ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the regulatory perspective of the leaking underground storage tank problem and to develop the best regulatory position, especially for petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. It identifies some basic regulatory concerns, reviews contaminant fate from a regulatory perspective, describes some regulatory approaches, and presents an approach that considers the present state of the science as applied to the local operational level. The most immediate concern at a leaking tank site is public safety. Exposure pathways may include direct contact, inhalation of hydrocarbon vapors, and ingestion of contaminated water and food. Changes of land use from service stations to residential and other commercial developments has led to concerns long-term low level human exposure to benzene vapors. Much of the local agency effort has been directed toward determining acceptable cleanup levels for soil or, in some cases, determining the proper point of application of groundwater cleanup standards.
