SECTION 334.52. Underground Storage Tank System Repairs and Relining

(a) General requirements.

(1) Owners and operators shall ensure that any repair or relining of an underground storage tank (UST) system will prevent releases due to structural failure or corrosion for the remaining operational life of the system.

(2) Owners and operators shall ensure that any repair or relining is conducted by qualified personnel possessing the appropriate skills, experience, competence, and, if applicable, any required license or certification to complete the work in accordance with the provisions of this subsection.

(3) Any repairs or relining shall be properly conducted in accordance with a standard or code of practice developed by a nationally recognized association or independent testing laboratory, such as:

(A) National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 30, "Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code;"

(B) American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practice RP 2200, "Repairing Hazardous Liquid Pipelines;"

(C) API Recommended Practice RP 1631, "Interior Lining and Periodic Inspection of Underground Storage Tanks;"

(D) NFPA 326, "Standard for the Safeguarding of Tanks and Containers for Entry, Cleaning, or Repair;"

(E) National Leak Prevention Association Standard 631, Chapter A, "Entry, Cleaning, Interior Inspection, Repair, and Lining of Underground Storage Tanks;"

(F) Steel Tank Institute Recommended Practice R972, "Recommended Practice for the Addition of Supplemental Anodes to sti-P₃ Tanks;"

(G) NACE International Standard Practice SP 0285, "Corrosion Control of Underground Storage Tank Systems by Cathodic Protection;" or

(H) Fiberglass Tank and Pipe Institute Recommended Practice T-95-02, "Remanufacturing of Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Underground Storage Tanks."

(4) After completion of any repairs or relining of a UST system, the owner or operator shall obtain detailed written records of the repairs or relining from the person who performed the work.

(5) The requirements of this section shall not be applicable to routine and minor maintenance activities related to the tank and piping systems, such as tightening loose fittings and joints, adjusting and calibrating equipment, and conducting routine inspections and tests. Tank and piping systems may be placed back into operation immediately after the satisfactory completion of such minor maintenance activities.

(6) If any release of regulated substances is discovered or suspected during the UST system repair or relining activity, the owner or operator shall comply with the applicable release reporting, investigation, and corrective action requirements in Subchapter D of this chapter (relating to Release Reporting and Corrective Action).

(7) The performance of any repairs or relining of an existing UST shall not relieve the owner or operator from timely compliance with the technical standards for such tanks, as required in §334.47 of this title (relating to Technical Standards for Existing Underground Storage Tank Systems).

(b) Tank repairs and relining.

(1) The provisions of this subsection shall be applicable to the in-place repairs or relining of existing tanks. Tanks that are removed from the ground prior to repair or relining shall be considered used tanks and shall be brought into compliance with all provisions of §334.53 of this title (relating to Reuse of Used Tanks) prior to being placed back in operation.

(2) A previously used tank may be repaired or relined and placed back in operation, provided that the repair or relining is conducted in accordance with the provisions of this subsection and in a manner that will prevent releases of regulated substances due to structural failure or corrosion for the remaining operational life of the tank.

(3) Repairs or relining of fiberglass-reinforced plastic tanks shall be made only by either:

(A) an authorized representative of the tank manufacturer; or

(B) any other person possessing the requisite experience and qualifications to perform the repairs, provided that such repairs shall be performed in accordance with a standard or code of practice developed by a nationally recognized association or independent testing laboratory.

(4) Additional requirements for relining.

(A) Interior lining material(s) used in the repair or reconditioning of a UST shall be compatible with the stored regulated substance, and shall be applied to a minimum thickness of 100 mils.

(B) The entire lining process, including the tank preparation, lining application, inspection, and testing shall be in accordance with a standard or code of practice developed by a nationally recognized association or independent testing laboratory, such as:

(i) API Recommended Practice 1631, "Interior Lining and Periodic Inspection of Underground Storage Tanks;"

(ii) National Leak Prevention Association Standard 631, Chapter B "Future Internal Inspection Requirements for Lined Tanks;" or

(iii) Ken Wilcox Associates Recommended Practice, "Recommended Practice for Inspecting Buried Lined Steel Tanks Using a Video Camera."

(C) Within 10 years after lining, and every five years thereafter, the lined tank shall be internally inspected and determined to be structurally sound with the lining still performing in accordance with original design specifications. If the internal lining is no longer performing in accordance with original design specifications and cannot be repaired in accordance with a code of practice developed by a nationally recognized association or independent testing laboratory, then the lined tank must be permanently removed from service in accordance with §334.55 of this title (relating to Permanent Removal from Service).

