Suspected or Confirmed Releases

Reporting Suspected or Confirmed Releases

Owners and/or Operators must report any of the following conditions within 72 hours:

• The discovery of released petroleum at the UST site or surrounding area.
• Unusual operating conditions.
• Monitoring results, including investigation of an alarm, that indicate a release may have occurred.

If the system equipment is found to be defective but not leaking, is immediately repaired, or replaced and additional monitoring within 30 days does not confirm the initial results, reporting would not be required.  See Rule 0400-18-01.05(1) for specific details.

Report Suspected Releases to: Releases.UST@tn.gov

The following information must be provided when reporting a suspected release:

UST Facility ID:
Facility Name:
Contact:
Contact Information:
Date and Time of Occurrence:
Date and Time of Response:
Describe What Happened AND Ongoing Investigation and Actions Taken:

{Be Sure to Attach Documentation and/or Photographs}

Required Procedures

Any UST system release assessments require environmental sampling of soil and/or ground water. These assessments may occur during such procedures as closing petroleum USTs, environmental assessments and at intervals during corrective action. Proper laboratory analysis of samples is critical to decision-making. This is to identify the analytical method that laboratories should use when processing samples for the TN UST program. Responsible Parties (RPs), Corrective Action Contractors (CACs) and others should ensure that the proper method is used by the laboratory. TN UST staff will review all reports to ensure the proper method was used. Ensure other requirements specified in guidance materials are followed.

During an UST system release assessment, soil and/or groundwater samples shall be analyzed by a laboratory based on the type of product stored. If the type of product stored is unknown, all samples shall be analyzed for all chemicals of concern (COCs). Please refer to Reference 1

Method 8260b, 8270c SIM, 8310, 200.7, and 6010/3050 are available at https://www.epa.gov/hw-sw846/sw-846-compendium

TN Extractable Petroleum Hydrocarbons (EPH) Method

Screening and Cleanup Levels

For a site that previous assessment has not been conducted or cleanup levels established, and an Exposure Assessment has not been completed, then soil and/or groundwater sample results should be compared to the Initial Screening Levels (ISLs).

For a site that a release has been confirmed, and an Initial Response and Hazard Management Report (IRHMR) and Initial Site Characterization Report (ISCR) has been required, then the Risk-Based Cleanup Levels (RBCLs) should be utilized to map and delineate contaminant plume(s), which may include interpolation and/or extrapolation, for source widths required for the Risk Analysis Report (RAR).  Please note that the Exposure Assessment has been integrated into the IRHMR and ISCR requirements, and unless specifically requested, a separate Exposure Assessment Report should not be submitted.

Current Corrective Action Contractor List.

For specific information on becoming a CAC, see Rule 0400-18-01-.09(15).

• Application for Approved Corrective Action Contractor (CN-0945)
• Current list of Approved Corrective Action Contractors

Companies are approved and/or removed from the list on a daily basis, so if you require up-to-date information regarding the status of an Approved CAC, please call Susan Watts 615-708-9003.

UST Fund and Reimbursement Information

Instructions and applications for fund eligibility or reimbursement.