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  • How can I get help interpreting well sampling results?

    Residents requesting Columbiana County water well sample results or assistance interpreting results taken by AECOM or Stantec laboratories can email ( [email protected] ). Additionally, a toxicologist is available to answer questions at 800-222-1222. Columbiana County residents near East Palestine with drinking water wells can request sampling by calling 330-849-3919. Pennsylvania…

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  • Is the air monitoring equipment detecting chemicals of concern?

    Yes, the air monitoring and sampling equipment are capable of detecting many chemicals of concern in the community and currently detections are below levels of concern. Some of the monitoring equipment may not detect a portion of the chemicals at lower levels–specifically n-butyl acrylate. However, there are independent tools used…

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  • Is anybody sampling State Line Lake and the pond near the derailment site?

    Norfolk Southern collects daily samples from the surface water near the derailment site, north of the tracks. State Line Lake flows through a wetland area and into the surface water area where the samples are taken. The agencies are reviewing all surface water results and Norfolk’s proposed plan for characterizing…

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  • Underground Storage Tanks in SPCC Plans

    If a gas station that has less than 42,000 gallons completely buried oil storage capacity and no aboveground oil storage capacity installs a new aboveground tank with a capacity greater than 1,320 gallons, must the facility’s Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan address the underground storage tanks (USTs) in…

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  • Container capacity less than 55 gallons

    Do facilities need to consider containers that are less than 55 gallons for applicability under 40 CFR Part 112? No. The third column of page 47066 of the July 17, 2002 Preamble states that "You need only count containers of 55 gallons or greater in the calculation of the regulatory…

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  • Oil-filled equipment capacity

    When counting against the 1,320 aboveground storage capacity threshold, would operational storage of oil (such as in a hydraulic press) be used? Oil which is contained in equipment is required to be factored into the storage capacity for the facility even though the oil may be only used for ancillary…

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  • If your farm does not have fuel storage that will flow into US waters by a ditch, river, stream, or lake, do you have to prepare a SPCC Plan?

    No. EPA suggests you use a common sense approach. If one of your oil storage tanks leaks, and the spilled oil would not flow into navigable waters or adjoining shorelines, you do not have to prepare a Plan. Remember that you still have the responsibility to clean up any spilled…

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  • Ground water pathways related to reasonably expected to discharge

    The SPCC Rule applies to facilities that could reasonably be expected to discharge into navigable waters (40 CFR §112.2(a)). Does a facility need to consider ground water pathways when determining if a discharge of oil could reasonably be expected to reach navigable waters? Owners and operators should consider whether on-site…

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  • SPCC responsibility for tanks on leased property

    What if I leased some parcels, and there are tanks already present? Am I responsible for these tanks? You could be. If you plan to use these tanks, make sure in your lease agreement, it states who is responsible for these tanks. If the lease does not state who is…

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  • What is the status of the sampling data from Leslie Run and Sulphur Run?

    Sediment sampling in Leslie and Sulphur Run is complete. The data generated by this work are being evaluated and compared to human health and ecological risk threshold criteria. That will lead to a determination about whether additional actions will be required and what those actions should be.

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  • Where can I download hourly emissions data from continuous monitoring?

    Hourly emissions data files are available from the Clean Air Markets Division of EPA, collected as part of 40 CFR Part 75. The download location has changed in February, 2023. The new location is https://campd.epa.gov/data/bulk-data-files . Once on this new site, use the menu (at the left) and the Keyword…

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  • How do I determine if my farm could reasonably discharge oil into or upon navigable waters or adjoining shorelines?

    You can determine this by considering the geography and location of your farm relative to nearby navigable waters (such as streams, creeks and other waterways). You should consider if ditches, gullies, storm sewers or other drainage systems may transport an oil spill to nearby streams. Estimate the volume of oil…

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  • Mixture with oil as an additive (e.g., oil-based paint)

    SPCC applicability thresholds for aboveground and completely buried oil storage capacities are established in 40 CFR §112.1(d)(2). If a facility has a tank that contains a mixture with oil as an additive, such as oil-based paint, should the entire mixture be counted towards a facility’s threshold capacity? Yes; if a…

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  • Do service tanks on service trucks or pickups count in the calculation of the total storage on the farm?

    Yes, you should include fuel tanks mounted on trailers, fuel trucks used exclusively on the farm and tanks in pickups toward the overall threshold of 1,320 gallons. Also, count 55-gallon drums, but don’t count any container smaller than that.

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  • Is my farm covered by SPCC?

    For updated information on the WRRDA changes to farm applicability see the new farm fact sheet (PDF) .

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