City of Brawley

Underground Storage Tank Install and Tank Removal

All system installations shall be limited to continuous monitoring systems.

 It is the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure that each requirement set forth in this document is satisfied. Failure to adhere to any of these conditions in a manner which prevents compliance with 2008 California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 23; 2025 California Fire Code (CFC); and 2025 California Building Code (CBC) can result in permit revocation, the issuance of administrative citations, or both. These guidelines are applicable to installation of hazardous material underground storage tanks (UST) systems (tanks, piping, dispensers) regulated within the boundaries of the City of Brawley.

 They serve as supplements to other requirements and guidelines (e.g. California Fire Code, State Underground Storage Tank Regulations, manufacturers’ guidelines). Where such regulations or guidelines conflict, the more stringent requirement shall apply.

§ Contractor shall secure a UST installation permit through Fire Prevention prior to the start of excavation. * Securing a permit requires the Contractor to submit documentation verifying that they shall possess a current State License (A, B, C-36, C-61/D-40),

·        Current ICC UST Certification

·        Workmen’s Compensation Insurance

·        City business license. In addition, all associated fees must be paid.

§ Contractor shall secure all associated permits as required prior to the start of excavation § Plumbing/Mechanical/Electrical– contact Public works @ 760-587-4320

§ Hazard Materials and Temp Fuel Tanks – contact Fire Prevention at 760-351-9110

§ Air Resources (Phase I & II Vapor Recovery) contact Imperial County Air pollution board at 442-265-1800

1. Contractor shall submit construction plans to Fire Prevention for review prior to the start of excavation. Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that conditions on site provide for workplace safety, protection of the environment, and maintenance and integrity of nearby structures. Under no circumstances shall any regulated material be placed into the UST system without prior approval from Fire Prevention.

2. Contractor shall install and test the UST system in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendation and guidelines.

3.  Contractors shall be responsible for scheduling any and all associated inspections. * Fire Prevention shall withhold approval to operate UST system until verification has been received indicating satisfactory completion of all associated inspections.

 Required Submittals

Prior to Undertaking a Plan Review:

 § Completed permit application shall be on file with Fire Prevention

1) Three (3) complete sets of construction plans shall be on file with Fire Prevention* Per Health and Safety Code Section 25290.2(e)(3) UST systems must be designed and constructed with continuous monitoring system (VPH: vapor-pressure-hydrostatic) capable of

2) Detecting migration of liquid from primary containment into secondary containment and/or

 3) Detecting water intrusion into secondary containment.

•  Prior to Undertaking Final Inspection:

• UPCF Underground Storage Tanks – Facility Form UPCF Underground Storage Tanks – Response Plan

• UPCF Underground Storage Tanks – Monitoring Plan

• UPCF Underground Storage Tanks – Installation Certificate of Compliance (one form per tank)

• Completed Underground Storage Tank Certification of Financial Responsibility Form (along with any required attachments)

• New or revised Hazardous Materials Business Plan, all documents shall be submitted to the Fire Prevention Department, Public Works Department and Building Department

• On site Inspection Criteria All activities below must be witnessed by a representative from Fire Prevention. A minimum of 72- hour advanced notification is required.

• Tank holiday test (for fiberglass-coated steel tanks) performed prior to installation

• Tank soap test performed prior to install (5 psig for 30 minutes or manufacturer’s requirement)

• Verification of tank set and anchorage in excavation

• Primary tank pressure test after placement in excavation (5 psig for 30 minutes or manufacturer’s requirement)

• Secondary tank pressure test after placement in excavation (5 psig for 30 minutes or manufacturer’s requirement

• Visual inspection of vent, vapor recovery and product lines (piping) to ensure proper slope

• Visual inspection of piping to ensure secondary containment extends to finished grade

• Primary piping pressure test (75 psig for 60 minutes or manufacturer’s requirement)

• Secondary pipe and vent pressure test (5 psig for 30 minutes or manufacturer’s requirement)

