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Contaminated Lands Environmental Action Network (CLEAN)

Petroleum - Underground Storage Tanks (UST) and Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUST)

Please Note: The 2011-13 State Budget marks the start of the new Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) [exit DNR]. DSPS was formed by combining the Department of Regulation and Licensing and parts of the Department of Commerce. DSPS is in the process of updating materials and creating a website, and DNR will update our links and information pertaining to petroleum tanks and PECFA as they become available.

Federal Funding Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) - Learn about Recovery Act dollars going toward the investigation and cleanup of contaminated properties in Wisconsin, including brownfields, LUST and Superfund sites.

Please Note: The DNR’s RR Program has removed the Mann-Kendall spreadsheet from our website because we no longer endorse its use. For more information on why we removed the spreadsheet, read pages 36-38 in the Wisconsin Closure Protocol Study.

Wisconsin Closure Protocol Study

Study Evaluates Site Closure and Natural Attenuation for Petroleum Contamination

The Wisconsin Closure Protocol Study by the DNR and several partners took a closer look at the state’s procedure for approving the cleanup of petroleum contamination. The Study found that allowing natural processes to reduce petroleum contamination generally keeps groundwater contamination from spreading, but doesn’t improve soil and groundwater quality at the location where a leaking tank was removed. Partners who contributed to the design, evaluation or funding of this study included the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the University of Wisconsin Department of Geology and Geophysics, United States Geologic Survey (USGS), Utah State University and Exxon-Mobil Corporation.

DNR has formed an advisory group of representatives from the public and private sectors to help the agency review the Study’s recommendations and identify any changes needed in the way that petroleum cleanups are conducted. Questions regarding this study may be directed to the RR Program's Terry Evanson (608.266.0941).

Other recommendations of the Study include:

  • place greater emphasis on early source control actions in order to limit the environmental impacts and improve the redevelopment potential of the site;
  • refine the assessment of natural attenuation at LUST sites so that monitoring time frames are determined by site-specific factors;
  • recognize the limitations of single-well analysis of contaminant trends to determine plume stability;
  • revise the administrative code criteria currently applied to the Mann-Kendall nonparametric statistical test;
  • better define plumes in three dimensions through discrete vertical profiling and installation of piezometers at sites with zones of high hydraulic conductivities or where contaminants are located in bedrock; and
  • monitor naphthalene more frequently at LUST sites and, where appropriate, monitor PAHs more routinely.

The DNR's Remediation and Redevelopment Program is currently evaluating options for amending its NR 700 administrative rules series to better reflect these recommendations.

The complete study includes the report, 23 figures, 12 tables, and 12 appendices. Please Note: For optimum use, you may want to save the PDF of the Report to your computer before clicking on any hyperlinks in the document.

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Wisconsin UST & LUST Overview

Wisconsin's regulatory program for petroleum storage tanks is divided between two agencies - The Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) (formerly the Department of Commerce).

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for:

  1. Establishing investigation and remedial action requirements for contamination in the NR 700 series of environmental rules.
  2. Oversight of cleanups at petroleum tank discharges that include high risk factors. High risk factors are:
    • confirmed contamination in a water supply well above an NR 140 preventive action limit,
    • confirmed free petroleum product with a thickness of .01 feet or more,
    • groundwater contamination above an NR 140 enforcement standard within 1000 feet of a well operated by a public utility,
    • groundwater contamination above an NR 140 enforcement standard within 100 feet of any other water supply well,and
    • groundwater contamination above an NR 140 enforcement standard in fractured bedrock.

The Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) [exit DNR] (formerly the Department of Commerce) is responsible for:

  1. Tank standards for both underground and aboveground tank systems.
  2. Wisconsin's tank registration database.
  3. Wisconsin's fund for reimbursement of environmental cleanup costs (PECFA).
  4. Oversight of cleanups at petroleum tank discharges that do not include high risk factors.

