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Mississippi

UST Assessment and Remediation Program

Agency Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
ASTM search distance 0.5 mile

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) offers a Leaking UST (LUST) Information download on its UST Online Search page, and its UST Assessment and Remediation Program investigates petroleum releases from underground storage tanks. MDEQ says the program oversees the initial response, assessment, monitoring, risk evaluation and remediation of petroleum contamination, and, through the Mississippi Groundwater Protection Trust Fund, reimburses eligible tank owners for the reasonable and just costs of assessment and remediation.

In a Phase I ESA

MDEQ's leaking tank records are the Mississippi form of the state leaking storage tank records that ASTM E1527-21 lists as a standard source. The general reading of a leaking tank listing is on the LUST page. What is particular to Mississippi is how a case starts, who does the work, and the letter that ends it.

Who runs the cleanup

MDEQ describes the course of a new site:

  • The owner reports. After a release has been determined to have occurred, the tank owner or the owner's representative reports it, and MDEQ determines whether immediate action is necessary. MDEQ asks for a report within 24 hours and a written report within 10 days on its Confirmation of a Release & Initial Abatement Activities form. Its examples of reportable releases include 1/8 inch or more of petroleum product in a leak detection well, monitoring well or containment sump; soil or groundwater samples above the typical UST cleanup levels; a precision tank or line tightness test failure or inconclusive result; and a spill or overfill of more than 25 gallons.
  • A project manager is assigned. The project manager requests records, requests a 10-day bailing program from the owner, and performs a site visit. If assessment or remedial action is necessary, the project manager reviews whether the site is eligible for the Trust Fund.
  • A contractor does the work. If the site is eligible, the owner submits paperwork and selects an Environmental Response Action Contractor (ERAC). Typically the owner hires the ERAC and begins an assessment. Once the area of contamination is defined, the owner is asked either to monitor the location or to proceed to remediation.
  • A letter ends it. Once it is determined that the site is no longer a threat to human health or the environment, the owner closes the assessment wells and is then issued a letter indicating that no further assessment or remediation actions are necessary "to meet present regulatory requirements". Read the letter with its date.

MDEQ says eligibility for the Trust Fund can be determined only after a release has been reported, a site visit completed and compliance records submitted. It lists the criteria for a Trust Fund site as a confirmed release, a motor fuel, use on or after July 1, 1988, substantial compliance with UST regulations, and a threat to the environment or public health or welfare. Each owner must have MDEQ's prior written approval before incurring costs it expects the fund to reimburse. The fund's rules are the Mississippi Groundwater Protection Trust Fund Regulations, 11 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 5, Ch. 1.

Where to look a site up

Getting the file

For reviewing UST files, MDEQ's Environmental Firms FAQ says to contact its Public Records section at (601) 961-5171; its contact page gives (601) 961-5758 for public records requests. MDEQ's general route is a written public records request; see Public records requests. Ask for the letter that closed the case along with the assessment and monitoring reports.

Sources

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality pages, read October 12, 2026, no modified date shown:

Maintained by Barrow. General reference only, not legal or professional advice. Barrow is not affiliated with any government agency, and neither Barrow nor the information as presented here is endorsed by any state or government agency. See how Barrow drafts the report