has caused a release of a regulated substance from the UST system.

     "Residential tank" is a tank located on property used primarily for dwelling purposes; such properties do not include dormitories, convents, mobile parks, apartments, hotels and similar facilities, unless the tank is used by the owner solely for his or her own personal use, rather than to maintain the overall facility.

     "Retrofitting" means the repair or upgrading of an existing underground storage tank system including, but not limited to, installation of splash, spill and overfill protection, installing or replacing monitoring systems, adding cathodic protective systems, tank repair, replacement of piping, valves, fill pipes or vents and installing tank liners.

     "Septic tank" is a water-tight covered receptacle designed and used to receive or process, through liquid separation or biological digestion, the sewage discharged from a building sewer. The effluent from such receptacle is distributed for disposal through the soil and settled solids and scum from the tank are pumped out periodically and hauled to a treatment facility.

     "Site assessment" means investigating an UST site for the presence of a release at the time of closure or change-in-service.

     "Site check" means investigating an UST site for the presence of a release when evidence indicates that a release may have occurred.

     "Stormwater or wastewater collection system" means piping, pumps, conduits, and any other equipment necessary to collect and transport the flow of surface water run-off resulting from precipitation, or domestic, commercial, or industrial wastewater to and from retention areas or any areas where treatment is designated to occur. The collection of storm water and wastewater does not include treatment except where incidental to conveyance.

     "Structural defect" means a hole or crack in the tank portion of the UST system, which has either caused a release from the system or is being repaired to prevent a release from the system.

     "Substantial business relationship" means the extent of a business relationship necessary under applicable state law to make a guarantee contract issued incident to that relationship valid and enforceable. A guarantee contract is issued "incident to that relationship" if it arises from and depends on existing economic transactions between the guarantor and the owner or operator.

     "Supervisor" means a person certified by the International Fire Code Institute, or other nationally recognized organization, operating independently or employed by a contractor, who is responsible for directing and overseeing the performance of tank services at a facility.

     "Surface impoundment" is a natural topographic depression, excavation, or diked area formed primarily of earthen materials (although it may be lined with synthetic materials) that is not an injection well.

     "Tangible net worth" means the tangible assets that remain after deducting liabilities; such assets do not include intangibles such as goodwill and rights to patents or royalties. For purposes of this definition, "assets" means all existing and all probable future economic benefits obtained or controlled by a particular entity as a result of past transactions.

     "Tank" is a stationary device designed to contain an accumulation of regulated substances and constructed of nonearthen materials (e.g., concrete, steel, plastic) that provide structural support.

     "Tank permit" means a tank tag, as required by RCW 90.76.020(4).

     "Tank services" include underground storage tank installation, decommissioning, retrofitting, and testing.

     "Termination" under WAC 173-360-476 and 173-360-480 means only those changes that could result in a gap in coverage as where the insured has not obtained substitute coverage or has obtained substitute coverage with a different retroactive date than the retroactive date of the original policy.

     "Testing" means applying a method to determine the integrity of an underground storage tank.

     "Tightness testing" means a procedure for testing the ability of a tank system to prevent an inadvertent release of any stored substance into the environment or, intrusion of groundwater into a tank system.

     "Underground area" means an underground room, such as a basement, cellar, shaft or vault, providing enough space for physical inspection of the exterior of the tank situated on or above the surface of the floor.

     "Underground release" means any below ground release.

     "Underground storage tank" or "UST" means any one or combination of tanks (including underground pipes connected thereto) that is used to contain an accumulation of regulated substances, and the volume of which (including the volume of underground pipes connected thereto) is ten percent or more beneath the surface of the ground. This term does not include any of the exempt UST systems specified in WAC 173-360-110(2), or any piping connected thereto.

     "Upgrade" means the addition or retrofit of some systems such as cathodic protection, lining, or spill and overfill controls to improve the ability of an underground storage tank system to prevent the release of regulated substances.

     "UST site" or "site" means the location at which underground storage tanks are in place or will be placed. An UST site encompasses all of the property within a contiguous ownership that is associated with the use of the tanks.

     "UST system" or "tank system" means an underground storage tank, connected underground piping, underground ancillary equipment, and containment system, if any.

     "Wastewater treatment tank" means a tank that is designed to receive and treat an influent wastewater through physical, chemical, or biological methods.



[Statutory Authority: Chapter 90.76 RCW. 95-04-102, § 173-360-120, filed 2/1/95, effective 3/4/95; 91-22-020 (Order 91-26), § 173-360-120, filed 10/29/91, effective 11/29/91; 90-24-017, § 173-360-120, filed 11/28/90, effective 12/29/90.]