Section 2635 - Installation and Testing Requirements for All New Underground Storage Tanks(a) Primary and secondary containment systems shall be designed, constructed, tested, and certified to comply, as applicable, with all of the following requirements: (1) All underground storage tanks shall be tested at the factory before being transported. The tests shall determine whether the tanks were constructed in accordance with the applicable sections of the industry code or engineering standard under which they were built.(2) The outer surface of underground storage tanks constructed of steel shall be protected from corrosion as follows, except that primary containment systems installed in a secondary containment system and not backfilled do not need cathodic protection:(A) Field-installed cathodic protection systems shall be designed and certified as adequate by a corrosion specialist. The cathodic protection systems shall be tested by a cathodic protection tester within six months of installation and at least once every 36 months thereafter. The criteria that are used to determine that cathodic protection is adequate as required by this section shall be in accordance with a code of practice developed in accordance with voluntary consensus standards. Impressed-current cathodic protection systems shall also be inspected every 60 days to ensure that they are in proper working order. On and after October 1, 2018, cathodic protection systems shall be tested within six months of the date of the completion of a repair to the cathodic protection system.(B) Underground storage tanks protected with fiberglass-reinforced plastic coatings, composites, or equivalent non-metallic exterior coatings or coverings, including coating/sacrificial anode systems, shall be tested at the installation site using an electric resistance holiday detector. All holidays detected shall be repaired and checked by a factory authorized repair service before installation. During and after installation, care shall be taken to prevent damage to the protective coating or cladding. Pre-engineered corrosion protection systems with sacrificial anodes shall be checked once every 36 months in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. On and after October 1, 2018, corrosion protection systems with sacrificial anodes shall be checked within six months of the date of the completion of a repair to the cathodic protection system.(3) Before installation, the tank shall be tested for tightness at the installation site in accordance with the manufacturer's written guidelines. If there are no guidelines, the primary and secondary containment shall be tested for tightness with air pressure at not less than three pounds per square inch (20.68 kilopascals) and not more than five pounds per square inch (34.48 kilopascals). In lieu of the above, an equivalent differential pressure test, expressed in inches of mercury vacuum, in the interstitial space of the secondary containment, is acceptable. The pressure (or vacuum in the interstitial space) shall be maintained for a minimum of 30 minutes to determine if the tank is tight. If a tank fails the tightness test, as evidenced by soap bubbles, or water droplets, installation shall be suspended until the tank is replaced or repaired by a factory authorized repair service. Following repair or replacement, the tank shall pass a tightness test.(4) All secondary containment systems shall pass a post- installation test which meets the approval of the local agency.(5) After installation, but before the underground storage tank is placed in service, a tank integrity test shall be conducted to ensure that no damage occurred during installation. The tank integrity test is not required if the tank is equipped with an interstitial monitor certified by a third party evaluator to meet the performance standards of a "tank integrity test" as defined in section 2611, or if the tank is tested using another method deemed by the State Water Resources Control Board to be equivalent.(6) All underground storage tanks shall be installed according to a code of practice developed in accordance with voluntary consensus standards and the manufacturer's written installation instructions. The owner or operator shall certify that the underground storage tank was installed in accordance with the above requirements as required by subdivision (f) of this section.(7) All underground storage tanks subject to flotation shall be anchored using methods specified by the manufacturer or, if none exist, shall be anchored according to the best engineering judgment.(b) All underground storage tanks shall be equipped with a spill container that collects any hazardous substances spilled during product delivery operations to prevent the hazardous substance from entering the subsurface environment. The spill container shall meet all of the following: (1) If it is made of metal, the exterior wall shall be protected from galvanic corrosion.(2) It shall have a minimum capacity of five gallons (19 liters).(3) It shall have a drain valve which allows drainage of the collected spill into the primary container or provide a means to keep the spill container empty.(c)(1) All underground storage tanks that do not meet paragraph (2) below shall be equipped with overfill prevention equipment that does not allow for manual override and meets one of the following requirements:(A) Alert the transfer operator when the tank is 90 percent full by restricting the flow into the tank or triggering an audible and visual alarm;(B) Restrict delivery of flow to the tank at least 30 minutes before the tank overfills, provided the restriction occurs when the tank is filled to no more than 95 percent of capacity; and activate an audible alarm at least five minutes before the tank overfills;(C) Provide positive shut-off of flow to the tank when the tank is filled to no more than 95 percent of capacity; or(D) Provide positive shut-off of flow to the tank so that none of the fittings located on the top of the tank are exposed to product due to overfilling.(2) The local agency may waive the requirement for overfill prevention equipment where the tank inlet exists in an observable area, the spill container is adequate to collect any overfill, and the tank system is filled by transfers of no more than 25 gallons at one time.(d) On and after October 1, 2018, flow restrictors on vent piping do not meet the requirement of subdivision (c) above when overfill prevention equipment is installed.