• Vapor recovery piping pressure test (5 psig for 30 minutes or manufacturer’s requirement)

• Secondary containment lake tests (highest penetration for 24 hours)

• System tested using ELD or other SWRCB approved method (documentation required before final inspection performed)

• Complete functional test of tank and piping monitoring system

• Complete functional test of dispenser emergency electrical shut-off 

It is the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure that each requirement set forth in this document is satisfied. Failure to adhere to any of these conditions in a manner which prevents compliance with 2008 California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 23; 2010 California Fire Code (CFC); and 2010 California Building Code (CBC) can result in permit revocation, the issuance of administrative citations, or both.

Tank Removal

Permit Application

 § The owner of a UST system, through their contractor, must obtain a permit through Fire Prevention prior to undertaking removal of any UST system. An approved permit is valid for 180 days from date of issuance. All laws, regulation and Department policies in effect at the time of the UST system removal must be adhered to.

§ In addition to a completed permit, the owner’s contractor shall submit the following documents for review and approval:

· Site-specific safety plan

· Plot plan/site plan showing:

1.      Tank(s) size, associated piping, contents and locations

2.      Distance to fire hydrants or other fire protection equipment

3.      Identify other buildings, structures and utilities within 300 feet showing distance to each

Contractor Requirements

§ UST system having a capacity of greater than 550 gallons must be removed by a State licensed contractor as specified in State LG 48 letter. At the discretion of the Inspector, UST systems having a capacity of less than 550 gallons may be removed by the owner(s) without the aid of a contractor.

 Excavation and Site Safeguards

§ The contractor of record shall be responsible for ensuring CBC Chapter 33 guidelines (“Safeguards During Construction”) are adhered to for the duration of the project. Site conditions providing grounds for the immediate permit revocation or issuance of administrative citations include unsafe or neglected excavations such that adjoining property or passersby are put in peril, unauthorized release of contaminated media – including associated groundwater – into the surrounding environment, as well as uncontrolled dispersal of construction debris and associated trash.

Equipment Use/Worker Safety

§ A safety and maintenance check of all equipment shall be conducted and documented just prior to the start of work. All cables or chokers, grounding equipment, lifting machinery, etc. shall be of sufficient grade or rating to handle the weights and conditions at the tank site. Employers and workers at the site shall comply with all Cal OSHA and Federal OSHA requirements including personal protection, safety, training and safety planning rules. The inspector will not permit removal activities that pose imminent hazard to the public or site personnel.

 Required On-site Safety Precautions

• Smoking and use of open flames shall be prohibited within 50 feet of the UST system

• Tools used during removal process shall be on non-sparking materials

• Use of chains to pull the tank will not be allowed. Chokers or wire cables shall be used

• A minimum of two (2) State Fire Marshal approved 2A:40BC rated fire extinguishers shall be on-site with certification of service within the previous 12 months attached.

• The UST system excavation area shall be barricaded, fenced, or both to prohibit access by unauthorized persons

• Prior to removal of a UST system, the applicant shall be responsible to provide a properly trained and qualified individual to use an intrinsically safe, UL listed approved flammable vapor indicator to test for flammable vapors (LEL) present within the excavation area and within the tank. The LEL within the tank shall be below 10% prior to removing the tank from the excavation pit. Scheduling Removal

• After the plan has been approved, the owner or contractor shall arrange a time with Fire Prevention Division to witness removal of the UST system. Please provide 72-hour notice for an appointment. The tank shall be excavated, isolated, cleaned, purged (but not inert) and ready to pull prior to the Inspector arrival. Removal of the UST system shall be witnessed by the Inspector

Tank Cleaning

• The contents of the UST system should be completely evacuated prior to removal. This process shall include washing the tank with an appropriate solvent to dissolve or float any residual material. A hot water soap mixture shall be used to clean fuel tanks. A minimum of one percent (1%) of the tank capacity shall be used to back flush product piping into the tank and another two percent (2%) shall be sprayed into the tank to clean all surfaces using a high-pressure multi-directional nozzle.

