Delaware Code Title 7 Sec. 7406A – Release of substances prohibited; correction of substance release; …
(a) All persons, including an owner and an operator, shall not cause or contribute to a release from an aboveground storage tank.
Terms Used In Delaware Code Title 7 Sec. 7406A
- Aboveground storage tank: means a single aboveground containment vessel having a capacity of greater than 250 gallons and currently or previously having contained regulated substances on or after January 1, 1992. See Delaware Code Title 7 Sec. 7402A
- Department: means the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. See Delaware Code Title 7 Sec. 7402A
- Imminent threat of a release: means the potential for a release which requires action to prevent or mitigate damage to the environment or endangerment to public health or welfare which may result from such a release. See Delaware Code Title 7 Sec. 7402A
- Indicated release: means there are signs that an aboveground storage tank, or the secondary containment system are failing or could potentially fail to contain a regulated substance. See Delaware Code Title 7 Sec. 7402A
- Operator: means a person operating a facility or who has operated a facility, including, but not limited to, by lease, contract or other form of authorization agreement
(15) "Orphan tank" means:
- Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
- Owner: means a person:
- Regulated substance: means a liquid or gas that:
- Release: means the spilling, leaking, discharging, leaching or disposing of a regulated substance into groundwater, surface water, soil or air that is not permitted by law, regulation or permit. See Delaware Code Title 7 Sec. 7402A
(b) All persons, including an owner and an operator, shall report to the Department a release from an aboveground storage tank in excess of the reportable quantities specified in the regulations promulgated pursuant § 6028 of this title and the Delaware Regulations Governing the Reporting of a Discharge of a Pollutant or an Air Contaminant, as amended.
(c) The owner and operator shall as soon as possible take measures for the prompt control, containment and removal of a released regulated substance to the satisfaction of the Department to achieve the purposes of this chapter. Such measures shall include, but not be limited to, soil removal, soil vapor extraction, groundwater extraction, pump and treat or bioremediation as approved by the Department.
(d) The Department may take measures for the prompt control, containment and removal of a released, regulated substance when it determines that the owner or operator is not responding promptly or appropriately. However, all liability for costs incurred by the Department, including, but not limited to, remediation costs, equipment costs, supply costs, legal costs and administrative oversight costs, remain with the owner and operator. Owners and operators shall reimburse all such costs to the Department within 90 days of receiving written notice of any amount due.
(e) Consistent with the provisions of Chapter 60 of this title, the Department may take measures for the prompt control, containment and removal, or to otherwise address an indicated release or an imminent threat of a release of a regulated substance from an aboveground storage tank when it determines that the owner or operator is not responding promptly or appropriately in accordance with the regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter. However, all liability incurred by the Department for remediation costs, equipment costs, supply costs, legal costs and administrative oversight costs, remain with the owner and operator. Owners and operators shall reimburse all such costs to the Department within 90 days of receiving written notice of any amount due.
(f) The Department may file an action in Superior Court against any responsible party for cost recovery and for reimbursement of funds expended, for corrective action, in control, containment, removal and remediation of any release, indicated release or imminent threat situation, and all activities associated with preventing releases from aboveground storage tanks. Any cost recovery and reimbursement collected by the Department for these activities shall be credited to and expended by the Department for control of aboveground storage tank releases and in support of the purposes of this chapter. A responsible party shall have an affirmative defense to a cost recovery action under this section by showing that the responsible party was responding promptly and effectively with respect to the control, containment, and removal of released regulated substances at the time that the Department assumed control of the release, indication of a release, or imminent threat situation.