Forthcoming state and federal rules are expected to prevent problems with underground storage tanks like what happened last July in Gunnison, where about 20,000 gallons of gas leaked into the ground at a Top Stop station.

The first rule change will be talked about Thursday during a Utah Solid and Hazardous Waste board meeting to consider implementing a requirement of the federal 2005 Energy Policy Act. One goal is to provide additional measures to protect groundwater.

The board will consider a new state rule that may require all underground tanks installed after the new rule use a double-walled liner and that there be a monitor inside the tank to detect any leaks. Improved equipment may be required for any piping and dispensers connected to those tanks.

"This puts the focus on preventing product from getting out of tanks," said Therron Blatter of the state's Division of Environmental Response and Remediation. "The real key thing is, we're preventing leaks and not responding to and cleaning them up."

Blatter referred to Top Stop, which has used up a state allocation that allows an entity to access up to $1 million for cleanup that resulted from a leaky underground tank.

State environmental engineer Doug Hansen said Top Stop, as of April 2, had cleaned up 8,951 gallons of gas that leaked, resulting, so far, in two pending lawsuits against parent company Wind River Petroleum. Hansen said that within the next few weeks, a 30-day public comment period is expected to begin for what will be Top Stop's long-term corrective action plan.

As soon as this summer, another new rule coming from state regulators may include requiring underground tank users to engage in more stringent self-monitoring. While the state physically checks underground tanks annually, Blatter said individual tank owners may be required to inspect for leaks weekly instead of the current rule to do it monthly.

Tank owners, such as filling stations, may also be asked to revert back to an older method of comparing each day the total amount of gas sold against what's left in the tanks. With the high price of gas these days, Blatter said, "You think they would do it anyway."

The number of underground tanks in Utah rises each year, with between 10 and 20 new tanks installed throughout the state. Earlier this year, there were over 100 unresolved cases of underground tanks, most containing gasoline, that had leaked just in Salt Lake City, Utah Department of Environmental Quality records showed. Dozens more had leaked in other cities and across the state, there are some 5,000 underground storage tanks.

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