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TITLE 30ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
PART 1TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
CHAPTER 334UNDERGROUND AND ABOVEGROUND STORAGE TANKS
SUBCHAPTER CTECHNICAL STANDARDS
RULE §334.50Release Detection

(a) General requirements.

  (1) Owners and operators of new and existing underground storage tank (UST) systems shall provide a method, or combination of methods, of release detection which shall be:

    (A) capable of detecting a release from any portion of the UST system which contains regulated substances including the tanks, piping, and other underground ancillary equipment;

    (B) installed, calibrated, operated, maintained, utilized, and interpreted (as applicable) in accordance with the manufacturer's and/or methodology provider's specifications and instructions consistent with the other requirements of this section, and by personnel possessing the necessary experience, training, and competence to accomplish such requirements; and

    (C) capable of meeting the particular performance requirements of such method (or methods) as specifically prescribed in this section, based on the performance claims by the equipment manufacturer or methodology provider/vendor, as verified by third-party evaluation conducted by a qualified independent testing organization, using applicable United States Environmental Protection Agency protocol, provided that the following additional requirements shall also be met.

      (i) Any performance claims, together with their bases or methods of determination including the summary portion of the independent third-party evaluation, shall be obtained by the owner and/or operator from the equipment manufacturer, methodology provider, or installer and shall be in writing.

      (ii) When any of the following release detection methods are used on or after December 22, 1990 (except for methods permanently installed and in operation prior to that date), such method shall be capable of detecting the particular release rate or quantity specified for that method such that the probability of detection shall be at least 95% and the probability of false alarm shall be no greater than 5.0%:

        (I) tank tightness testing, as prescribed in subsection (d)(1)(A) of this section;

        (II) automatic tank gauging, as prescribed in subsection (d)(4) of this section;

        (III) automatic line leak detectors for piping, as prescribed in subsection (b)(2)(A)(i) of this section;

        (IV) piping tightness testing, as prescribed in subsection (b)(2)(A)(ii)(I) of this section;

        (V) electronic leak monitoring systems for piping, as prescribed in subsection (b)(2)(A)(ii)(III) of this section; and

        (VI) statistical inventory reconciliation (SIR), as prescribed in subsection (d)(9) of this section.

  (2) When a release detection method operated in accordance with the particular performance standards for that method indicates that a release either has or may have occurred, the owners and operators 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).

  (3) Owners and operators of all UST systems shall comply with the release detection requirements of this section in accordance with the applicable schedules in §334.44 of this title (relating to Implementation Schedules).

  (4) As prescribed in §334.47(a)(2) of this title (relating to Technical Standards for Existing Underground Storage Tank Systems), any existing UST system that cannot be equipped or monitored with a method of release detection that meets the requirements of this section shall be permanently removed from service in accordance with the applicable procedures in §334.55 of this title (relating to Permanent Removal from Service) no later than 60 days after the implementation date for release detection as prescribed by the applicable schedules in §334.44 of this title.

  (5) Any owner or operator who plans to install a release detection method for a UST system shall comply with the applicable construction notification requirements in §334.6 of this title (relating to Construction Notification for Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) and UST Systems), and upon completion of the installation of such method shall also comply with the applicable registration and certification requirements of §334.7 of this title (relating to Registration for Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) and UST Systems) and §334.8 of this title (relating to Certification for Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) and UST Systems).

  (6) Any equipment installed or used for conducting release detection for a UST system shall be listed, approved, designed, and operated in accordance with standards developed by a nationally recognized association or independent testing laboratory (e.g., Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.) for such installation or use, as specified in §334.42(d) of this title (relating to General Standards).

  (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) Release detection requirements for all UST systems. Owners and operators of all UST systems shall ensure that release detection equipment or procedures are provided in accordance with the following requirements.

  (1) Release detection requirements for tanks.

    (A) Tanks installed prior to January 1, 2009. Except as provided in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph and in subsection (d)(9) of this section, all such tanks shall be monitored in a manner which will detect a release at a frequency of at least once every 30 days by using one or more of the release detection methods described in subsection (d)(4) - (10) of this section.

    (B) Tanks installed on or after January 1, 2009. All such tanks shall be monitored in a manner which will detect a release at a frequency of at least once every 30 days by using interstitial monitoring as prescribed in subsection (d)(7) of this section as the primary release detection method no later than September 1, 2018.

    (C) The manual tank gauging method of release detection, as described in subsection (d)(2) of this section, may be used as the sole release detection system for tanks with a nominal capacity of 1,000 gallons or fewer only.

    (D) 30-day monthly tank gauging method of release detection, as described in subsection (d)(3) of this section, may be used as the sole release detection method for emergency generator tanks only.

  (2) Release detection for piping. Piping in a UST system shall be monitored in a manner which will detect a release from any portion of the piping system, in accordance with the following requirements.

    (A) Requirements for pressurized piping. UST system piping that conveys regulated substances under pressure shall be in compliance with the following requirements.

      (i) Each separate pressurized pipe (except for piping utilized in airport hydrant systems) shall be equipped with an automatic line leak detector meeting the following requirements.

        (I) The line leak detector shall be capable of detecting any release from the piping system of three gallons per hour when the piping pressure is at ten pounds per square inch.

        (II) The line leak detector shall be capable of alerting the UST system operator of any release within one hour of occurrence either by shutting off the flow of regulated substances, or by substantially restricting the flow of regulated substances.

        (III) The line leak detector shall be tested at least once per year for performance and operational reliability and shall be properly calibrated and maintained, in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications and recommended procedures.

      (ii) Piping installed prior to January 1, 2009. In addition to the required line leak detector prescribed in clause (i) of this subparagraph, each pressurized pipe shall also be tested or monitored for releases in accordance with at least one of the following methods.

        (I) The piping may be tested at least once per year by means of a piping tightness test conducted in accordance with a code or standard of practice developed by a nationally recognized association or independent testing laboratory. Any such piping tightness test shall be capable of detecting any release from the piping system of 0.1 gallons per hour when the piping pressure is at 150% of normal operating pressure.

        (II) Except as provided in subsection (d)(9) of this section, the piping may be monitored for releases at least once every 30 days by using one or more of the release detection methods prescribed in subsection (d)(5) - (10) of this section.

        (III) The piping may be monitored for releases at least once every 30 days by means of an electronic leak monitoring system capable of detecting any release from the piping system of 0.2 gallons per hour at normal operating pressure.

Cont'd...

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