Maintaining Underground Fuel Storage Tanks

There are over 17,500 active petroleum underground storage tanks statewide. The greatest potential threat from a leaking tank is contamination of groundwater, the source of drinking water for many Virginians. DEQ’s Underground Storage Tank (UST) Program works to prevent, monitor and clean up petroleum releases from storage tanks.

• Registration – Tank owners must register their regulated USTs with DEQ, including any changes in the way the tanks are owned, used or equipped. DEQ’s list of registered tanks is updated monthly. You can view UST registration data here.
• Inspections and Compliance – UST owners and operators are responsible for operating and maintaining their USTs to prevent releases and detect them quickly when they occur. DEQ conducts over 1,500 facility inspections each year to ensure that tank owners and operators are maintaining their USTs properly.
• Clean Up Activities –Tanks of all sizes, above and underground, can leak. Tank owners are required to report all releases to the appropriate regional DEQ office promptly so that staff can provide guidance. DEQ may have reimbursement funds available to assist with cleanup costs. Please visit the Clean up Activities page for more information. You can obtain petroleum release data in Excel format and as a tab-separated text file for use with spreadsheet or database programs.
• Annual UST Statistics Reporting – DEQ collects important UST data, such as facility compliance and release rates every year. The agency then releases the Annual UST Report to the public.

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Wayne Creed

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