(a) General requirements.
(1) Owners and operators shall ensure that any repair
or relining of an underground storage tank (UST) system will prevent
releases due to structural failure or corrosion for the remaining
operational life of the system.
(2) Owners and operators shall ensure that any repair
or relining is conducted by qualified personnel possessing the appropriate
skills, experience, competence, and, if applicable, any required license
or certification to complete the work in accordance with the provisions
of this subsection.
(3) Any repairs or relining shall be properly conducted
in accordance with a standard or code of practice developed by a nationally
recognized association or independent testing laboratory, such as:
(A) National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard
30, "Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code;"
(B) American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended
Practice RP 2200, "Repairing Hazardous Liquid Pipelines;"
(C) API Recommended Practice RP 1631, "Interior
Lining and Periodic Inspection of Underground Storage Tanks;"
(D) NFPA 326, "Standard for the Safeguarding of
Tanks and Containers for Entry, Cleaning, or Repair;"
(E) National Leak Prevention Association Standard 631,
Chapter A, "Entry, Cleaning, Interior Inspection, Repair, and
Lining of Underground Storage Tanks;"
(F) Steel Tank Institute Recommended Practice R972, "Recommended
Practice for the Addition of Supplemental Anodes to sti-P3 Tanks;"
(G) NACE International Standard Practice SP 0285, "Corrosion
Control of Underground Storage Tank Systems by Cathodic Protection;"
or
(H) Fiberglass Tank and Pipe Institute Recommended
Practice T-95-02, "Remanufacturing of Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic
(FRP) Underground Storage Tanks."
(4) After completion of any repairs or relining of
a UST system, the owner or operator shall obtain detailed written
records of the repairs or relining from the person who performed the
work.
(5) The requirements of this section shall not be applicable
to routine and minor maintenance activities related to the tank and
piping systems, such as tightening loose fittings and joints, adjusting
and calibrating equipment, and conducting routine inspections and
tests. Tank and piping systems may be placed back into operation immediately
after the satisfactory completion of such minor maintenance activities.
(6) If any release of regulated substances is discovered
or suspected during the UST system repair or relining activity, the
owner or operator shall comply with the applicable release reporting,
investigation, and corrective action requirements in Subchapter D
of this chapter (relating to Release Reporting and Corrective Action).
(7) The performance of any repairs or relining of an
existing UST shall not relieve the owner or operator from timely compliance
with the technical standards for such tanks, as required in §334.47
of this title (relating to Technical Standards for Existing Underground
Storage Tank Systems).
(b) Tank repairs and relining.
(1) The provisions of this subsection shall be applicable
to the in-place repairs or relining of existing tanks. Tanks that
are removed from the ground prior to repair or relining shall be considered
used tanks and shall be brought into compliance with all provisions
of §334.53 of this title (relating to Reuse of Used Tanks) prior
to being placed back in operation.
(2) A previously used tank may be repaired or relined
and placed back in operation, provided that the repair or relining
is conducted in accordance with the provisions of this subsection
and in a manner that will prevent releases of regulated substances
due to structural failure or corrosion for the remaining operational
life of the tank.
(3) Repairs or relining of fiberglass-reinforced plastic
tanks shall be made only by either:
(A) an authorized representative of the tank manufacturer;
or
(B) any other person possessing the requisite experience
and qualifications to perform the repairs, provided that such repairs
shall be performed in accordance with a standard or code of practice
developed by a nationally recognized association or independent testing
laboratory.
(4) Additional requirements for relining.
(A) Interior lining material(s) used in the repair
or reconditioning of a UST shall be compatible with the stored regulated
substance, and shall be applied to a minimum thickness of 100 mils.
(B) The entire lining process, including the tank preparation,
lining application, inspection, and testing shall be in accordance
with a standard or code of practice developed by a nationally recognized
association or independent testing laboratory, such as:
(i) API Recommended Practice 1631, "Interior Lining
and Periodic Inspection of Underground Storage Tanks;"
(ii) National Leak Prevention Association Standard
631, Chapter B "Future Internal Inspection Requirements for Lined
Tanks;" or
(iii) Ken Wilcox Associates Recommended Practice, "Recommended
Practice for Inspecting Buried Lined Steel Tanks Using a Video Camera."
(C) Within 10 years after lining, and every five years
thereafter, the lined tank shall be internally inspected and determined
to be structurally sound with the lining still performing in accordance
with original design specifications. If the internal lining is no
longer performing in accordance with original design specifications
and cannot be repaired in accordance with a code of practice developed
by a nationally recognized association or independent testing laboratory,
then the lined tank must be permanently removed from service in accordance
with §334.55 of this title (relating to Permanent Removal from
Service).
(5) Prior to placing the tank back into operation,
any repaired or relined tank shall be either:
(A) tested by means of a tank tightness test meeting
the requirements in §334.50(d)(1)(A) of this title (relating
to Release Detection);
(B) internally inspected and assessed in accordance
with the requirements in §334.47(b)(1)(A)(iv) of this title;
or
(C) tested or assessed by any other method that has
been reviewed and determined by the agency to be no less protective
of human health and safety and the environment than the standards
described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph, in accordance
with the procedures in §334.43 of this title (relating to Variances
and Alternative Procedures).
(6) Not later than December 22, 1998, the entire UST
system shall be equipped with a cathodic protection system. Such system
shall be designed by a qualified corrosion specialist and shall be
operated and maintained in accordance with the applicable cathodic
protection requirements of §334.49(c) of this title (relating
to Corrosion Protection).
(c) Piping repairs and maintenance.
(1) When a release of a regulated substance has occurred
as a result of holes, damage, or corrosion in the piping, valves,
or fittings, the repair of the affected piping, valves, or fittings
shall not be allowed. Any damaged, corroded, or defective piping sections,
valves, or fittings shall be replaced with materials or components
meeting the applicable requirements for new piping systems in §334.45(c)
of this title (relating to Technical Standards for New Underground
Storage Tank Systems).
(2) The installation or reinstallation of previously
used piping, valves, or fittings in any UST system is specifically
prohibited, regardless of the source or previous use of such previously
used components.
(3) Prior to placing the piping system back into operation,
any repaired piping system shall be tested by means of a piping tightness
test meeting the requirements of §334.50(b)(2)(A)(ii)(I) of this
title.
(4) If a repaired metal piping system has not already
been equipped with an acceptable cathodic protection system, then
the following minimum requirements shall be met prior to placing the
piping system back in operation.
(A) The repaired piping sections and fittings shall
be thoroughly coated with a suitable dielectric coating and shall
be electrically isolated from the remaining piping system by dielectric
fittings.
(B) The repaired piping sections and fittings shall
be retrofitted with a field-installed cathodic protection system.
Such cathodic protection system shall be designed by a qualified corrosion
specialist and shall be operated and maintained in accordance with
the applicable cathodic protection requirements in §334.49(c)
of this title. The remaining portion of the piping system shall be
brought into compliance with the minimum upgrading requirements for
existing UST systems in accordance with the procedures and schedules
in §334.47 of this title.
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