Purveyors of
fuel face
EPA deadline

Owners or operators have until
Dec. 22 to meet leak prevention
standards before they are shut down

By Rod Ohira
Star-Bulletin

About 60 percent of underground fuel tanks in Hawaii do not meet federal leak prevention standards, and have until Dec. 22 to comply before they are shut down, say federal and state investigators.

"Our purpose is to protect the public, not to force people out of business," said Norwood Scott, an investigator and Hawaii program manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"These people have had 10 years to comply to the federal regulations."

EPA investigators will begin ordering noncomplying owners nationwide to shut down their tanks on Dec. 23, Scott said.

Steven Chang, chief of the state Health Department's Solid and Hazard Waste Branch, estimates that about 750 of 1,850 local underground tanks are in compliance with new federal standards for corrosion protection, spill prevention and overfill requirements.

"Most of the tanks put in after 1988 are in compliance," Chang said. "Sixty to 65 percent of the tanks have the key element of corrosion protection.

"It's a one-day job to do the spill and overflow part, but they're running out of days."

Chang noted many of the older local tanks have not been upgraded since being installed during Hawaii's gasoline crisis in 1973.

The federal law, passed in 1988, gave owners until Dec. 22, 1998, to upgrade or replace tanks that were 10 years old to protect against leaks and spills.

Owners of uncorrected tanks can be fined up to $11,000 a day per tank and be responsible for all cleanup costs from leaks after Dec. 23, according to federal law.

EPA officials say leak prevention is critical because unseen leaks caused by corrosion, spills or overfills can pollute underground water supplies.

A hole the size of a pin can release 400 gallons of fuel in a year's time, enough to foul millions of gallons of fresh water, the EPA says.

There have been no major releases so far affecting Hawaii's drinking water supply, Chang says.

"We've had some reported releases of over 1,000 gallons where owners didn't realize tanks were leaking," Chang said. "Most of the releases have been above ground water. But it remains a threat."

Chang cites a case on Kauai that occurred several years ago as an example of the potential impact underground leaks can have.

"In six hours, 2,400 gallons of gasoline leaked into the ground and got into a stream that led to Kalapaki Beach," Chang said. "In a very short period of time, that leak presented a major threat to the environment."

Detection devices required under the federal standards would shut off the tank's system if there's a leak.

Owners are required to maintain and check the system regularly. Record keeping is a part of that activity.

Island Beltway Service, formerly known as Hamakua Texaco, and its affiliate, Hawaii Petroleum, were among four local businesses recently fined by the EPA for tank violations related to improper paperwork.

The total fine was $900, but Island Beltway Service owner Daniel Ball says his share was $150.

"Our tanks were upgraded in 1993, but we didn't have all the records ready," Ball said. "The EPA was fair and professional about the whole matter."

Other businesses fined during the first-quarter EPA inspections were Volcano Golf and Country Club at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park ($750), Silva's Nanakuli Shell Service ($450) and Pacific Diving Industries ($600).

The state has been aggressively inspecting about 400 underground tanks a year for the past three years, Chang said. Every quarter, the worst cases are referred to Scott for EPA inspection and action.

"Oil companies are very serious about (complying) and are going about putting in devices," Chang said. "Nonmarketers, those people who aren't in the business of providing gas, are usually the ones in violation."

The nonmarketers typically are small businesses with gas tanks to service their fleet vehicles, Chang said.