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Underground Fuel Tanks

The Environmental Management and Pollution Control (Underground Petroleum Storage Systems) Regulations 2020 (UPSS regulations) commenced on 3 February 2020. The UPSS regulations aim to prevent or limit, to the greatest extent practicable, the release of petroleum product into the environment from underground petroleum storage systems (UPSS).

​New Regulations:

​The Environmental Management and Pollution Control (Underground Petroleum Storage Systems) Regulations 2020 - commenced on 3 February 2020. The UPPS ​​Regulations​ are available on the Tasmanian Legislation website.

LISTmap layer:​​

The LISTmap layer 'EPA Underground Petroleum Storage Systems' shows sites where EPA has received notification of the registration, temporary decommissioning or permanent decommissioning of underground petroleum storage systems (UPSS). For further information please go to the Site Information page. 

  • Buying a Property with Underground Fuel Tanks
    If you are intending to buy a property with underground fuel tanks there are a number of issues you may want to consider, including regulatory requirements relating to the operation of the tanks, whether the storage system may need to be removed before you can develop the property and whether the property may be contaminated with fuel.
  • Reporting Fuel Contamination in Groundwater
    High levels of fuel contamination in groundwater can pose a risk to human health and the environment. Where high levels are detected, an assessment must be undertaken to determine the extent of contamination, the level of risk it poses to the environment and human health and whether the contamination needs to be remediated.
  • Decommissioning Storage Systems
    The Environmental Management and Pollution Control (Underground Petroleum Storage Systems) Regulations 2020, require that UPSS are decommissioned appropriately and that the soil and groundwater in the vicinity of the storage system is sampled to determine whether the system has leaked and caused environmental harm.
  • Installing a New Fuel Tank
    The UPSS Regulations require that new storage systems include mandatory equipment and if a tank is being replaced the whole storage system including fill points etc must be replaced. The requirements for replacing or installing a new system are summarised on this page.
  • Loss Monitoring
    Loss monitoring of underground fuel tanks and lines is required under the UPSS Regulations. This can include Statistical Inventory Reconcilation Analysis (SIRA) for sites where the total tank capacity is greater than 5500L.
  • Registration - Underground Fuel Tanks
    When the landowner of a site with underground fuel tanks changes, the Director EPA must be notified.
  • Summary of Requirements & Definitions
    Under the UPSS Regulations responsibilities are allocated to the Landowner, Infrastructure Owner and/or System Operator. A summary of their responsibilities under the UPSS Regulations is listed along with definitions of some key terms used in the regulations.
  • UPSS Publications
    The EPA has produced guidelines and information bulletins which cover a range of issues relating to underground fuel tanks.
  • Equipment Integrity Tests
    ​Equipment integrity tests (EITs) are undertaken to determine whether an underground petroleum storage system (UPSS), or a component of a storage system, is not providing full and continuous containment. A Draft Loss Detection Protocol for Equipment Integrity Tests on UPSS is available for comment.

Contaminated Sites Unit
134 Macquarie Street
Hobart TAS 7000
Phone: 03 6165 4599 Fax: 03 6173 0254
Email: Enquiries@epa.tas.gov.au

The Environment Protection Authority acknowledges the Tasmanian Aboriginal people as the traditional custodians of lutruwita (Tasmania) and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.