Tank Inspections Due Thursday Under W.Va. Spill Law

The deadline is approaching to submit aboveground storage tank inspections required by a new state law to protect public water supplies.

Thursday is the deadline for new tank inspection certifications in West Virginia. Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Kelley Gillenwater says the state received about 22,000 inspection certifications as of mid-day Wednesday, or fewer than half of the tanks that require them.

The annual inspections are included in a law reacting to a January chemical spill, which spurred a tap-water ban for 300,000 people for days. The law includes a new regulatory system for many tanks and addresses emergency planning for public water systems.

A rule within the law groups tanks into three inspection categories. Tanks holding hazardous materials or ones near public water supplies face the most stringent requirements.