insights

Could your tanks be leaking without you knowing?

Did you know there are hundreds of petrol stations leaking fuel across Australia right now? More than  900 NSW petrol stations and depots could be leaking fuel into soil and groundwater and petrol-related land makes up the bulk of the state’s 300 most contaminated sites, official data shows.

Figures contained in a NSW Auditor-General report released late last year show 770 service stations and 176 other petroleum sites were actually or potentially contaminated, with many leaking fuel from underground tanks.

In two of the worst confirmed cases, high levels of the cancer-causing agent benzene leaked from a petrol station and were detected beneath a waterfront park, and elevated concentrations of a toxic chemical mix were recorded inside a home near a service station. Tank leaks can happen at any time. And it’s impossible to know you’ve got one until you’re forced to do an audit.

Most petrol stations think it’s not easy to keep tabs on something that’s buried underground. Lack of visibility is a constant hindrance, whether you’re large or small in the fuel game. And too often, it’s seen as a problem that’s not worth the cost to fix. But when there are so many potential causes of leaks — from installation errors to issues with transportation, fuel lines, or rust — you simply can’t be sure that you’re not at risk. Tank leaks do happen, whether you’re aware of them or not.

Full visibility means full awareness

If you don’t have full visibility over your fuel tanks then it’s too late before you know what’s happening at your site. Do not wait till the EPA arrives for an audit to find high amounts of hydrocarbons leaking into the soil. The vagueness of the testing means that the leak could have come from anywhere. So you have to put all your tanks on hold. With a large, business-breaking fine from the EPA hanging over your head, you’ve also got to shut down your operations while you search for the tank that’s leaking.

During the EPA investigation, every single area of soil is tested, every tank is checked, and the costs just keep piling up.

But if you have software that monitors your tanks constantly. Sometime after tanks have been installed, you get an automatic notification that one of them is leaking. You immediately close off that one particular tank while the issue is resolved. You’ve found the issue before it could seriously contaminate the soil. You’re not facing an
astronomical fine. And it’s business-as-usual within the week.

Time to get proactive

With fuel site management software like Fuelsuite, you can have full visibility over all your fuel sites from absolutely anywhere. Remote monitoring and real-time updates give you a constant stream of information about the status of every single fuel tank, at every single fuel site. If there’s a leak, you’ll know about it straight away.

Want to know more about how Fuelsuite can benefit your business?
Contact EMS today to talk about how you can eliminate uncertainty and risk in your business.