Articles
Water and Ground Pollution from Gasoline Stations
Water and Irrigation, Vol. 415Tzvi Levinson & Tal Tzafrir - Advocate May 2001
Until recently two main Israeli laws have been used to protect the groundwater from leaking underground storage tanks (USTs): The Water Law and the Business Licensing Law. In 1997 regulations were introduced to focus on aging USTs at gasoline stations that may be seeping contaminants into the groundwater. The regulation also attempt to prevent future leaks by creating a standard for UST care and maintenance. As a result of this regulatory effort by the Ministry of the Environment, the owner, operator, or supervisor of a leaking UST must undertake extensive environmental remediation of the contaminated soil and groundwater. Violators risk fines, imprisonment and even the forced closure of their business if the pollution persists.