Iowa Department of Natural Resources

The Environmental Protection Commission held public hearings this summer on proposed amendments to Chapter 135, "Technical Standards and Corrective Action Requirements for Owners and Operators of Underground Storage Tanks."

The amendments adopt new rules requiring underground storage tank (UST) operator training, requiring closure investigations be conducted by a certified groundwater professional, amending the conflict of interest provisions for conducting compliance inspections, and piping leak detection requirements at unstaffed sites.

The rules provide responsibilities for each class of operator and criteria for training. The Department does not plan on providing training for operators, but will be approving training classes for Class A and B operators. The training will be provided by third parties or within a company’s normal training of personnel.

All training must be approved by the Department. The rules do allow for approval of on-line computer training that meets the requirements.

Iowa Files Amended Rules for UST Operators