Last week one of our members engaged the association to review a site that had been placed “off sale” – the site in question had Diesel that met all qualifications except that is was not “Clear and Bright” which is a standard referenced in ASTM guidelines. At issue is that there was particulate matter in the fuel that rendered the fuel cloudy. Our member had the fuel independently tested and outside of the particulate issue the fuel met specifications.
With the extreme weather this year CWPMA members and the industry as a whole are seeing increased instances of water and other contamination in UST’s specifically. If you feel like the fuel you are getting from the suppliers is not to code, that needs to be addressed up the supply chain. As a reminder filters do not alleviate or mitigate water contamination. That said CWPMA encourages all station owners in Colorado to reach out to OPS with questions. OPS remains our best and most responsive regulatory partner (CSP being a very close second) and while the mitigation of a fuel issue lies on the station operator I can attest that OPS staff will be responsive and transparent in their dialogue.
As a reminder please review the below from the OPS FAQ’s….
What does the Division of Oil and Public Safety do when it finds fuel products that do not meet the specifications?
After it is determined that the fuel product does not meet specifications, the off-spec product is placed off sale, and appropriate enforcement action is taken. These actions include having the off-spec product pumped out and replaced with a product that has been tested and meets specifications.