State falling behind on storage tank inspections

By Frank Cho
Advertiser Staff Writer

Inspectors have found that a third of underground storage tank facilities inspected over the past two years were in violation of state environmental regulations, resulting in nearly $85,000 in fines for tank owners.

Since May 2000, when new state rules took effect, health officials have inspected 318 sites statewide. Of those, 110 citations have been issued to tank owners and operators for violations ranging from poor recordkeeping to petroleum contamination of areas around the tanks, according to state inspection records.

But with 1,101 regulated sites housing 2,134 underground tanks statewide, understaffed inspection teams are struggling to finish reviewing the remaining 783 sites by 2004.

"It is, and has been, a large problem. I don't know if we can sustain the level of inspections with our current staffing shortages," said Gary Gill, state deputy health director for the environment.

Both state and federal agencies have been trying to get owners to upgrade their tanks and incorporate other safety procedures because leaking underground storage tanks can contaminate soil and ground water, experts said.

The state, along with several oil companies and large landowners around Honolulu Harbor, are already working to clean up years of petroleum contamination along the waterfront from leaking pipelines and storage tanks. That job is expected to cost millions of dollars and could take a decade or more, according to state health officials.

In the 318 underground storage tank sites inspected so far, fines against gas stations, industrial sites and other businesses have varied by violation but typically have ranged from $150 to $10,500, according to Health Department reports. Although some of the largest fines were later reduced, most fines remained intact.

"The industry is getting the word quite clearly that we are serious about these (state) rules. I anticipate we will be finding fewer violations in the future," Gill said.

The state fines come despite the upgrading of nearly all underground storage tanks in the late 1990s to meet a December 1998 federal deadline to install equipment to prevent petroleum spills.

The federal program required owners to install overfill prevention, tank corrosion protection and spill prevention systems. About 97 percent of the underground storage tanks in Hawai'i have met the federal standards.

"We had to be as strict or more stringent than the federal regulations," said Greg Olmsted, supervisor for the state's underground storage tank inspection program.

Of the 2,079 confirmed releases of petroleum from underground storage tank systems, 25 percent still are in the process of being cleaned up, according to Health Department figures. Another 134 sites are still waiting to be cleaned up.

Olmsted said the state has submitted its storage tank regulations and inspection program for federal review and is awaiting approval by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. If approved, the state's more comprehensive tank inspection program would replace the federal guidelines and be used by inspectors.

Some problems found by Olmsted and his inspectors that have led to fines include owners not keeping records of leaks or repairs to their tank systems. Inspectors also found a number of facilities with inadequate or no insurance to cover the cost of petroleum leaks or other damage.

The biggest state fine so far has been $10,500 against Center Petroleum in September 2000 for an equipment failure involving a Nawiliwili, Kaua'i, gas station tank. The fine was eventually reduced during negotiations to $4,500.

Roger Cable, manager for Center Petroleum on Kaua'i, said a pipe had deteriorated and there was not a problem with an underground storage tank. Cable said his company has facilities throughout Kaua'i and they are inspected on a regular basis.

Cable said industry compliance with the federal and state regulations has been lengthy.

"There was a long period of time where you could get into compliance. During that period, the regulations were not enforced so people didn't abide by them," said Cable. "There was a 10-year period the government allowed, so everyone waited until the 10 years were up, and then they scrambled to comply. And there were some that didn't even try to comply."

On the inspection side, the state program is supposed to have four inspectors on staff, according to Health Department officials. But two positions are vacant and a state hiring freeze to help balance the state budget has prevented the department from filling the positions.

Gill said the staffing positions that remain open are paid for through federal grants and he is seeking an exemption from the hiring freeze.

Meanwhile, former underground storage tank inspectors promoted to other department jobs or who transferred to other sections are being temporarily reassigned to help with the inspections until new inspectors can be hired.

"It's (a) frustrating system," Gill said. "This is doing more with less."

Reach Frank Cho at 525-8088, or at fcho@honoluluadvertiser.com.