Section 285.122. Storage tanks

(a) Municipal waste storage tanks shall have sufficient shell strength to ensure that they do not collapse or rupture. Municipal waste may not be placed in a tank if the waste could cause the tank or its inner liner to rupture, leak, corrode or otherwise fail.

(b) A person or municipality that stores municipal waste in a tank shall inspect the tank during construction or installation for uniformity, damage and imperfections.

(c) If there is evidence of failure of a municipal waste storage tank, the tank shall be immediately removed from service. A tank may not be restored to service unless it has been repaired. The repairs shall be supervised by a registered professional engineer and certified, in writing, to the Department, unless otherwise approved by the Department.

(d) A person or municipality that maintains an uncovered municipal waste storage tank shall provide at least 2 feet of freeboard unless the tank is equipped with one of the following:

(1) A secondary containment system.

(2) An automatic feed cutoff system or an overflow warning system and an overflow device to a standby tank with a capacity equal to or exceeding the volume of the top 2 feet of the uncovered tank.

(e) Subsurface tanks used for liquid waste storage shall be hydrostatically tested annually and when there is evidence of a leak. Other methods of tank testing may be approved by the Department, in writing.

(f) A person or municipality that stores liquid municipal waste in aboveground tanks or partially aboveground tanks shall build and maintain a containment structure which is designed and located so that it is capable of holding a volume that does the following:

(1) Equals or exceeds the largest aboveground tank volume.

(2) Has reasonable allowance for precipitation based on local weather conditions.

(g) A person or municipality storing municipal waste in an enclosed tank utilizing a continuous or direct-feed mechanism shall maintain an automatic feed cutoff system or an overflow warning system.

Notation

Cross References

This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 273.275 (relating to leachate collection and storage); 25 Pa. Code § 277.275 (relating to leachate collection and storage); and 25 Pa. Code § 285.101 (relating to scope).