Petroleum Release Reporting, Investigation, And Confirmation

01. Reporting of Suspected Releases. Owners and operators of petroleum storage tank (PST) systems must report to the Department within twenty-four (24) hours and follow the procedures in Subsection 060.03 for any of the following conditions. (7-1-25) a. The discovery by owners and operators or others of a petroleum release at the PST site or in the surrounding area other than spills and overfills described in Subsection 060.04, such as the presence of free product or dissolved product in nearby surface water or groundwater or vapors in soils, basements, sewer or utility lines. (7-1-25) b. Unusual operating conditions observed by owners and operators such as the erratic behavior of product dispensing equipment, the sudden loss of product from the PST system, liquid in the interstitial space of secondarily contained systems, or an unexplained presence of water in the PST system, unless system equipment is found to be defective but not leaking, and is immediately repaired or replaced. (7-1-25) c. Monitoring results, including investigation of an alarm, from a release detection method that indicate a release may have occurred unless the monitoring device is found to be defective, and is immediately repaired, recalibrated or replaced, and additional monitoring does not confirm the initial result. (7-1-25) 02. Investigation Due to Off-Site Impacts. When required by the Department, owners and operators must follow the procedures in Subsection 060.03 to determine if the PST system is the source of off-site impacts. These impacts include the discovery of petroleum, such as the presence of free product or dissolved product in nearby surface water or groundwater or vapors in soils, basements, sewer, and utility lines. (7-1-25) 03. Release Investigation and Confirmation Steps. Unless corrective action is initiated in accordance with Section 061, owners and operators must immediately investigate and confirm all suspected releases of petroleum within seven (7) days, or another time period specified by the Department, of discovery and using at least one (1) of the following steps or another procedure approved by the Department: (7-1-25) a. Conduct tightness tests or, as appropriate, secondary containment testing that determine whether a leak exists in any portion of the PST system, including the tank, the attached delivery piping, a breach of either wall of the secondary containment, and any connected tanks and piping. All such portions can be tested either separately or together or in combinations thereof. (7-1-25) i. Repair, replace or upgrade the PST system in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and begin corrective action in accordance with Section 061 if the test results for the system, tank, or delivery piping indicate that a leak exists. (7-1-25) ii. Further investigation is not required if the test results for the system, tank, and delivery piping do not indicate that a leak exists and if environmental contamination is not the basis for suspecting a release. (7-1-25) iii. Conduct a site check as described in Subsection 060.03.b. if the test results for the system, tank, and delivery piping do not indicate that a leak exists but environmental contamination is the basis for suspecting a release. (7-1-25) b. Measure for the presence of a release where contamination is most likely to be present. In selecting sample types, sample locations, and measurement methods, owners and operators must consider the nature of the petroleum, the type of initial alarm or cause for suspicion, the type of backfill, the depth of groundwater, and other IDAHO ADMINISTRATIVE CODE IDAPA 58.01.24 Department of Environmental Quality Rules for Petroleum Release Corrective Action Section 061 Page 6 factors appropriate for identifying the presence and source of the release. Methods of sample collection and sample analysis are subject to these rules and Department approval. (7-1-25) i. If a release has occurred, begin corrective action in accordance with Section 061. (7-1-25) ii. If test results for the PST system do not indicate that a release has occurred, further investigation is not required. (7-1-25) 04. Reporting and Cleanup of Above Ground Releases. Owners and operators shall contain and immediately clean up an above ground release of petroleum only after identifying and mitigating any fire, explosion, and vapor hazards. (7-1-25) a. A release that exceeds twenty-five (25) gallons or that causes a sheen on nearby surface water must be reported to the Department within twenty-four (24) hours and begin corrective action in accordance with Section 061. (7-1-25) b. A release that is less than twenty-five (25) gallons and does not cause a sheen on nearby surface water must be reported to the Department only if cleanup cannot be accomplished within twenty-four (24) hours. (7-1-25)