[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Elmsford 8-6-1979
by L.L. No. 7-1979. Amendments noted where applicable.]
No fuel tank for the storage of any type or kind of flammable or combustible
liquid other than for the storage of heating fuel shall be installed or kept
on any parcel of land or location within the Residence R-O or Residence R-1
or R-2 or Business District within the Village of Elmsford.
[Amended 5-1-2000]
Storage tanks shall be permitted within the Light Industrial Districts
upon the following conditions: Said installation shall be on application to
the Plumbing Inspector for a permit to be granted upon the payment of a fee
of $50 per thousand-gallon capacity of the tank to be installed.
Only underground tanks will be permitted in compliance with the following
regulations.
A.
Location. Excavation for underground storage tanks shall
be made with due care to avoid undermining of foundations of existing structures.
Underground tanks or tanks under buildings shall be so located with respect
to existing building foundations and supports that the loads carried by the
latter cannot be transmitted to the tank. The distance from any part of a
tank storing such liquids to the nearest wall of any basement or pit shall
be not less than 10 feet, and to any property line that can be built upon,
not less than 10 feet.
B.
Depth and cover. Underground tanks shall be set of firm
foundation and surrounded with at least six inches of noncorrosive, inert
materials such as clean sand, earth or gravel well tamped in place. The tank
shall be placed in the hole with care since dropping or rolling the tank into
the hole can break a weld, puncture or damage the tank or scrape off the protective
coating of coated tanks. Tanks shall be covered with a minimum of two feet
of earth, or shall be covered with not less than one foot of earth, on top
of which shall be placed a slab of reinforced concrete not less than four
inches thick. When underground tanks are or are likely to be subjected to
traffic, they shall be protected against damage from vehicles passing over
them by at least three feet of earth cover, or 18 inches of well-tamped earth,
plus six inches of reinforced concrete or eight inches of asphaltic concrete.
When asphaltic or reinforced-concrete paving is used as part of the protection,
it shall extend at least one foot horizontally beyond the outline of the tank
in all directions.
C.
Corrosion protection. Corrosion protection for the tank
and its piping shall be provided by one or more of the following methods:
use of protective coatings or wrappings, cathodic protection or corrosion-resistant
materials of construction. Selection of the type of protection to be employed
shall be based upon the corrosion history of the area and the judgment of
a qualified engineer.
D.
Vents for underground tanks.
(1)
Location and arrangement of vents. Vent pipes from underground
storage tanks storing such liquids shall be so located that the discharge
point is outside of buildings, higher than the fill pipe opening and not less
than 12 feet above the adjacent ground level. Vent pipes shall not be obstructed
by devices provided for vapor recovery or other purposes unless the tank and
associated piping and equipment are otherwise protected to limit back-pressure
development to less than the maximum working pressure of the tank and equipment
by the provision of pressure-vacuum vents, rupture discs or other tank venting
devices installed in the tank vent lines. Vent outlets and devices shall be
protected to minimize the possibility of blockage from weather, dirt or insect
nests and shall be so located and directed that flammable vapors will not
accumulate or travel to an unsafe location, enter building openings or be
trapped under eaves. Tanks containing such liquids shall be equipped with
pressure and vacuum venting devices which shall be normally closed except
when venting under pressure or vacuum conditions. Tanks storing gasoline are
exempt from the requirements for pressure and vacuum venting devices, except
as required to prevent excessive back pressure, or flame arresters, provided
that the vent does not exceed three inches' normal inside diameter.
(2)
Vent piping. Vent pipes shall be so laid as to drain
toward the tank without sags or traps in which liquid can collect. They shall
be located so that they will not be subjected to physical damage. The tank
end of the vent pipe shall enter the tank through the top.
(3)
When tank vent piping is manifolded, pipe sizes shall
be such as to discharge, within the pressure limitations of the system, the
vapors they are required to handle when manifolded tanks are filled simultaneously,
except that, for service stations, the capacity of manifolded vent piping
shall be sufficient to discharge vapors generated when two manifolded tanks
are simultaneously filled.
E.
Tank openings, other than vents, for underground tanks.
