Design and Installation of New Tank Systems or Components

(1) Owners or operators of new tank systems or components shall obtain and submit to the Department, at the time information is submitted to the Department pursuant to 310 CMR 30.099(6) and 310 CMR 30.802, 310 CMR 30.099(7) and (8), or 310 CMR 30.850, a written assessment, reviewed and certified byan independent, qualified, registered professional engineer, in accordance with 310 CMR 30.009, attesting that the tank system has sufficient structural integrity and is acceptable for the storing and treating of hazardous waste. The assessment shall show that the foundation, structural support, seams, connections and pressure controls (if applicable) are adequately designed and that the tank system has sufficient structural strength, compatibility with the waste(s) to be stored or treated, and corrosion protection to ensure that it shall not collapse, rupture, or fail. This assessment be used by the Department, but which the Department will not be limited to considering, to determine the acceptability of the tank system design, must include, at a minimum, the following information: (a) Design standard(s) according to which the tank(s) and/or ancillary equipment are constructed. (b) Hazardous characteristics of the waste(s) to be handled. (c) For new tank systems or components in which the external shell of a metal tank or any external metal component of the tank system will be in contact with the soil or with water, a determination by a corrosion expert of 1. Factors affecting the potential for corrosion, including but not limited to: a. Soil moisture content; b. Soil pH; c. Soil sulfides level; d. Soil resistivity; e. Structure to soil potential; f. Influence of nearby underground structures (e.g. piping); g. Existence of stray electric current; h. Existing corrosion protection measures (e.g. coating, cathodic protection); and 2. The type and degree of external corrosion protection that are needed to ensure the integrity of the tank system during the use of the tank system or component, consisting of one or more of the following a. Corrosion-resistant materials of construction such as special alloys, fiberglass reinforced plastic, etc.; b. Corrosion-resistant coating (such as epoxy, fiberglass, etc.) with cathodic protection (e.g. impressed current or sacrificial anodes); and c. Electrical isolation devices such as insulating joints, flanges, etc. (NOTE - Practices in providing corrosion protection for tank systems are published in the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) standard, Recommended Practice (RP-02-85) - Control of External Corrosion on Metallic Buried, Partially Buried, or Submerged Liquid Storage Systems, and the American Petroleum Institute (API) Publication 1632, Cathodic Protection of Underground Petroleum Storage Tanks and Piping Systems.) (d) For underground tank system components that are likely to be adversely affected by vehicular traffic, a determination of design or operational measures that will protect the tank system against potential damage; and (e) Design considerations to ensure that: 1. Tank foundations will maintain the load of a full tank; 2. Tank systems will be anchored to prevent flotation or dislodgement where the tank system is placed within ten feet of a saturated zone; and 3. Tank systems will withstand the effects of a frost heave. (2) All tanks installed on or after October 15, 1983 must be equipped with a means (e.g. manhole) for an individual to enter for inspection. (3) The owner or operator of a new tank system shall ensure that proper handling procedures shall be adhered to in order to prevent damage to the system during installation. Prior to covering, enclosing, or placing a new tank system or component in use, a Massachusetts registered professional engineer who is trained and experienced in the proper installation of tank systems or components shall inspect the system for the presence of weld breaks, punctures, scrapes of protective coatings, cracks, corrosion, or other structural damage or inadequate construction/installation. All discrepancies shall be remedied before the tank system is covered, enclosed, or placed in use. (4) New tank systems or components that are placed underground and that are backfilled must be provided with a backfill material that is a noncorrosive, porous, homogeneous substance and that is installed so that the backfill is placed completely around the tank and compacted to ensure that the tank and piping are fully and uniformly supported. (5) All new tanks and ancillary equipment must be tested for tightness pursuant to 310 CMR 30.692(2)(h)1. prior to being covered, enclosed, or placed in use. If a tank system is found not to be tight, all repairs necessary to remedy the leak(s) in the system must be performed before the tank system is covered, enclosed, or placed into use. (6) Ancillary equipment must be supported and protected against physical damage and excessive stress due to settlement, vibration, expansion, or contraction. (7) The owner or operator must provide the type and degree of corrosion protection recommended by an independent corrosion expert, based on the information provided in 310 CMR 30.693(1)(c), or other corrosion protection if the Department believes that other corrosion protection is necessary to ensure the integrity of the tank system during use of the tank system. The installation of a tank system that is field fabricated must be supervised by an independent corrosion expert to ensure proper installation. (8) There shall be a rebuttable presumption that the Department should not license the storage or treatment, in an underground tank, of acutely hazardous waste identified or described in 310 CMR 30.136. Without limiting the generality of 310 CMR 30.810 through 30.813, the owner or operator may rebut this presumption by persuading the Department that there are no feasible alternatives to the storage or treatment of acutely hazardous waste in an underground tank (e.g., by showing that another permitting authority requires that the waste be stored or treated underground). (9) No portion of an underground tank storing or treating hazardous waste shall be placed at or below the probable high groundwater level, as determined pursuant to 310 CMR 30.675, unless the owner or operator takes suitable measures, approved by the Department, which shall minimize the potential for corrosion or collapse of the tank and prevent flotation of the tank in the event that the tank is emptied. (10) The owner or operator must obtain written statements by those persons required to certify the design of the tank system and supervise the installation of the tank system in accordance with the requirements of 310 CMR 30.693(3), (4), (5), (6), and (7), that attest that the tank system was properly designed and installed and that repairs pursuant to 310 CMR 30.693(3) and (5), were performed. These written statements must be in compliance with 310 CMR 30.009. Once obtained, these statements shall be kept on file at the facility until the facility has been closed pursuant to 310 CMR 30.699.