Pennsylvania
Storage Tank Cleanup Program
Pennsylvania Storage Tank Cleanup Program
Pennsylvania's leaking tank list is the release incident list of the Storage Tank Cleanup Program, run by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Program staff in each of DEP's six regional offices respond to complaints from people affected by tank releases, oversee and track the status of cleanups led by responsible parties, and take state-led corrective actions.
In a Phase I ESA
The incident list is the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania is what the list leaves out and how the cleanup status is coded.
- Regulated tanks only. DEP says the list covers leaks, spills and overfills from storage tank systems regulated by the Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act (the Tank Act) only, reported to DEP since the Act was enacted in July 1989. Releases from home heating oil tanks are not part of the list. See residential heating oil tanks.
- August 5, 1989 can be a placeholder. Where the date a release was confirmed is unknown, DEP enters the effective date of the Tank Act, August 5, 1989. Treat that date on a listing as possibly unknown, and ask.
- Inactive is not finished. DEP says incidents in Inactive status have not achieved cleanup completed status.
- Administrative Close Out points to another record. Where several releases at one facility are being remediated together, DEP tracks the corrective action under the primary incident and gives the other incidents this status. It also gives this status to incidents being remediated through the Land Recycling Program. Look for the primary incident or the Act 2 site before treating it as an ending.
- Act 2 is one of three statutes behind the cleanups. The program remediates releases under the Clean Streams Law, the Tank Act and the Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act (Act 2). DEP's tables of Act 2 numbers are linked from the Act 2 remediation standards page.
What the record shows
Each incident carries a status code from 1 to 9. DEP's descriptions:
| Code | Status | DEP's description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Interim Remedial Actions Not Initiated | No physical activity to remove contaminants has been initiated |
| 2 | Interim or Remedial Actions Initiated | At a confirmed release, site characterization or physical activity to remove contaminants, or both, are underway |
| 3 | Attainment Monitoring in Progress | Demonstration of an Act 2 groundwater standard is being conducted |
| 4 | Cleanup Completed | It has been demonstrated to DEP that contaminants were removed to applicable cleanup standards, or that the release was completely contained and recovered and no environmental impact occurred |
| 5 | Inactive | Not cleanup completed, but determined by DEP to be low priority for corrective action |
| 6 | Suspected Release | Investigation pending or initiated |
| 7 | Suspected Release | Investigation complete, no release confirmed |
| 8 | Administrative Close Out | Tracked under a primary incident at the same facility, or remediated through the Land Recycling Program |
| 9 | Unverified Incident | Entered in DEP's database but not supported by any written records or institutional knowledge |
DEP lists the criteria for Inactive status: no product in the leaking tank system, no known free product in the environment, risks to human health and the environment mitigated, no known strong potential for receptors to be impacted, a responsible party that is not performing or planning corrective action, and a case at least two years old.
The listing also gives the incident ID, the suspected and confirmed dates, who notified DEP, how the release was found, the incident type (aboveground system, underground system containing petroleum, or underground system containing hazardous substances), the source or cause, the environmental impact, and the substance and chemicals involved. DEP publishes the codes for the status, notification source, discovery, incident type and source or cause fields.
The corrective action process regulation is Chapter 245, Subchapter D.
Where to look a site up
- DEP's Storage Tank Release and Cleanup Locations page carries the Storage Tank Cleanup Locations interactive report. DEP says the information is derived from its eFACTS database.
- For a specific incident, DEP says to contact the Environmental Cleanup Program in the regional office. General questions about the list go to tankcleanup@pa.gov.
- The program page also links the Activity and Use Limitations (PA AUL) Registry.
Getting the file
DEP's records are reviewed through its regional offices. DEP recommends an Informal File Review, requested on an electronic form and scheduled with the regional office, before a request under the Right-to-Know Law. Both routes are on the Informal File Review and Right-to-Know requests page.
Sources
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection pages, read October 1, 2026, no modified date shown: