Section 25280 Of Chapter 6.7. Underground Storage Of Hazardous Substances From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 20. >> Chapter 6.7.
25280
. (a) The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(1) Substances hazardous to the public health and safety and to
the environment are stored prior to use or disposal in thousands of
underground locations in the state.
(2) Underground tanks used for the storage of hazardous substances
and wastes are potential sources of contamination of the ground and
underlying aquifers, and may pose other dangers to public health and
the environment.
(3) In several known cases, underground storage of hazardous
substances, including, but not limited to, industrial solvents,
petroleum products, and other materials, has resulted in undetected
and uncontrolled releases of hazardous substances into the ground.
These releases have contaminated public drinking water supplies and
created a potential threat to the public health and to the waters of
the state.
(4) The Legislature has previously enacted laws regulating the
management of hazardous wastes, including statutes providing the
means to clean up releases of hazardous substances into the
environment when the public health, domestic livestock, wildlife, and
the environment are endangered. Current laws do not specifically
govern the construction, maintenance, testing, and use of underground
tanks used for the storage of hazardous substances, or the
short-term storage of hazardous wastes prior to disposal, for the
purposes of protecting the public health and the environment.
(5) The protection of the public from releases of hazardous
substances is an issue of statewide concern.
(b) The Legislature therefore declares that it is in the public
interest to establish a continuing program for the purpose of
preventing contamination from, and improper storage of, hazardous
substances stored underground. It is the intent of the Legislature,
in enacting this chapter, to establish orderly procedures that will
ensure that newly constructed underground storage tanks meet
appropriate standards and that existing tanks be properly maintained,
inspected, tested, and upgraded so that the health, property, and
resources of the people of the state will be protected.