Storage tanks….what are they?

Everyone has seen them, just a piece of infrastructure that fades into the background of our day-to-day life. They are found at gas stations, factories, city buildings, even peoples homes.

Storage tanks are not just for pumping out fuel, but also for collecting waste fuel and oil. The storage tanks at Garrison Petawawa hold everything from diesel and aviation fuel to waste oil and glycol. They range in size from 250 L to over 600,000!

The federal Storage Tank Systems for Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum Products Regulations (SOR, 2008-197), dictate to the uses technical standards for the design and installation of storage tank systems.

They include requirements for operation, maintenance, removal, reporting and record-keeping.

How does Environment Services fit into this?

These regulations stem from the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999). As advisors on federal environmental legislation, Environment Services ensures the owners and operators of the tanks, in this case DND, stay in compliance with the regulations through the installation and operation, all the way to the decommissioning and removal.

This past week Environment Services began their annual storage tanks compliance inspection, with site visits to approximately 20% of the tanks on base. The inspection will review all legal compliance, for example, the Environment Canada identification number is visible, or the Emergency Response Plan is available. This year the inspection will also incorporate everyday user issues, for example is the tank in good condition, or is there a spill kit on site.

Environment Canada can choose to inspect our site at any time and should any non-compliances be found, DND can face warnings, fines or even jail. The annual inspection conducted by Environment Services allows us to find any gaps, and allow the infrastructure maintainers and/or the user to make the necessary corrections.