N.M. Admin. Code § 20.5.115.1502

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 23, December 10, 2024

Section 20.5.115.1502 - PERMANENT CLOSURE

A. To permanently close a tank, owners and operators shall empty and clean it by removing all liquids, accumulated sludges, and vapors. Owners and operators shall properly dispose of any liquids and sludge removed from a storage tank.

(1) Owners and operators shall either remove from the ground all USTs closed permanently, fill them with an inert solid material or close in place in a manner approved by the department.

(2) Owners and operators shall perform the following closure operations on AST systems:

(a) ASTs being closed in place shall be rendered vapor free; owners and operators shall make provisions for adequate ventilation to ensure that the AST remains vapor free;

(b) vent lines shall remain open and shall be maintained in accordance with the current edition of a standard or code of practice developed by a nationally recognized association or independent testing laboratory, or manufacturer's recommendations;

(c) all access openings shall be secured, normally with spacers, to assist ventilation;

(d) ASTs shall be secured against tampering and flooding;

(e) the name of the product last stored, the date of permanent closure and "PERMANENTLY CLOSED" shall be stenciled in a readily visible location on each AST;

(f) piping shall be removed or closed in place; if closed in place, piping shall be disconnected from ASTs, rendered vapor free, and filled with inert material, capped or blind flanged; owners and operators seeking to close piping in place shall propose a closure plan for the piping in writing to the department at least 30 days prior to closure; the department may approve the plan on a case-by-case basis, after considering the extent and depth of piping, the proximity of the piping to buildings, the extent of pavement at the facility, and other factors raised by owners and operators; if the department does not approve a closure plan, owners and operators shall remove the piping; and

(g) owners and operators shall dismantle or remove AST systems and secondary containment to the extent needed to conduct the site assessment required in 20.5.115.1504 NMAC.

(3) For mobile AST systems, owners and operators shall perform all of the closure requirements in Paragraph (2) of this subsection, except they need not perform the requirements of Subparagraph (e) of Paragraph (2) of this subsection. Owners and operators shall remove or cap piping when permanently closing a mobile AST. Owners and operators shall perform a site assessment that complies with the requirements of 20.5.115.1504 NMAC before permanent closure of any permanently installed mobile tank is completed.

B. The current edition of the following cleaning and closure procedures shall be used to comply with this section as applicable:

(1)American Petroleum Institute Publication RP 1604, "Closure of Underground Petroleum Storage Tanks";

(2)American Petroleum Institute Standard 2015, "Requirements for Safe Entry and Cleaning of Petroleum Storage Tanks";

(3)American Petroleum Institute Publication RP 2016, "Guidelines and Procedures for Entering and Cleaning Petroleum Storage Tanks";

(4)American Petroleum Institute Publication 2202, "Guidelines for Protecting Against Lead Hazards when Dismantling and Disposing of Steel from Tanks that have Contained Leaded Gasoline";

(5)American Petroleum Institute Publication RP 1631, "Interior Lining and Periodic Inspections of Underground Storage Tanks"; or

(6)The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health "Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Working in Confined Space".

C. Owners and operators shall perform an assessment meeting the requirements of 20.5.115.1504 NMAC after notifying the department but before completion of permanent closure.

D. Owners and operators that have installed any monitoring wells as release detection pursuant to 20.5.108 NMAC shall properly close the wells in a manner approved by the department as part of permanent closure activities.

N.M. Admin. Code § 20.5.115.1502

Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXIX, Issue 14, July 24, 2018, eff. 7/24/2018