Tank systems

According to Art. 3 of the Water Protection Act (GSchG), everyone is obliged to exercise all due care required by the circumstances to avoid adverse effects on water bodies.

The owners or operators of tank facilities are obliged to ensure that their facilities are properly maintained. Inspections are to be carried out exclusively by specialist companies authorized by the Office of Environment. You have:

• have systems requiring a permit inspected every 10 years without being asked and have any defects professionally rectified,
• to have leak detection devices checked for functionality every two or one year without being asked,
• to regularly check systems subject to mandatory reporting on their own responsibility and to have any defects professionally rectified,
• to install the protective devices required in accordance with the instructions of the authorities,to report any extensions or modifications,
• to notify the Office of Environment of any environmentally hazardous events at the plant without being asked to do so

Tank systems and their safety equipment, e.g. protective structures (catch basins) made of concrete, steel or plastic, must be checked periodically as these system components are subject to natural ageing. These inspections are not only in the interest of water protection, but also in the interest of the owner. Experience has shown that cracks often occur in concrete protective structures (sumps) that are not oil-tightly lined. Steel or plastic sumps can corrode or age so that their tightness and stability can no longer be guaranteed.
Without internal cleaning, the sludge residues inside the tank increase and inevitably lead to increased corrosion damage in steel tanks. An increase in burner malfunctions is also to be expected. Cleaning and painting the inside of the tank will contribute significantly to maintaining its value. It is therefore recommended, not least for reasons of air hygiene (clean combustion), to have the interior cleaned by a specialist company authorized by the Office of Environment even if this is not mandatory 

Tank systems may only be filled if the inspection obligation has been fulfilled and any defects have been rectified. Therefore, any defects found during the inspection must be rectified immediately and independently.

Each system has a tank inspection booklet. The tank fillings, visual inspections and other incidents are entered in it. Tank systems may not be filled by oil suppliers if the tank inspection booklet is not present.

If a tank inspection booklet is lost, it can be requested from the Office of Environment at a cost of CHF 30.

If the owner no longer wishes to continue operating an installation, the owner must ensure that the installation is decommissioned by a specialist company 

authorized by the Office of Environment

Owners of small tanks in Agriculture and industry have a great responsibility towards the environment.

Experience has shown that oil spills from these systems often occur due to improper installation and disregard for simple principles.

Small structural measures would suffice to prevent damage. For example, it is important that the tank system is located on a covered, stable, level and horizontal surface. During storage and handling, it must be possible to easily detect and contain liquid losses.

This guide is aimed at all companies that handle substances that are hazardous to water, such as Chemicals, fuels and combustibles, as well as substances that can become hazardous to water.

It shows what needs to be taken into account when planning and constructing goods handling areas, lists safety measures and explains how to implement them.

Safeguarding and drainage of freight handling areas

Emergency power generators ensure that the electrical power supply is maintained if the public power grid fails. Emergency power generators are usually operated with diesel fuel.

The leaflet describes the requirements for the system components (storage tank, day tank, product line and feed pump) and their protective measures.

Filling stations are increasingly being equipped with new fuels such as E85, biodiesel and additives such as urea solutions. As these are highly water-soluble, with the exception of biodiesel, they cannot be retained with gravity separators.