Case Study: LTD Detects Chronic Liquid and Vapor Leaks

Situation:

We conducted leak testing at a site in Missouri. The tanks and piping at this location were installed in 1995 and the site had been adequately maintained since then. Since the installation of the tanks and piping, the site had never received any compliance violations or experienced any leaks or spills.

What We Found:

Once we conducted our Enhanced Leak Detection (ELD) testing, we discovered the location had multiple leaks that had been there since the piping and tanks had been installed. Here is what we found:

• A liquid leak in the tank that was leaking 175 gallons of product per year
• A small pipeline leak that was leaking 10 gallons per year
• A large vapor leak was detected that was leaking 60 gallons of vapor per day, which is equivalent to 130 gallons of liquid per year

Leaks of this size meant the facility had leaked 4,725 gallons of product during the lifetime of the leak.

Result:

Our sensitive leak testing methods detected massive leaks that had gone unnoticed through other compliance tests. Following our leak detection efforts, the facility was able to repair and stop these chronic leaks they had for more than a decade.