(1)
Connections for all tank openings shall be vapor- or
liquid-tight.
(2)
Openings for manual gaging, if independent of the fill
pipe, shall be provided with a liquidtight cap or cover. If inside a building,
each such opening shall be protected against liquid overflow and possible
vapor release by means of a spring-loaded check valve or other approved device.
(3)
Fill and discharge lines shall enter tanks only through
the top. Fill lines shall be sloped toward the tank.
(4)
Filling and emptying and vapor recovery connections for
such liquids which are made and broken shall be located outside of buildings
at a location free from any source of ignition and not less than 10 feet away
from any building opening. Such connection for any liquid shall be closed
and liquidtight when not in use. The connection shall be properly identified.
(5)
Tank openings provided for purposes of vapor recovery
shall be protected against possible vapor release by means of a spring-loaded
check valve or dry-break connection or other approved system. Openings designed
for combined fill and vapor recovery shall also be protected against vapor
release unless connection of the liquid delivery line to the fill pipe simultaneously
connects the vapor recovery line. All connections shall be vaportight.
A.
Underground tanks taken out of service shall be safeguarded
or disposed of by any one of the three following means:
(1)
Placed in a temporarily-out-of-service condition. Tanks
shall be rendered temporarily out of service only when it is planned that
they will be returned to active service within time limits established by
the Fire Inspector or pending removal or abandonment within 90 days.
(2)
Abandoned in place, with proper safeguarding.
(3)
Removed.
B.
In cases where tanks are either rendered temporarily
out of service or permanently abandoned, records shall be kept by the Fire
Inspector of tank size, location, date of abandonment and method used for
placing the abandoned tank in a safe condition.
C.
Procedures for carrying out each of the above methods
of disposing of underground tanks are described in the following sections.
No cutting torch or other flame or spark-producing equipment shall be used
until the tank has been completely purged or otherwise rendered safe. In each
case, the numbered steps given shall be carried out successively.
(3)
Removal of underground tanks.
(a)
Remove all flammable or combustible liquids from tanks
and from connecting lines.
(b)
Disconnect the suction, inlet, gage and vent lines; remove
sections of connecting lines which are not to be used further and cap or plug
inlets, outlets and leaks, if any. After removal, the tank shall be gas freed
on the premises if it can be done safely at that location or transported to
an area not accessible to the public and the gas freeing completed at that
location.
(4)
Disposal of tanks.
(a)
If a tank is to be disposed of as junk, it shall be retested
for flammable vapors and, if necessary, rendered gas free. After junking and
before releasing to a junk dealer, a sufficient number of holes or openings
shall be made in it to render it unfit for further use.
(b)
Safeguarding procedures shall be reasonably safe to persons
and property. Safeguarding procedures conforming to the provisions of this
Code shall be deemed to be reasonably safe to persons and property; on matters
not detailed in this Code, the decision of the Fire Inspector shall prevail.
(5)
Reuse of underground tanks. Used tanks which are to be
reused for flammable or combustible liquid service shall meet all the requirements
of this Code for the installation of underground tanks.
[Amended 7-10-2006 by L.L. No. 4-2006]
Any violation by a person, firm or corporation of this chapter shall
be deemed an offense punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 or imprisonment
for a period of not more than 60 days, or both.
[Added 2-3-1992 by L.L. No. 8-1992]
A.
The Board of Trustees may, on application by the owner,
lessee or tenant of real property, issue a special permit for the installation
and maintenance of a vaulted aboveground fuel tank under the following circumstances:
(1)
The tank is at least 100 feet from any residential dwelling
unit.
(2)
The applicant will not use or permit the use of the tank
for the retail or wholesale sale of fuel oil products and the tank must be
used exclusively for on-premises use.
(3)
The applicant will provide reasonably adequate safeguards
to protect the environment, including fencing, screening and use of a nonpermeable
apron where dispensing of the fuel is to take place.
B.
The Board of Trustees may, in its discretion, consider
other items for the protection of the public health, safety and welfare for
the issuance of the special permit.
C.
The special permit shall be issued annually as of January
1. The fee for the special permit is $100 for up to two tanks.
[Amended 5-1-2000]
