1. Can I complete a search for tanks on a property?
2. Do I have to hire an engineering firm to do an environmental assessment?
3. Do my tanks need to be registered?
4. Does the PTMAA certification of contractors cover environmental assessment and cleanups?
5. How do I know when my tank is leaking?
6. If I find I have a leaking tank, who do I call to report it?
7. If I have a leaking tank, how much do I have to clean up?
8. If my tanks meet the Fire Code is there more to do?
9. Is an engineer required?
10. Is there a fund to cleanup contaminated sites?
11. Must I hire a consultant to assess my property if I plan to sell?
12. What are the CPPI color symbols?
13. What do I need to do when planning a new tank installation?
14. What is involved in doing monthly fuel inventory?
15. What kind of secondary containment is required?
16. What kind of tanks are approved by the Alberta Fire Code?
17. Where can I obtain a copy of the Alberta Fire Code?
18. Who Can Install Tanks?
19. Will the government help me understand my contaminated site engineering report?
1. Can I complete a search for tanks on a property?
Searches for tanks at an address can be performed. To request a search please fax or email the complete address (including municipal, legal land description and lot/block/plan) to our office. If tanks are located at the address you requested we will provide you copies of the site/tank detail, tank closure report and site digram if they are avaialble. Searches cost $20.00 + GST per address. An additional $10.00 + GST is charged per report provided.
2. Do I have to hire an engineering firm to do an environmental assessment?”
It is not a requirement that property owners hire an engineer or geologist to complete environmental work, but you want the people doing the work to have the necessary training and experience to make sound, cost-effective recommendation. Some general tank contractors will offer basic services like soil sampling and excavation work, but may not have the necessary experience to evaluate and deal with extensive or complex contamination problems. When you hire a contractor or an environmental consultant, you may wish to have them provide you with information on the training and experience of the personnel doing the work. Many firms will be willing to provide you with a detailed proposal prior to being hired. This proposal should also provide you with an expected cost breakdown for the work. After the work is completed, a detailed report comparing the clean-up results to provincial standards should be prepared. This is an important document as the report may be requested by a number of potential audiences such as regulators, purchasers and lending institutions.
3. Do my tanks need to be registered?
Once the tanks are ready for commissioning they must be registered. The Fire Code requires that all underground storage tanks be registered and that aboveground storage tanks 2500 liters or greater capacity be registered. The registration application must be sent to the PTMAA office. A registration fee must be remitted before a certificate is provided. The annual fee is $50.00 per tank (or compartment) with an expiration date of August 31st of each year. Part-year registration fees are pro-rated to the August expiration. Tanks which are not registered cannot be used, filled or product removed from (in the case of used oil). Tanks used for agricultural purposes do not fall under the Alberta Fire Code so do not require registration. Tanks on federal lands including reserves, parks, etc., must register with the Federal Government and are also not governed by the Alberta Fire Code.
4. Does the PTMAA certification of contractors cover environmental assessment and cleanups?
No, it does not. Individuals are approved under the Alberta Fire Code to remove storage tanks. This approval covers the safe removal and disposal of the tanks and piping only. This approval process does not evaluate their competency as environmental professionals. A list of environmental consulting companies who do this type of work is available by clicking here.
5. How do I know when my tank is leaking?
There are a number of ways to tell if a tank develops a leak. Dipping the tank and reconciling inventory on a daily basis may identify a loss of product. Water in the tank may also indicate a leak. Checking for the presence and increase of water in the tank may be done with special paste on the dip stick. A precision tank test can also identify a leak. If the tank has a leak detection device, like a groundwater monitoring well, routine monthly checking may identify petroleum product or high levels of vapor collecting in the well due to a leak. Product delivery hesitation to a suction pump may be an indication of a line leak. Much more serious indications of a leak would be the presence of petroleum products or high vapor levels in water wells, utility lines, sewer lines or basements.
6. If I find I have a leaking tank, who do I call to report it?
You are required by regulation to make two calls. The Alberta Fire Code and the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act require the owner or operator to report a known leak to the Fire Department and Alberta Environment, respectively. A report should be made to your local Fire Department who can deal with any potential emergencies or fire hazard created by the leak or spill. A report must also be made to Alberta Environment through the toll free number at 1-800-222-6514. The fire or environmental officials may require an investigation at that time to determine if a public safety or environmental concern exists.
7. If I have a leaking tank, how much do I have to clean up?
Alberta Environment has made available to tank owners and the public, a set of guidelines called “ Alberta Tier 1 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines“. The guidelines include standards for specific contaminants and recommend procedures for conducting investigations as well as site clean-up. Consultants and contractors should follow these procedures to ensure consistency in cleaning up contaminated sites. These guidelines present the proponent with a number of levels of remediation which vary depending on the degree of risk presented by the contaminants for a particular site. This flexible approach ensures that if clean-up is necessary, it can be done in a cost effective way and meets levels which protect the public and the environment. In some cases, lending institutions may require that remediation meet a more stringent standard.
8. If my tanks meet the Fire Code is there more to do?
Essentially, tanks may be used until they leak. This places high responsibility on tank operators to maintain equipment and leak detection. Inventory control procedures must be properly carried out and used as a tool to recognize losses as soon as they occur. Groundwater monitoring wells are also vital to early release detection. Wells should be checked at least once a month to see if petroleum is on the surface of the water bailed from the well. Your facility may be equipped with minimal requirements of the Alberta Fire Code so tank operators must be very disciplined with leak detection activities.