• All excess generated as a result of tank cleaning shall be handled, transported and disposed of as a regulated hazardous waste. A State Health Services registered hauler shall be used for transport, and corresponding waste manifests shall be included as attachments in the closure report.

Tank Inerting

• Tanks containing residual flammable/combustible vapors or having contained flammable/combustible liquids must be inerted/evacuated and monitored in one of the following ways:

1.      Dry Ice Method: for each 100 gallons of tank capacity, two pounds of dry ice shall be placed in the tank through the fill opening. All tank openings shall be capped or plugged; one opening shall remain and have a maximum of ¼ and minimum of 1/8 inch opening for pressure equalization.

2.      Carbon Dioxide (CO2) or Nitrogen (N2) Method: One cubic foot CO2 or N2 per gallon of tank capacity. Triple grounding shall be used with compressed cylinders. It will be the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that the cylinder hose fits into a non-conductive plug which screws into the tank. Hoses will not be allowed to dangle into the tank. Contaminated Soils Handling

3.      All excavated soils contaminated with hazardous materials must be stockpiled on-site in a secure, contained and covered fashion to prevent public access and release of the contaminant to the environment. The owner of record will be held responsible for any and all contaminated soil releases.

4.      Contaminated soils shall be segregated from clean soils and sampled within 24 hours of excavation by a representative of a State Health Services certified hazardous waste laboratory or a State licensed geologist, hydrologist, or qualified engineer (or other licensed professional), who will transport the sample under chain of custody to a certified lab following EPA SW846 protocol.

Piping:

• All piping must be uncovered but remain in place until the inspector approves its removal of all Verification Sampling of Associated Soil/Groundwater

• All soil samples shall be collected and preserved in accordance with EPA Method 5035 protocols. All groundwater samples shall be collected and preserved in accordance with EPA SW 846 protocols.

• Piping and dispensers – minimum of one sample per every 20 feet of piping and one sample below each dispenser. Analytical Methods

• Soil and groundwater samples shall be analyzed in accordance with Ventura County LUFT Guidance Manual (April 2001)

Collection of samples shall be undertaken as follows:

• Sites with no apparent contamination and no holes in tanks/pipes – a minimum of two samples per tank from the bottom of the excavation, or at the discretion of the Inspector.

• Sites with no apparent contamination but having holes in tanks/pipes – sampled (number/location) at the discretion of the Inspector

• Sites with contaminated soil/groundwater – sampled (number/location) at the discretion of the Inspector  

Gasoline

• TPH as gasoline; BTEX; fuel oxygenates: MTBE, DIPE, ETBE, TAME, TBA, methanol, and ethanol; and total lead

• Diesel – TPH as diesel; BTEX; fuel oxygenates: MTBE, DIPE, ETBE, TAME, TBA, methanol, and ethanol

• Waste oil - TPH as waste oil; BTEX; fuel oxygenates: MTBE, DIPE, ETBE, TAME, TBA, methanol, and ethanol; volatile and semi-volatile organic compound 

Release Notification

• In accordance with CCR Title 23, Section 2652(c), tank owner or operator shall submit an unauthorized report to Fire Prevention within five working days of receiving analytical confirmation of subsurface contamination. Site Assessment/Mitigation

• Tank sites that have environmental contamination will be referred to the Leaking Underground Fuel Tank (LUFT) program of Ventura County Environmental Health Department (Tel: 805/662-6511) Tank Recycling/Disposal

• Cleaned tanks shall be removed from the site immediately to a facility zoned for this activity and is in compliance with local Fire Prevention codes for recycling or disposal.

If you have any questions, please call the City of Brawley Fire Department Fire Prevention Division at (760) 351-9110, To request this brochure in an alternative format, please call 760-351-9110. The City of Brawley prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs, services and or activities.