Tank Closures

The Storage Tank Regulation Section is part of the Bureau of Petroleum Storage Systems in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) Division of Waste Management. In 1983, Florida was one of the first states in the union to pass legislation and adopt rules for underground and aboveground storage tank systems. Since then, over 28,000 facilities have reported discharges of petroleum products from storage tank systems. Florida relies on groundwater for about 92 percent of its drinking water needs, and has some of the most stringent rules in the country.

In 1985, EPA created the Office of Underground Storage Tanks to carry out a Congressional mandate to develop and implement a regulatory program for underground storage tank (UST) systems. EPA works with its state, territorial, and tribal partners to prevent and clean up releases from UST systems.

Leaking underground storage tank systems pose a significant threat to groundwater quality in the United States. It has been reported that groundwater supplies drinking water to approximately 50 percent of the nation’s overall population and 99 percent of the population in rural areas. The following resources provide information about underground storage tanks and groundwater.

http://www.epa.gov/oust/cat/PMDefinitions.pdf