WAC 173-360-385
Permanent closure and change-in-service. Permanent closure shall be completed by a certified UST
supervisor.
(1) At least thirty days before beginning either
permanent closure or a change-in-service under subsections (2)
and (3) of this section, or within another reasonable time
period determined by the department or delegated agency,
owners and operators shall notify the department or delegated
agency in writing of their intent to permanently close or make
the change-in-service, unless such action is in response to
corrective action. The site assessment required under WAC 173-360-390 shall be performed after notifying the department
or delegated agency but before completion of the permanent
closure or a change-in-service.
(2) Permanent closure shall be completed by a certified
UST supervisor within sixty days after expiration of the
thirty-day notice, unless a written request for an extension,
explaining the reason for the request, is approved by the
department or delegated agency. Any UST system not
permanently closed by a compliance date that the UST system is
subject to, shall be in compliance with the requirement
associated with the compliance date, including the payment of
fees. Any UST system not in compliance with any such
requirement will be subject to the penalties described in WAC 173-360-170.
(3) To permanently close an UST system, the certified UST
supervisor shall empty and clean the tank by removing all
liquids and accumulated sludges.
Note:
Any sludges removed must also be designated and disposed of in accordance with chapter 173-303 WAC.
(4) All tanks taken out of service permanently shall also
be either removed from the ground or filled with an inert
solid material. All piping shall either be capped (except any
vent lines) or removed from the ground.
(5) Continued use of an UST system to store a
nonregulated substance is considered a change-in-service. Before a change-in-service, owners and operators shall have a
certified UST supervisor empty and clean the tank by removing
all liquid and accumulated sludge, and shall have a site
assessment conducted in accordance with WAC 173-360-390.
Note:
The following cleaning and closure procedures may be used to comply with this section:
(A) American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice
1604, "Removal and Disposal of Used Underground Petroleum
Storage Tanks";
(B) American Petroleum Institute Publication 2015,
"Cleaning Petroleum Storage Tanks";
(C) American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice
1631, "Interior Lining of Underground Storage Tanks," may be
used as guidance for compliance with this section; and
(D) The National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health "Criteria for a Recommended Standard...Working in
Confined Space" may be used as guidance for conducting safe
closure procedures at some hazardous substance tanks.
(6) Owners and operators are responsible for submitting
checklists for any of the tank services described in this
section. Any active tank permits for the systems being closed
shall be returned to the department within thirty days of
closure activities.