This study aims to assess whether the risk of soil and groundwater
contamination is mitigated by the current Oil UST management in Korea, and
suggests some improvement measures for the UST management, if necessary.
Current regulations and programs relevant through the whole life cycle of the UST,
such as construction, installation, operation, and disclosure in Korea were
reviewed. Also, regulation of the UST systems in advanced countries, such as the
United States and European nations, were evaluated.
The objective of this study is the petroleum manufacturing and storage facilities
among the 'Primary Soil Contamination Facilities', which is mainly gas stations.
The USTs of gas stations are regulated basically by the 'Fire Protection Act', in
which they are classified into the category of the 'hazardous material
manufacturers'. In addition, these facilities are placed on the list of the 'Primary
Soil Contamination Facility' by the 'Soil Environment Conservation Act' in order
to control the soil contamination due to oil release.
Regarding the status and problems of the current UST management, following
findings were revealed.
First, although Korea provides requirements for new USTs concerning corrosion,
spill, overfill protection, and leak detection seemingly equivalent to those in the
United States and EU member states, the detailed provisions are still at an
insufficient level. i) Only installation of the leak detection system, excluding the
leak detection monitoring, is required. There is no requirement for the re