Federal Energy Act Reports

The federal Energy Act of 2005 amended state public record requirements for discharges from petroleum underground storage tank systems (UST). Federal law now requires states to collect information about the sources and causes of environmental discharges from UST’s and include that information in their public records.

Reports
Report Contents
Information for Submitting Records to DNR
Additional Information

Reports

This data is collected throughout the year and posted on this site annually. The period of collection is October 1 to September 30 (Federal Fiscal Year). Reports are achieved by the end of the calendar year.

Report Contents

The data provided by the notification of a release is broken down in two categories; Source and Cause. The "Source" is where the release started. The "Cause" of a release is an indication of why the component or transfer failed.

Sources

The first four sources listed here are physical components of a tank system.

Tank - The tank that stores the product and is part of the UST system.
Piping - The piping and connectors running from the tank or submersible turbine pump to the dispenser or other end-use equipment. It does not include vent, vapor recovery or fill lines.
Dispenser - Includes the dispenser and equipment used to connect the dispenser to the piping. For example, a release from a suction pump or components located above the shear valve would be considered a release from the dispenser.
Submersible Turbine Pump (STP) Area - Includes the submersible turbine pump head (typically located in the tank sump), the line leak detector, and the piping that connects the STP to the tank.
Delivery Problem - Identifies releases that occurred during product delivery to the tank. Typically causes associated with this source are spills and overfills.
Other - Used when the release does not fit into one of the above categories. For example, releases from vent lines, vapor recovery lines and fill lines.

Causes

Spill - A discharge from the system while product is being delivered to or removed from the tank system.
Overfill - A specific type of spill caused by attempting to place a greater volume in the tank system than its designed capacity.
Physical or Mechanical Damage - Failure of a tank system or component due to an external element.
Corrosion - Failure of a tank system or component due to chemical breakdown, i.e. rust.
Installation Problem - Used when the cause is a direct result of improper installation.
Other - Used when the cause is known, but does not fit one of the categories above.
Unknown

Information for Submitting Records to DNR

Tank system owners and operators, or contractors or consultants acting on their behalf, must report discharges to the environment as required by state law. This may be done using section six of DNR’s Notification for Hazardous Substance Discharge (Form 4400-225) [PDF, 462KB].

Some combinations of information regarding the source and the cause of the discharge are not valid. The most common errors include invalid combinations of sources and causes of discharges from tank systems. Examples of invalid cominbations include:

Source = Tank, Cause = Spill
By definition a spill would occur during delivery to a tank and this should be reported as a Delivery Problem.
Source = Piping, Cause = Spill or Overfill
Piping may leak due to damage or corrosion, but it can not spill or be overfilled.
Source = Submersible Pump, Cause = Spill or Overfill
A pump may leak due to damage or corrosion, but it can not spill or be overfilled.
Source = Delivery Problem, Cause = Physical/Mechanical Damage or Corrosion
Delivery equipment is not part of the tank system. If the filling port attached to the tank system is damaged, this should be reported as a Spill or Overfill, whichever is more accurate.

Additional Information

Wisconsin Department of Commerce - Division of Environmental Regulatory Services [exit DNR]

For more information on this topic, contact:

Will (Woody) Myers (608.273.5613)

Last Revised: Tuesday October 06 2009