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However, if your water is likely to be contaminated you can disinfect it with swimming pool chlorine, in accordance with the table and notes below.

Inspect your tank every 2 to 3 years for the accumulation of sediment sludge on the tank floor. The easiest way to remove sludge is by opening the sludge or scour valve located at the bottom of the tank. Remember that the inside of a tank is a confined space with little ventilation. If you need to clean your tank consider using a professional tank cleaning service. Routine testing of water in your domestic water tank is not normal practice and in most cases would not be necessary.

If tested, your results should be compared with the guideline values contained in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines external site. Water tanks can become breeding sites for mosquitoes that can cause severe nuisance and carry serious diseases. In Western Australia, the mosquito most commonly found to breed in water tanks is a proven carrier of Ross River and other mosquito borne viruses. Before purchasing and installing a rainwater tank, check with your local government for building regulations that apply in your area.

Many councils require that a building application is approved before a water tank can be installed. If you are renting out a residential property with water tanks, where the water from the tanks is intended for drinking, it is best to ensure that the tenancy agreement or lease clarifies which party the agent or the tenant is responsible for maintaining the water tank and any appurtenant fixtures during the tenancy.

The tenancy agreement should also clarify whether there are other tanks on the property that may contain non-potable non-drinking water. Please refer to our rainwater tanks after a bushfire page. Water that is used to mix crop spraying chemicals should be separated from your drinking water supply. Do not use any crop spraying mix water or equipment to top up your drinking water.

It may contain harmful chemical residues. Any part of your water supply system that comes into contact with drinking water should comply with one of the following Australian Standards external site. This includes tanks, liners, pipes, taps and valves. Irrigation piping should not be used for drinking water purposes as it may contain and release lead.

Contact Environmental Health Services at your local government external site. This publication is provided for education and information purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not imply endorsement and is not intended to replace advice from your healthcare professional. Readers should note that over time currency and completeness of the information may change. All users should seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional for a diagnosis and answers to their medical questions.

Skip to navigation Skip to main content Site map Accessibility Contact us. Search this site Search all sites Search. Go to whole of WA Government Search. As of March , , releases were confirmed from UST systems. For state-by-state data reported semi-annually such as the number of active and closed tanks, releases reported, cleanups initiated and completed, inspections, and facilities in compliance with UST requirements, go to the UST Performance Measures.

These releases have been caused by leaks, spills, and overfills from UST systems. These releases can threaten human safety and health as well as the environment because UST systems contain hazardous and toxic chemicals.

Fumes and vapors can travel beneath the ground and collect in areas such as basements, utility vaults, and parking garages where they can pose a serious threat of explosion, fire, and asphyxiation or other adverse health effects.

Gasoline, leaking from service stations, is one of the most common sources of ground water pollution. Because approximately one-half of the population of the United States relies on ground water as their source of drinking water, ground water pollution is a serious problem. Many municipal and private wells have been shut down as the result of contamination caused by releases from UST systems.

Preventing and cleaning up releases are the two primary goals of the programs that regulate USTs. Cleaning up petroleum releases is difficult and usually expensive; it is easier and less costly to prevent releases before they happen. The old adage of "an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure" is particularly relevant to UST systems.

In , Congress directed the U. EPA issued federal regulations , effective December , that delegate UST regulatory authority to approved state programs. States are the primary implementers of the UST program and may have requirements more stringent than the federal regulations.

States are now applying for their state programs to be as stringent as the regulation. You should contact your state or local regulatory agency to learn about requirements that apply to your UST system.

Below are the requirements for owners and operators. Owners and operators of field-constructed tanks and airport hydrant systems previously deferred in the UST regulation must begin meeting the requirements in Subpart K. UST owners and operators need to contact their implementing agency to receive specific information on requirements for their tanks. If the tanks are located in Indian country, then you should contact the EPA regional office. The regulations are divided into three sections: technical requirements, financial responsibility requirements, and state program approval objectives.

You should check with your implementing agency about the particular reporting requirements in your area, including any additional or more stringent requirements than those noted above. A list of state UST contacts is provided for your convenience. More information about reporting and recordkeeping. Tanks used for the storage of heating oil for consumptive use on the premises where stored are excluded from federal UST regulations.

However, state or local regulatory agencies may regulate these tanks. You should contact your state or local regulatory agency for more information. EPA developed the flow chart below to aid you in determining whether your UST qualifies for the heating oil tank exemption. Heating oil includes several grades of petroleum fuel oils: No. Consumptive use is not intended to be limited to heating purposes only: the definition extends to any on-site use including heating, generating emergency power, and generating steam, process heat, or electricity.

The exclusion does not apply to tanks storing heating oil for resale. The premises is not limited to the building where the heating oil is stored; it includes anywhere on the same property. Thus, centralized heating units using heating oil that serve more than one building on the same property would qualify for exclusion. Below are the requirements for hazardous substance USTs. All hazardous substance USTs must have secondary containment.

A single-walled tank is the first or primary containment. Using only primary containment, a leak can escape into the environment. But by enclosing an UST within a second wall, leaks can be contained and detected quickly before harming the environment. The hazardous substance UST must use interstitial monitoring for leak detection.

Interstitial monitoring can indicate the presence of a leak in the confined space between the first and the second wall. Several devices are available to monitor this confined interstitial space. The UST regulations describe these various methods and the requirements for their proper use. If your UST system was installed before October 13, you can apply for an exception, called a variance, from the requirement for secondary containment and interstitial monitoring.

To obtain a variance you must demonstrate to the regulatory authority that your alternative leak detection method will work effectively by providing detailed studies of your site, proposed leak detection method, and available methods for corrective action.

Whether you have a confirmed release, or even if you suspect that you might have a release, you must follow the basic actions described below:. Only those tanks that meet the definition of an underground storage tank UST system are covered by the UST regulations. Aboveground storage tanks ASTs are subject to other federal, state, or local regulations. Most ASTs need to meet U. Some ASTs may need to meet additional state or local regulatory requirements that safeguard human health and the environment from potential threats posed by ASTs.

You should check with your state agency in charge of oil pollution control activities for information on state and local requirements. States and territories have been submitting information about their UST programs since As of March For state by state data reported semi-annually , such as the number of active and closed tanks, releases reported, cleanups initiated and completed, inspections, and facilities in compliance with UST requirements see the UST Performance Measures.

The following are partially excluded from the UST regulation. These partially excluded UST systems must continue to meet the installation requirements in subpart A and the release response and corrective action requirements in subpart F. In addition, aboveground storage tanks that are part of an UST system associated with airport hydrant fuel distribution systems and UST systems with field-constructed tanks are partially excluded from the UST regulation.

The installation requirements in subpart A and release response and corrective action requirements in subpart F apply to these aboveground components of the UST system. Regulations governing these systems can be found here. Below are the requirements for recordkeeping.

You will have to keep records that can be provided to an inspector that prove your facility meets certain requirements. These records must be kept long enough to show your facility's recent compliance status in the major areas listed below.

You should check with your implementing agency about the particular recordkeeping requirements in your area.