Hazardous Substance Removal (HAZ) · Lesson 6 of 6

UST Releases: The 8-Hour, 24-Hour, 5-Day and 45-Day Clock

"UST Releases: The 8-Hour, 24-Hour, 5-Day and 45-Day Clock" is lesson 6 of 6 in the Hazardous Substance Removal (HAZ) Learning Hub. It opens with "Recordable vs Reportable Releases" and works through 6 short steps, then a worked example you can check yourself against.

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Steps in this lesson

  1. Recordable vs Reportable Releases
  2. What Triggers a Report
  3. The 24-Hour Clock
  4. The Five-Day Preliminary Written Report
  5. Free Product: Remove It and Report in 45 Days
  6. Where the HAZ Contractor Fits

The worked example in the course applies this lesson to a realistic job in 5 steps.

What you'll be able to do

  • Explain the main idea of "UST Releases: The 8-Hour, 24-Hour, 5-Day and 45-Day Clock" in plain language you can use on the exam.
  • Apply this step with confidence: "The 24-Hour Clock".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "The Five-Day Preliminary Written Report".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Free Product: Remove It and Report in 45 Days".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Where the HAZ Contractor Fits".
  • Test yourself on the worked example and the quick-check quiz inside the classroom.
UST Release Reporting: The 24-Hour to 45-Day ClockSIDE VIEW OF THE TANK PITtank being pulledfree productgroundwaterDetected 7:30 AM, Tue May 5THE CLOCK STARTS AT DETECTION8 hRecordable release still unresolvedbecomes reportable (2671(a)(1))24 hWritten notice to UPA; investigateCOA told if free product (2671(b))5 daysPreliminary written report to UPA12 items listed in 2671(c)45 daysFree product removal report to COAfrom release confirmation (2712(e))Found May 5: notice May 6, report May 10, product report Jun 1924 hours: written notice to the UPA (and COA if free product is present)5 days: preliminary written report | 45 days: free product removal reportDuties are written for the owner or operator: tell them the moment you find it23 CCR §2670-2671, §2712(e). UPA = Unified Program Agency; COA = Cleanup Oversight AgencyCC
The diagram for this lesson, exactly as it appears in the Learning Hub.

The first steps of this lesson

Step 1: Recordable vs Reportable Releases

23 CCR §2670 covers a release from primary containment that is only recorded: the operator's monitoring record must include the operator's name and telephone number, the types, quantities and concentrations of hazardous substances released, the actions taken to control and clean up the release, the method and location of disposal (and whether a hazardous waste manifest was or will be used), and the repair actions taken, including resuming interstitial monitoring (§2670(b)). A recordable release becomes reportable under §2671(a)(1) if the owner or operator is unable to stop and clean it up, or if it remains under investigation eight hours after detection. It also becomes reportable if initially unanticipated facts change the picture (§2670(d)).

Step 2: What Triggers a Report

Under 23 CCR §2671(a), the owner or operator must record and give a preliminary written report to the Unified Program Agency (UPA) for any release that escapes from secondary containment, plus any of these: the discovery of released hazardous substances at the tank site or surrounding area, including free product or vapors in soils, basements, sewer and utility lines, and nearby surface or drinking waters (§2671(a)(2)); unusual operating conditions such as erratic dispenser behavior, sudden loss of substance from the tank, or unexplained water in the tank (§2671(a)(3)); and release detection monitoring results that indicate a release may have occurred (§2671(a)(4)). Equipment found defective and promptly fixed, with no release and no confirming results, can be excused under (a)(3)(B) and (a)(4).

The remaining 4 steps, the worked example and the quiz are in the course. This is a preview. The full lesson, with the step-by-step explanations, a worked example and a quick-check quiz, is inside the classroom.

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