9. Is an engineer required?
The Code requires that plans, drawings and specifications of storage tank systems be examined by the authority having jurisdiction prior to installation. The plans must bear the stamp and seal of a professional engineer licensed to practice in Alberta. As an authority having jurisdiction, the PTMAA requires three sets of engineered drawings to be submitted to the PTMAA office for installation of underground and aboveground tanks in their jurisdiction. Owners are advised to call the authority having jurisdiction prior to preparing construction plans. For a list of engineering firms that provide site design services in Alberta, click here.
10. Is there a fund to cleanup contaminated sites
Yes. See “Cleanup Program” for more information.
11. Must I hrie a consultant to assess my property if I plan to sell?
No, there is no requirement for an environmental assessment on a property because the property is being sold. Banks or prospective buyers usually require that environmental assessments are done prior to a property sale. Potential buyers and banks often wish to determine if there is contamination present as a result of past operation, which they may assume responsibility for as the new owner. If factual evidence on the condition of the site does not exist, the buyer may require an assessment to demonstrate that environmental and public protection concerns do not exist.
12. What are the CPPI color symbols?
You can find information on CPPI Color Symbols from the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute website located here.
13. What do I need to do when planning a new tank installation?
If an underground or aboveground tank is to be installed, construction plans must be submitted to the Authority Having Jurisdiction. Knowing who to submit plans to is not always obvious. In most of the cities of Alberta the authority is the Fire Marshal of the municipality. Many other jurisdictions also employ Safety Codes Officers with the powers to review plans. In municipalities which are not Accredited under the Fire Discipline, plans for new construction must be approved by the PTMAA. The PTMAA may also review plans of Accredited Municipalities if the two enter into a contract for that particular project. A list of municipalities where responsibility is the PTMAA’s is available by clicking here. Construction must not commence without evidence the installation plans have been examined for compliance to the Fire Code by the responsible authority.
14. What is involved in doing monthly fuel inventory?
Inventory control involves taking measurements of tank contents and recording the amount of product pumped each operating day, measuring and recording tank deliveries, and reconciling all this data at least once a month. Water measurements should be taken at each gauging by placing a water detecting paste on your gauge stick. Water measurements should be recorded to the nearest cm on your reconciliation records. Monthly variances on any overages/shortages must be calculated. Monthly variances of .5% or greater over several consecutive months could be a sign of a leaking tank. As a requirement of the Alberta Fire Code your inventory records must track 5 consecutive or 18 days of losses in a month. Inventory records should be kept on file for at least 2 years and be made available for review by an inspector during his visit to your site. An Inventory Management Spreadsheet is available for download and use at your facility: Fuel Inventory Management. If you need assistance getting started with this application call the PTMAA office at 1-866-222-8265.
15. What kind of secondary containment is required?
All aboveground storage tanks require secondary containment to contain accidental spillage. There are two ways of attaining secondary containment on aboveground storage tanks. Single wall tanks are placed in a conventional dike system to contain accidental spillage where the walls and base are made of non-combustible aterial providing a permeability of not more than 10-6 cm/sec. The capacity of the secondary containment area is important. If there is only one tank the dike must be capable of containing 110% of the capacity of the tank. If there is more than one tank the volumetric capacity of the dike must be the capacity of the largest tank plus 10% of the capacity of the largest tank or 10% of the aggregate of the remaining tanks, whichever is greater. Dike walls must be no less than 1.5 meters from any tank shell. The second type of aboveground tank secondary containment is of the double walled variety or contained tank assembly. Some tanks which are listed in Article 4.3.1.2 of the Fire Code are permitted without a conventional dike system. Aboveground storage tanks raised off the ground more than 300 mm must have support which has a fire-resistance rating of not less than 2 hours. An example of a product that provides such resistance is concrete.
16. What kind of tanks are approved by the Alberta Fire Code?
Storage tanks governed by the Alberta Fire Code must be constructed to an Underwriters Laboratory of Canada (ULC) standard. One exception to ULC is use of an API 650 welded tank for oil storage. A list of all appropriate tank standards is available in Article 4.3.1.2 of the Fire Code. Underground tanks can be constructed of steel, fiberglass reinforced plastic or a combination of the two. Aboveground tanks containing flammable or combustible liquids must be constructed of steel.
17. Where can I obtain a copy of the Alberta Fire Code?
The Fire Code is the “rule book” for many storage tanks containing flammable or combustible liquids in Alberta. This Regulation lists a number of tank uses which are not included in its scope. Among the exclusions are tanks used exclusively for agricultural purposes, tanks that form an integral part of a manufacturing process, and tanks used in the “upstream” oil or natural gas industries for exploration, production or transmission. Part 4 of the Code contains the specific requirements for the storage of flammable and combustible liquids. Readers should acquire a copy of the Alberta Fire Code (2006) from: Learning Resources Centre 12360 – 142 Street Edmonton, AB T5L 4X9 Tel:(780) 427-5775 Fax: (780) 422-9750 Or: Order online here (Product #683179)
18. Who can install tanks?
The Fire Code requires that only individuals approved by the Administrator are permitted to install, remove, repair or conduct precision tests of storage tank systems. The delegation agreement with Alberta Municipal Affairs gives the PTMAA responsibility for the approval of individuals to install, remove and test tanks. To install an underground or aboveground tank or piping individuals must be certified with a PM2 / PM3 license from the Canadian Petroleum Contractors Association (CPCA). See the list of companies who employ approved individuals by selecting either installers or removers.
19. Will the government help me understand my contaminated site engineering report?
Guidance is available at each stage of the investigation and remediation process. Alberta Environment will review technical reports and provide written comments on assessment reports, remedial plans and reports of remedial work submitted by the consultants or contractors hired by the property owners. Alberta Environment staff will meet with property owners if they believe that it is necessary for clarification. However, the responsibility for completing the work belongs to the property owner.