October 13, 2018: The date by which many state UST agencies require additional testing for many UST facilities throughout the US. For thousands and thousands of Class A/B UST operators, this will be the first-time tests for spill buckets, sumps, overfill equipment and more. This also applies to all Indian Country USTs nationwide.
Some things to consider as you look at your 2018 calendar and budget:
Quality: As the labor shortage intensifies and UST systems get more complex, we think “human” issues are going to become more common. Something to consider: always hire a reputable service company, but even then, you may not get the quality workmanship that you hope for. If a tank owner/operator notices something going “wrong” with their fueling system soon after a service call, don’t ignore it. Advice: Shop around and start lining up your contractor now, even if the work is later in the year. Contractors will be scarce and good ones even more so.
Costs: We’ve been asking testers across the US what results they are seeing for those operators who chose to tightness test sumps and spill buckets early. All the testers say the same thing: they are seeing about a 75% failure rate. Not that every sump and bucket must be replaced but much repair work is being performed right now. Advice: Budget for the worst. If you have an older UST site, don’t be surprise if you are repairing or replacing equipment.
Preparation: New mandatory 30-day walkthrough inspections are also required starting October 13, 2018. Our Class A/B UST operators know from taking our course that the best way to prevent a big problem is to routinely watch for small ones. Advice: start doing the walkthrough inspection today. Find those small things and fix them before the deadline testing finds them. Learn more about these inspections here.