Contributors: J.A. Arnold, S.W. Coffey, D.E. Line, and J. Spooner, Extension Biological & Agricultural Engineering Specialists, and D.W. Moody, U.S. Geological Survey
Leaking Underground Storage Tanks. Possibly as many as 7 million steel tanks are used to store petroleum products, acids, chemicals, industrial solvents and other types of waste underground. The potential of these tanks to leak increases with age. About 20 percent of existing steel tanks are more than 16 years old, and estimates of the total number that presently leak petroleum products range from 25 to 30 percent. Underground storage tanks appear to be a leading source of benzene, toluene and xylene contaminants, all of which are organic compounds in diesel and gasoline fuels.
Transporting and Stockpiling. Many materials and wastes are transported and then temporarily stored in stockpiles before being used or shipped elsewhere. Precipitation can leach potential contaminants from such stockpiles; storage containers can corrode and leak; and accidental spills can occur--as many as l0,000 to 16,000 per year, according to EPA estimates.
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