In a recent meeting of the State Water Resources Control Board, officials provided an update on California's Underground Storage Tank (UST) Cleanup Program and the GeoTracker database, emphasizing their critical roles in environmental protection and public health.

Julie Johnson, an engineering geologist, led the presentation, highlighting the UST Cleanup Program's achievements since its inception in the 1980s. The program has successfully closed approximately 40,700 petroleum UST cases, with around 1,500 cases still open, many of which are complex and over 20 years old. Johnson noted that the program is currently focused on petroleum USTs but may expand to include non-petroleum tanks in the future.

The UST Cleanup Program operates under a memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and collaborates with various agencies, including regional water boards and local oversight programs. Johnson emphasized the importance of these partnerships in addressing stalled cases and achieving successful cleanups.

The presentation also introduced GeoTracker, the state's largest water quality and geospatial database, which tracks compliance data for sites that may impact water quality. Steven Mullery, the GeoTracker technical lead, explained that the system has evolved since its launch in 2000 and now supports over 12 different water board programs. GeoTracker houses more than 2.5 million documents and 1.2 million individual data samples, providing critical information to regulators and the public.

Looking ahead, the UST Cleanup Program has set four main priorities for the next two fiscal years, including the development of a statewide sea level rise vulnerability assessment tool, enhancing racial equity in program engagement, continuing the stalled case initiative, and supporting regulatory updates. The GeoTracker database will play a vital role in these efforts, with plans to integrate additional data sources and improve public access to information.

Board members expressed appreciation for the team's work, acknowledging the challenges faced by the small team of seven staff members managing these extensive programs. The meeting underscored the ongoing commitment to environmental safety and the importance of effective data management in addressing California's water quality issues.