(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the owner or operator of a storage tank at a tank facility subject to this chapter shall prepare a spill prevention control and countermeasure plan applying good engineering practices to prevent petroleum releases using the same format required by Part 112 (commencing with Section 112.1) of Subchapter D of Chapter I of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, including owners and operators of tank facilities not subject to the general provisions in Section 112.1 of those regulations. An owner or operator specified in this subdivision shall conduct periodic inspections of the storage tank to ensure compliance with Part 112 (commencing with Section 112.1) of Subchapter D of Chapter I of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. In implementing the spill prevention control and countermeasure plan, an owner or operator specified in this subdivision shall fully comply with the latest version of the regulations contained in Part 112 (commencing with Section 112.1) of Subchapter D of Chapter I of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(b) A tank facility located on and operated by a farm, nursery, logging site, or construction site is not subject to subdivision (a) if no storage tank at the location exceeds 20,000 gallons of petroleum and the cumulative petroleum storage capacity of the tank facility does not exceed 100,000 gallons. Unless excluded from the definition of an “aboveground storage tank” in Section 25270.2, the owner or operator of a tank facility exempt pursuant to this subdivision shall take the following actions:

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Terms Used In California Health and Safety Code 25270.4.5

(1) Conduct a daily visual inspection of any storage tank storing petroleum. For purposes of this section, “daily” means every day that contents are added to or withdrawn from the tank, but no less than five days per week. The number of days may be reduced by the number of state or federal holidays that occur during the week if there is no addition to, or withdrawal from, the tank on the holiday. The UPA may reduce the frequency of inspections to not less than once every three days at a tank facility that is exempt pursuant to this section if the tank facility is not staffed on a regular basis, provided that the inspection is performed every day the facility is staffed.

(2) Allow the UPA to conduct a periodic inspection of the tank facility.

(3) If the UPA determines installation of secondary containment is necessary for the protection of the waters of the state, install a secondary means of containment for each tank or group of tanks where the secondary containment will, at a minimum, contain the entire contents of the largest tank protected by the secondary containment plus precipitation.

(c) The owner or operator of a tank in an underground area that is subject to this chapter pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 25270.3 may use the format adopted by the office to prepare a spill prevention control and countermeasure plan as specified in subdivision (a).

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 207, Sec. 4. (AB 1716) Effective January 1, 2024.)