Aboveground Petroleum Storage

Owners/operators of aboveground petroleum storage tanks must obtain permit approval prior to installation, may be required to file a Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP), and may be required to implement a Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) plan according to the Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act (APSA) of 1990.

Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan (SPCC)

Owners/operators of facilities with aboveground storage capacity of 1,320 gallons or greater of petroleum-based liquid product (does not include liquid petroleum gas but does include gasoline, diesel fuel, waste oil) are required to develop and maintain a SPCC plan. Any facility currently without a SPCC plan are in violation and may be subject to fines and/or permit revocation.

A SPCC plan must be prepared in accordance with the oil pollution prevention guidelines in the Federal Code of Regulations (40 CFR, 112). This plan must include procedures, methods, and equipment at the facility to prevent discharges of petroleum from reaching navigable waters. Exceptions to this rule include farms, nurseries, logging and construction sites if these businesses have a total storage capacity of less than 100,000 gallons or if the individual storage tanks are less than 20,000 gallons.

There are three tiers of SPCC requirements for preparation.

Tier I

• Has 10,000 gallons or less aggregate above ground petroleum storage capacity.
• Any individual above ground petroleum storage container may be no greater than 5,000 gallons.
• Within any twelve-month period, three years prior to the Plan certification date, there has been:

• No single discharge of petroleum to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines exceeding 1,000 gallons; or
• No two discharges of petroleum to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines each exceeding 42 gallons.

Plan Requirements: May complete and self-certify plan template (Appendix G to 40 CFR part 112) in lieu of a full Professional Engineer certified Plan. May also prepare and SPCC plan according to Tier II.

Tier I Qualified Facility SPCC Plan Template (PDF: 118 kB)

Tier I Qualified Facility SPCC Plan Template (Word: 638 kB)

 Tier II

• Has 10,000 gallons or less aggregate above ground petroleum storage capacity.
• Has individual above ground petroleum storage container greater than 5,000 gallons.
• Must meet all other Tier I discharge conditions.

Plan Requirements: May prepare self-certified Plan in accordance with all applicable requirements of 40 CFR, §112.7, in lieu of a Professional Engineer certified plan. May also prepare an SPCC plan according to all other facilities' requirements.

Tier II Qualified Facility SPCC Plan Template (PDF: 1.37 MB)

 All Other Facilities

Has more than 10,000 gallons aggregate above ground petroleum storage capacity.

Plan Requirements: Must prepare a Professional Engineer certified Plan in accordance with all the applicable requirements of §112.7.