Section 175.405  Spill Containment and Overfill Prevention Equipment

a)         To prevent spilling and overfilling associated with product transfer to the UST, owners or operators shall use the following spill containment and overfill prevention equipment:

1)         Both:

A)        Spill containment equipment that will prevent release of product to the environment when the transfer hose is detached from the fill pipe (e.g., a spill catch basin). Spill containment equipment shall be maintained in a dry, clean state.  Spill containment is subject to the following capacity and wall requirements depending on the date of installation:

i)          Capacity requirement: On or after May 1, 2003, new or replaced spill containment equipment must have a minimum 5 gallon capacity, except that a third party listed replacement containment designed by the manufacturer to be inserted into an existing spill containment will be allowed as long as it has a minimum capacity of 3.5 gallons.

ii)         Wall requirements: On and after May 1, 2023, all new or replaced spill containment equipment shall be of double-wall construction: single-wall horizontal cabinets shall be exempt from this double-wall requirement and may continue to be installed as single-walled; and

B)        Overfill prevention equipment that alarms or shuts off flow as follows:

i)          Drop tube overfill device: automatically shuts off flow into the tank when the tank is no more than 95% full;

ii)         Ball float overfill device: alerts the transfer operator when the tank is no more than 90% full by restricting the flow into the tank;

iii)        Ball float assembly present with ball removed only, with drop tube overfill device: automatically restricts flow to alert the transfer operator when the tank is no more than 90% full, for situations where a ball float valve has been disabled by removing the ball but the related piping remains; or

iv)        Overfill alarm: alerts the transfer operator when the tank is no more than 90% full by triggering an audible and visual high-product level alarm; or

2)         Provides alternative methods that are no less restrictive than subsections (a)(1)(A) and (a)(1)(B) and no less protective of human health or the environment, as approved in writing by OSFM.

b)         Owners and operators of UST systems with spill and overfill prevention equipment must meet the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) and shall ensure the equipment is operating properly and will prevent releases to the environment. Spill prevention equipment (such as a catchment basin, spill bucket, or other spill containment device) must prevent releases to the environment by being tested at installation, immediately after any repairs, and at least once every three years to ensure the equipment is liquid tight by using vacuum, pressure or liquid testing in accordance with one of the following criteria:

1)         Requirements developed by the manufacturer of the spill prevention equipment.  Owners and operators may use this option only if the manufacturer has developed requirements;

2)         Requirements developed by the manufacturer of the testing equipment; or

3)         A hydrostatic test that meets the requirements of Section 175.410(j).

c)         Overfill prevention equipment must be inspected at installation, immediately after any repairs, and at least once every three years, and the inspection shall meet the following criteria:

1)         At a minimum, the inspection must ensure that overfill prevention equipment is set to activate at the correct level specified in subsection (a);

2)         The overfill prevention equipment will activate when the regulated substance reaches that level; and

3)         Inspections must be conducted in accordance with inspection requirements developed by the manufacturer.

d)         Owners and operators must maintain the following records for spill prevention equipment and overfill prevention equipment:

1)         All records of installation shall be maintained for the life of the equipment; and

2)         All records of testing or inspection must be maintained for three years.

e)         Ball float overfill devices for overfill prevention shall not be installed on new and existing UST systems after October 13, 2015. If an approved method of overfill prevention is not present on a UST when a ball float overfill device fails inspection, overfill prevention equipment meeting the requirements of this Section shall be installed.

f)         A UST that is filled by transfers of no more than 25 gallons at one time shall require spill containment but does not require overfill prevention.

g)         In addition to the requirements of this Section, used oil tanks shall be equipped with spill containment devices at all fill and retrieval points. 

h)         All testing and inspections required by this Section shall be performed:

1)         By an OSFM-licensed contractor that has licensure in the installation/retrofitting or inspection and testing of UST equipment module; and

2)         Using an employee of the OSFM-licensed contractor for testing or inspection who is certified in the installation-retrofitting or inspection and testing of UST equipment module.

i)          The failure to have any functional overfill prevention equipment will result in the immediate application of a red tag to the USTs missing such equipment.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 6837, effective May 2, 2023)