(e) Secondary containment systems including leak interception and detection systems installed pursuant to section 2633 shall comply with all of the following: (1) The secondary containment system shall encompass the area within the system of vertical planes surrounding the exterior of the primary containment system. If backfill is placed between the primary and secondary containment systems, an evaluation shall be made of the maximum lateral spread of a point leak from the primary containment system over the vertical distance between the primary and secondary containment systems. The secondary containment system shall extend an additional distance beyond the vertical planes described above equal to the radius of the lateral spread plus one foot.(2) The secondary containment system shall be capable of preventing the inflow of the highest ground water anticipated into the interstitial space during the life of the tank.(3) If the interstitial space is backfilled, the backfill material shall not prevent the vertical movement of leakage from any part of the primary containment system.(4) The secondary containment system with backfill material shall be designed and constructed to promote gravity drainage of an unauthorized release of hazardous substances from any part of the primary containment system to the monitoring location(s).(5) Two or more primary containment systems shall not use the same secondary containment system if the primary containment systems store materials that in combination may cause a fire or explosion, or the production of a flammable, toxic, or poisonous gas, or the deterioration of any part of the primary or secondary containment system.(6) Drainage of liquid from within a secondary containment system shall be controlled in a manner approved by the local agency to prevent hazardous materials from being discharged into the environment. The liquid shall be analyzed to determine the presence of any of the hazardous substance(s) stored in the primary containment system prior to initial removal, and every 30 days thereafter, for any continuous discharge (removal) to determine the appropriate method for final disposal. The liquid shall be sampled and analyzed immediately upon any indication of an unauthorized release from the primary containment system.(7) For primary containment systems installed completely beneath the ground surface, the original excavation for the secondary containment system shall have a water-tight cover which extends at least one foot beyond each boundary of the original excavation. This cover shall be asphalt, reinforced concrete, or equivalent material which is sloped to drainways leading away from the excavation. Access openings shall be constructed as water-tight as practical. Primary containment systems with integral secondary containment and open vaults are exempt from the requirements of this subdivision.(8) The actual location and orientation of the tanks and appurtenant piping systems shall be indicated on as-built drawings of the facility. Copies of all drawings, photographs, and plans shall be submitted to the local agency for approval.(f) Owners or their agents shall certify that the installation of the tanks and piping meets the conditions in paragraphs (1) through (4) below. The certification shall be made on the "UST Certification of Installation/Modification" submittal element in the California Environmental Reporting System or a local reporting portal. (1) The installer has met the requirements set forth in sections 2715(d) and (e);(2) The underground storage tank, any primary piping, and any secondary containment, was installed according to applicable voluntary consensus standards and any manufacturer's written installation instructions;(3) All work listed in the manufacturer's installation checklist has been completed; and(4) The installation has been inspected and approved by the local agency, or, if required by the local agency, inspected and certified by a registered professional engineer who has education and experience with underground storage tank system installations.Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 23, § 2635
1. Amendment filed 8-9-91 as an emergency; operative 8-9-91. Text remains in effect uninterrupted pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 25299.7 (Register 92, No. 14).
2. Editorial correction of printing errors in HISTORY 1 (Register 92, No. 43).
3. Amendment of section heading and text filed 4-5-94; operative 5-5-94 (Register 94, No. 14).
4. Amendment of subsection (d)(1) and NOTE filed 5-14-2001; operative 5-14-2001 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2001, No. 20).
5. Amendment of subsections (d) and (d)(1), repealer of subsection (d)(2) and subsection renumbering filed 4-8-2004; operative 5-8-2004 (Register 2004, No. 15).
6. Amendment of subsection (d) filed 12-18-2007; operative 1-17-2008 (Register 2007, No. 51).
7. Amendment of subsections (a)(6), (c)(7) and (d) and amendment of NOTE filed 10-13-2016; operative 1-1-2017 (Register 2016, No. 42).
8. Amendment of section and NOTE filed 8-27-2018; operative 10-1-2018 (Register 2018, No. 35). Note: Authority cited: Sections 25299.3 and 25299.7, Health and Safety Code. Reference: Sections 25281, 25284.1, 25290.1, 25290.2, 25291, 25299 and 25404, Health and Safety Code; and 40 CFR §§ 280.20, 280.31, 280.40, 280.41, 280.42, 280.43, 280.44 and 280.45.
1. Amendment filed 8-9-91 as an emergency; operative 8-9-91. Text remains in effect uninterrupted pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 25299.7 (Register 92, No. 14).
2. Editorial correction of printing errors in History1 (Register 92, No. 43).
3. Amendment of section heading and text filed 4-5-94; operative 5-5-94 (Register 94, No. 14).
4. Amendment of subsection (d)(1) and Notefiled 5-14-2001; operative 5-14-2001 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2001, No. 20).
5. Amendment of subsections (d) and (d)(1), repealer of subsection (d)(2) and subsection renumbering filed 4-8-2004; operative 5-8-2004 (Register 2004, No. 15).
6. Amendment of subsection (d) filed 12-18-2007; operative 1-17-2008 (Register 2007, No. 51).
7. Amendment of subsections (a)(6), (c)(7) and (d) and amendment of Note filed 10-13-2016; operative 1/1/2017 (Register 2016, No. 42).
8. Amendment of section and Note filed 8-27-2018; operative 10/1/2018 (Register 2018, No. 35).