Diesel storage tanks at Muni yards set for replacement

Underground storage tanks will soon get replaced at three San Francisco Muni facilities in order to meet state regulations.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Board of Directors approved a contract with Pilot Construction Management, Inc. for approximately $5.4 million to replace two underground diesel tanks in the Kirkland Yard with two underground renewable diesel storage tanks.

The Flynn and Scott yards will each have two underground waste tanks replaced with above ground waste tanks.

Last year, the State Water Resources Control Board settled with the SFMTA after the board began investigating the transit agency in 2012 for allegedly not monitoring storage tanks, failing to perform monthly inspections, failing to maintain adequate spill containment and falsifying monthly reports.

The SFMTA agreed to pay the water board $425,000 in penalties and $100,000 for enforcement costs. They also agreed to come into compliance with state storage tank regulations or pay more penalties to the water board.

Pilot Construction Management, Inc. will have 810 days to complete the entire project, but will first spend 120 of those days removing the underground tanks in the Kirkland Yard to meet deadlines by the water board, according to a SFMTA staff report.

During the construction of the project,  the San Francisco Fire Department and  the Department of Public Health will need to approve and test the new storage tanks.

Operating funds from the SFMTA budget and bond money from the 2014 Transportation and Road Improvement bond will fund the project.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.