Jurisdiction of sites where risk factors have not yet been determined is with DNR. Jurisdiction of sites where petroleum contamination is co-mingled with non-petroleum contamination is also with DNR. Completed LUST site investigation reports should be sent directly to DSPS or to DNR, depending on the risk factors that are identified during the investigation. When site investigation reports are sent to DSPS, send DNR a copy of the cover letter so that we know the site jurisdiction has changed.

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Wisconsin Tank Regulations

All of the following links exit the DNR web site:

  • Comm 10 - Department of Safety and Professional Service rule governing installation, registration, maintenance and abandonment of petroleum tanks.
  • NR 746 - Applies to certain sites where petroleum products have been discharged from tanks.
  • Comm 47 - Department of Safety and Professional Service rule that governs reimbursement from PECFA.
  • PECFA - The Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Act (PECFA) is the Department of Safety and Professional Services' (DSPS) reimbursement program for cleaning up contamination from storage tank systems.
  • NR 700 - Investigation and Remediation of Environmental Contamination

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Tank Abandonment Site Assessments/Tank Closure Submittals

  • Mail reports of tank closure site assessments to the appropriate regional Environmental Program Associate. For the correct regional associate and regional addresses please see our RR Staff Contacts page.
  • Closure Assessments for Underground Storage Tanks - Technical Guidance - Please Note: This link has been taken down until the Dept. of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) updates this document with correct information.
  • Please contact Woody Myers (608.273.5613) with any questions about where to send tank closure site assessments.

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More UST and LUST Information

Fact Sheets

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Successful Petroleum Cleanups

Removal of underground storage tanks through PECFA is a common way to start a successful brownfield redevelopment project. Several brownfield projects utilizing PECFA dollars are profiled on our Success Stories web page.

Featured Success Stories

James Street Inn, 201 James Street, De Pere, Brown County

Before Photo
Before: Historic Photo
After Photo
After

BRRTS #: 03-05-000028
Acres: .64 acres
Prior Uses: A mill operated at this site along the Fox River in De Pere from the 1850's, until 1982. The property had soil and groundwater contamination following more than a century of industrial use, including a 10,000-gallon LUST. Department of Commerce PECFA dollars were spent to remove the storage tank, while a Tax Incremental Financing district (TIF) was established to pay for other remediation and redevelopment.
Current Use: The former mill is now the site of the James Street Inn, a 36-room boutique hotel and restaurant.
Assistance Received: $98,000 from the PECFA Program
DNR Contact: Alan Nass, 920.662.5161

Alterra Coffee Headquarters, 2999 N Humboldt Blvd, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County

Before Photo
Before
After Photo
After

BRRTS #: 03-41-004824
Acres: 1 acre
Prior Uses: This redevelopment project combines three brownfields properties. These sites had multiple past uses, including a car dealership and service station, a car painting business and a dry cleaner and laundry.
Current Use: The Milwaukee-based Alterra Coffee chain constructed its company headquarters through this redevelopment project. The buildings include a café and roasting facility, office space, and adjacent retail space.
Cleanup: Extensive remediation at the site involved the removal of seven LUSTs, as well as two hydraulic lifts. Additionally, some contaminated soil was removed, and a barrier was installed in the new buildings to prevent vapor intrusion.
Assistance Received: $55,000 from the PECFA Program, $200,000 in EPA cleanup funds from the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee, and three DNR Brownfield Site Assessment Grants.
DNR Contact: Pam Mylotta, 414.263.8758

Amery Fire Station, 101 N. Keller Ave., Amery, Polk County

Before Photo
Before
After Photo
After

BRRTS #: 03-49-000679
Acres: .75 acres
Prior Uses: This downtown Amery site had been home to many businesses since 1930, including a gas station, bulk oil terminal, a car dealership, an ice cream plant and a meat locker.
Current Use: The city of Amery constructed a new fire station on the remediated property.
Cleanup: Site remediation involved the removal of two above-ground storage tanks and more than 2,300 cubic yards of contaminated soil.
Assistance Received: $76,950 from the PECFA Program
DNR Contact: Phil Richard, 715.762.1352

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For more information on this specific page, contact:

Keld Lauridsen
920.662.5420

Last Revised: Wednesday July 06 2011