| Thousands of New Jersey businesses need to store | | | | approaching, tank owners are faced with some |
| petroleum products at their facilities, whether for | | | | difficult economic decisions. The cost for tank and |
| heating, to fuel vehicles, for emergency generators, | | | | piping upgrades starts at $10,000, and, in most cases, |
| or a dozen other pressing needs. Today there are | | | | retrofitting an existing steel underground storage |
| estimated to be in excess of 80,000 regulated | | | | tank is a short-sighted and expensive undertaking. |
| commercial tanks in New Jersey alone. Most are | | | | Due to variable water tables and the predominance |
| underground, some above ground and, recently, | | | | of clay and silt soils, both vapor monitoring and |
| some combining the best of both methods, the | | | | continuous groundwater monitoring are impractical, if |
| concrete vaulted tanks. In this article I will take a look | | | | not impossible, and in all cases will only alert a tank |
| at each approach for its strengths, weaknesses and | | | | owner of a leak after the damage has occurred.With |
| cost factors.UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS | | | | these concerns complicating the upgrade, the most |
| (USTs)Historically, petroleum storage was literally | | | | effective solution, if we stay with conventional |
| driven underground by a variety of concerns | | | | underground storage, is often complete replacement |
| centered around fire safety. Because of these | | | | of a given storage tank system This then expands |
| concerns, and the regulations they spawned, the | | | | the price range of a standard 2,000 gallon tank job |
| overwhelming majority of storage tanks in use today | | | | to a minimum of $20,000. (triple this number for a |
| are underground tanks.In the past five years the | | | | 12,000 gallon tank).*In addition to these basic |
| federal EPA and State Departments of Environmental | | | | construction costs, there are significant costs |
| Protection and Energy (DEPE) have formulated new | | | | associated with simply maintaining and operating |
| construction criteria for both the installation of new | | | | underground tanks. These expenses must also be |
| tanks and the required upgrade of existing tanks.With | | | | considered when we evaluate the total project cost. |
| scheduled deadlines for these tank upgrades quickly | | | | |