DOWNSTREAM STORAGE TANK NOTIFICATIONS

The Pennsylvania Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act requires owners of aboveground storage tank (AST) facilities to send a written notice to all surface water users within 20 miles downstream. This applies to AST facilities with total capacity greater than 21,000 gallons of regulated substances. Downstream water users include all water companies, municipal water users, and industrial users.

The written notice to downstream surface water users must include an inventory of the regulated substances stored and a summary of spills and associated activities from the previous year. The notification list must be updated annually with correct contact information in cooperation with county emergency management agencies.

For more information:
DEP Division of Storage Tanks
DEP Fact Sheet “Developing A Spill Prevention Response Plan”
Pennsylvania American Water AST Downstream Notices Flyer
Pennsylvania American Water AST Notification Form

Frequently Asked Questions

What information should the annual notice include?

Excerpt from Pennsylvania DEP Fact Sheet (2630-FS-DEP1471)

“Each year, the facility must send all downstream surface water users and municipal and county officials a written notice that includes:
  • An inventory of the regulated substances stored;
  • A summary of any spills and releases that occurred in the previous year, including the cleanup efforts; and
  • Measures implemented to prevent future releases.”

How do I determine which water users to notify?

The downstream notification list must be updated annually in cooperation with county emergency management agencies, as part of the Spill Prevention Response Plan.

DEP has developed an application called eMapPA to help facilities identify nearby water users. The web-based application is accessible at: http://www.depgis.state.pa.us/emappa.

Instructions for how to use eMapPA are provided here. Create a polyline or polygon distance of 20 miles. Select “Surface Water Intakes” as the layer to buffer. Then click Create Buffer and click on the AST facility location for the starting point.

How do I notify Pennsylvania American Water if they are listed as a downstream water user?

If Pennsylvania American Water Company is identified as a nearby surface water intake, please send the required notice either by mail or electronically to:

Pennsylvania American Water
Attn: Source Water Protection Team
852 Wesley Drive
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
PaTankNotice@amwater.com

We will review the AST information to better understand materials stored upstream of our surface water intakes. We appreciate any additional information to help characterize these materials. This could include site maps, a copy of the Spill Prevention Response Plan, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), etc.

Click here for a form that can be used to provide AST notifications directly to Pennsylvania American Water. Note that this form is not required to meet regulatory requirements. The form is provided as guidance to help AST owners gather and submit their AST information to us.