Environmental compliance deadline met

Congratulations to University Facilities and Services for meeting the compliance deadline for the replacement/upgrade of underground storage tanks. The compliance date was December 22, 1998, and the University was compliant by Thanksgiving.

Underground storage tanks house the diesel fuel used for the University's emergency generators, and gasoline for trucks and equipment. There are a total of 17 tanks: nine on the River Campus managed properties, six at the Medical Center, and two at Central Utilities.

As part of the project, an electrical alarm system was installed in the underground tanks to detect leaks. This system is monitored by University Facilities and Services' Customer Service Center.

The total cost of the replacement/upgrade project was $366,200. Fines for noncompliance can reach $10,000 per day, per tank. Less than half of the nation's organizations and companies that have underground storage tanks met the upgrade deadline.