(5) Prior to placing the tank back into operation, any repaired or relined tank shall be either:

(A) tested by means of a tank tightness test meeting the requirements in §334.50(d)(1)(A) of this title (relating to Release Detection);

(B) internally inspected and assessed in accordance with the requirements in §334.47(b)(1)(A)(iv) of this title; or

(C) tested or assessed by any other method that has been reviewed and determined by the agency to be no less protective of human health and safety and the environment than the standards described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph, in accordance with the procedures in §334.43 of this title (relating to Variances and Alternative Procedures).

(6) Not later than December 22, 1998, the entire UST system shall be equipped with a cathodic protection system. Such system shall be designed by a qualified corrosion specialist and shall be operated and maintained in accordance with the applicable cathodic protection requirements of §334.49(c) of this title (relating to Corrosion Protection).

(c) Piping repairs and maintenance.

(1) When a release of a regulated substance has occurred as a result of holes, damage, or corrosion in the piping, valves, or fittings, the repair of the affected piping, valves, or fittings shall not be allowed. Any damaged, corroded, or defective piping sections, valves, or fittings shall be replaced with materials or components meeting the applicable requirements for new piping systems in §334.45(c) of this title (relating to Technical Standards for New Underground Storage Tank Systems).

(2) The installation or reinstallation of previously used piping, valves, or fittings in any UST system is specifically prohibited, regardless of the source or previous use of such previously used components.

(3) Prior to placing the piping system back into operation, any repaired piping system shall be tested by means of a piping tightness test meeting the requirements of §334.50(b)(2)(A)(ii)(I) of this title.

(4) If a repaired metal piping system has not already been equipped with an acceptable cathodic protection system, then the following minimum requirements shall be met prior to placing the piping system back in operation.

(A) The repaired piping sections and fittings shall be thoroughly coated with a suitable dielectric coating and shall be electrically isolated from the remaining piping system by dielectric fittings.

(B) The repaired piping sections and fittings shall be retrofitted with a field-installed cathodic protection system. Such cathodic protection system shall be designed by a qualified corrosion specialist and shall be operated and maintained in accordance with the applicable cathodic protection requirements in §334.49(c) of this title. The remaining portion of the piping system shall be brought into compliance with the minimum upgrading requirements for existing UST systems in accordance with the procedures and schedules in §334.47 of this title.

(d) Other tank system repairs and ancillary equipment repairs.

(1) Repairs to secondary containment areas of tanks and piping used for interstitial monitoring and to containment sumps used for interstitial monitoring of piping must have the secondary containment tested for tightness according to the manufacturer's instructions, a code of practice developed by a nationally recognized association, or independent testing laboratory within 30 days following the date of completion of the repair. All other repairs to tanks and piping must be tightness tested in accordance with §334.50(b)(2)(A)(ii)(I) and (d)(1)(A) of this title within 30 days following the date of completion of the repair.

(2) Within 30 days following any repair to spill or overfill prevention equipment, the repaired spill or overfill prevention equipment must be tested or inspected, as appropriate, in accordance with §334.48(g) of this title (relating to General Operating and Management Requirements) to ensure it is operating properly.

(e) Records for repairs and relining.

(1) Owners and operators shall maintain the repair and relining records required in this subsection in accordance with the requirements in §334.10(b) of this title (relating to Reporting and Recordkeeping).

(2) Owners and operators shall maintain records adequate to demonstrate compliance with the applicable repairs and relining requirements in this section, and in accordance with the following minimum requirements.

(A) General information related to the repairs or relining shall be maintained for the remaining operational life of the UST system, including:

(i) date and description of the repairs or relining;

(ii) names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the persons who conducted the repairs or relining; and

(iii) copies of all related construction notification, registration, and certification documents filed with the agency.

(B) Results of all inspections, tests, and maintenance activities required in this section shall be maintained for at least five years.

(C) Materials specifications, warranty information, recommended test procedures, and inspection and maintenance schedules applicable to the relining of any tank shall be maintained for the remaining operational life of the UST system.

Source Note: The provisions of this §334.52 adopted to be effective September 29, 1989, 14 TexReg 4714; amended to be effective November 23, 2000, 25 TexReg 11442; amended to be effective May 31, 2018, 43 TexReg 3390