| (a) General requirements.
(1) Owners and operators of underground storage tank
(UST) systems (or underground metal UST system components) which are
required to be protected from corrosion shall comply with the requirements
in this section to ensure that releases due to corrosion are prevented.
(2) All corrosion protection systems shall be designed,
installed, operated, and maintained in a manner that will ensure that
corrosion protection will be continuously provided to all underground
metal components of the UST system.
(3) Any alternative methods for corrosion protection
or variances from the requirements of this section are prohibited,
except when reviewed and approved by the agency pursuant to procedures
for variances found in §334.43 of this title (relating to Variances
and Alternative Procedures).
(4) Corrosion protection in accordance with the provisions
of this section shall be provided to all underground and/or totally
or partially submerged metal components of any existing or new UST
system which are designed or used to convey, contain, or store regulated
substances, including, but not limited to, the tanks, piping (including
valves, fittings, flexible connectors, swing joints, and impact/shear
valves), and also to other underground metal components associated
with a UST system, including but not limited to, secondary containment
devices, manways, manholes, fill pipes, vent lines, submersible pump
housings, spill containers, and riser pipes.
(5) For internal corrosion protection, the interior
bottom surface of new metal tanks installed on or after September
29, 1989, shall be fitted with a striker plate under all fill, gauge,
and monitoring openings.
(6) When provisions of this subsection require compliance
with a specific code or standard of practice developed by a nationally
recognized association or independent testing laboratory, the most
recent version of the referenced code in effect at the time of the
regulated UST activity shall be applicable.
(7) For a UST system to be placed temporarily out of
service, the owner or operator must comply with the requirements of §334.54(c)
of this title (relating to Temporary Removal from Service).
(b) Allowable corrosion protection methods. All components
of a UST system which are designed to convey, contain, or store regulated
substances shall be protected from corrosion by one or more of the
following methods.
(1) The component may be constructed of a noncorrodible
material which is compatible with the stored regulated substance(s).
(2) The component may be electrically isolated from
the corrosive elements of the surrounding soil, backfill, groundwater
or any other water, and from other metallic components by installing
the component in an open area (e.g., manway, sump, vault, pit, etc.)
where periodic visual inspection of all parts of the component for
the presence of corrosion or released substances is practicable.
(3) The component may be electrically isolated from
the corrosive elements of the surrounding soil, backfill, groundwater
or any other water, and from other metallic components by completely
enclosing the component in a secondary containment device (e.g., wall,
jacket, or liner), provided that:
(A) the secondary containment device is designed and
installed in accordance with the applicable technical and installation
standards in §334.45(d) of this title (relating to Technical
Standards for New Underground Storage Tank Systems) and §334.46(f)
of this title (relating to Installation Standards for New Underground
Storage Tank Systems), and in accordance with an applicable code or
standard of practice developed by a nationally recognized association
or independent testing laboratory, and is either:
(i) constructed of a noncorrodible material which is
compatible with the stored regulated substance;
(ii) electrically isolated from the protected component
and other metallic components; or
(iii) cathodically protected by either a factory-installed
or field-installed cathodic protection system meeting the applicable
requirements of subsection (c) of this section; and
(B) the interstitial space between the protected component
and the secondary containment device shall be free of any soil, backfill
material, groundwater or any other water, or other substances, and
the protected component shall be regularly inspected and tested for
electrical isolation in accordance with the provisions in subsection
(d)(1) of this section.
(4) Tanks (only) may be factory-constructed either
as a steel/fiberglass-reinforced plastic composite tank, or as a steel
tank with a bonded fiberglass-reinforced plastic external cladding
or laminate, or as a steel tank with a bonded fiberglass reinforced
polyurethane coating, as a steel tank with a bonded polyurethane external
coating, or as a steel tank completely contained within a nonmetallic
external tank jacket in accordance with the requirements in §334.45(b)(1)(D),
(E), or (F) of this title, as applicable.
(5) The component may be coated with a suitable dielectric
material, equipped with appropriate dielectric fittings for electrical
isolation, and equipped with either:
(A) a factory-installed cathodic protection system
meeting the requirements of subsection (c)(1) of this section; or
(B) a field-installed cathodic protection system meeting
the requirements of subsection (c)(2) of this section.
(6) Except for the tanks and the piping system components,
other underground components of a UST system (including vent lines,
fill risers, spill containment vessels, and tank fittings (e.g., bunghole
plugs)) which do not routinely contain regulated substances may be
protected from corrosion by thorough coating or wrapping with a suitable
dielectric material which is compatible with the stored regulated
substance without the need for the use of other corrosion protection
methods.
(7) Corrosion protection in accordance with the requirements
of this subchapter is not required if it is determined by a corrosion
specialist that corrosion protection of an underground metal UST system
or UST system component is unnecessary because the site is not corrosive
enough to cause a release due to corrosion for the operational life
of the UST system. The upgrade or repair of an existing corrosion
protection system for an underground metal UST system or UST system
component is not required if it is determined by a corrosion specialist
that said upgrading or repair is unnecessary and that the protection
provided by the existing corrosion protection system is sufficient
to prevent a release due to corrosion for the operational life of
the UST system. In either case, the determination of the corrosion
specialist must be made in writing, must be signed by the corrosion
specialist (corrosion specialist must also seal the written determination
if he or she is a qualified duly licensed professional engineer in
Texas), and must be maintained by the owner and operator as part of
the records for the facility in keeping with the requirements of subsection
(e) of this section and §334.10(b) of this title (relating to
Reporting and Recordkeeping).
(c) Cathodic protection systems.
(1) Factory-installed cathodic protection systems.
(A) A factory-installed cathodic protection system
on any UST component shall be designed, fabricated, installed, operated,
and maintained in accordance with applicable codes or standards of
practice developed for such cathodic protection method by a nationally
recognized association or independent testing laboratory.
(B) At a minimum, the factory-installed cathodic protection
system shall include the following components:
(i) a suitable dielectric external coating or laminate,
which shall thoroughly cover all exterior surfaces exposed to the
soil, backfill, or groundwater or any other water, and which shall
consist of materials which are compatible with the stored regulated
substances;
(ii) dielectric isolation bushings, connections, or
fittings, which shall be installed at all locations where the protected
component connects to other metallic system components, and which
shall be constructed of materials which are compatible with the stored
regulated substances; and
(iii) sacrificial anodes which are firmly attached
and electrically connected to the protected components and which are
positioned and sized to provide complete cathodic protection for all
parts of the protected component.
(2) Field-installed cathodic protection systems.
(A) A field-installed cathodic protection system on
any UST system component shall be designed by a qualified corrosion
specialist, and shall be designed, installed, operated, and maintained
in accordance with applicable codes or standards of practice developed
for such cathodic protection systems by a nationally recognized association
or independent testing laboratory.
Cont'd... |
