Section 29.2115. Operations and maintenance of corrosion protection.

Section 280.31 is amended to read as follows:

Section 280.31. All owners and operators of steel UST systems with corrosion protection must comply with the following requirements to ensure that releases due to corrosion are prevented for as long as the UST system is used to store regulated substances:

(a)     All corrosion protection systems must be operated and maintained to continuously provide corrosion protection to the metal components of  that portion of the tank and piping that routinely contain regulated substances and are in contact with the ground.

(b)     All UST systems equipped with  cathodic   protection  systems  shall  be inspected for proper operation by a qualified cathodic protection tester in accordance with the following requirements:

(1)   Frequency. All cathodic  protection  systems  shall  be  tested  upon completion of underground piping and tank installation and backfilling, but before placement of any permanent or hard surface over the UST system. Testing shall be done within 6  months

of  installation  regardless  of  the surface over the UST system.  Testing shall also be conducted every  3  years after the initial testing.

(2)    Inspection criteria. The criteria that are used to determine that cathodic protection is performing adequately shall be specified by the corrosion engineer who designs the system. If the corrosion engineer does not specify criteria, then the criteria shall be as specified in NACE international recommended practice RP-02-85-94.

(c)   UST systems with impressed current cathodic protection systems must also be inspected every 60 days to ensure the equipment is running properly.

(d)    For UST systems using cathodic protection, records of the operation of the cathodic protection must be maintained (in accordance with section 280.34) to demonstrate compliance with  the  performance standards in this section.

These records must provide the following:

(1)   The results of the last 3 inspections required in paragraph (c) of this section; and

(2)   The results of testing  from  the  last  2  inspections  required  in paragraph (b) of this section.

(e)   For galvanic anode systems equipped with an approved buried copper- copper sulfate reference electrode that can be read at a  surface  test station, the inspection may be made using a test measurement device designed for tank owners/operators not meeting the  cathodic   protection  tester definition.  The owner/operator shall be trained in the testing procedure and shall be familiar with the testing specifications of the galvanic anode system.  Tests   shall  be  made  in   accordance  with   the  requirements of subsection (b) of this section.

(f)  Cathodic protection testing is not required for the following:

(1)    A composite tank which meets the requirements of section 280.20(a)(3) and which is equipped with galvanic anodes installed by the tank manufacturer. The tank shall be installed and tested in  accordance  with section 280.20(d)(6).

(2)   A 360-degree double-wall steel tank equipped with galvanic anodes. Interstitial monitoring of the tank shall be conducted in accordance with section 280.42(b)(1),(2), and (4).

(g)   Another method determined by the department to be equally protective.

History: 1998-2000 AACS.