Unless corrective action is initiated in accordance with subpart F, owners and operators must immediately investigate and confirm all suspected releases of regulated substances requiring reporting under § 280.50 within 7 days, or another reasonable time period specified by the implementing agency, using either the following steps or another procedure approved by the implementing agency:

(a) System test. Owners and operators must conduct tests (according to the requirements for tightness testing in §§ 280.43(c) and 280.44(b) or, as appropriate, secondary containment testing described in § 280.33(d)).

(1) The test must determine whether:

(i) A leak exists in that portion of the tank that routinely contains product, or the attached delivery piping; or

(ii) A breach of either wall of the secondary containment has occurred.

(2) If the system test confirms a leak into the interstice or a release, owners and operators must repair, replace, upgrade, or close the UST system. In addition, owners and operators must begin corrective action in accordance with subpart F of this part if the test results for the system, tank, or delivery piping indicate that a release exists.

(3) Further investigation is not required if the test results for the system, tank, and delivery piping do not indicate that a release exists and if environmental contamination is not the basis for suspecting a release.

(4) Owners and operators must conduct a site check as described in paragraph (b) of this section if the test results for the system, tank, and delivery piping do not indicate that a release exists but environmental contamination is the basis for suspecting a release.

(b) Site check. Owners and operators must measure for the presence of a release where contamination is most likely to be present at the UST site. In selecting sample types, sample locations, and measurement methods, owners and operators must consider the nature of the stored substance, the type of initial alarm or cause for suspicion, the type of backfill, the depth of groundwater, and other factors appropriate for identifying the presence and source of the release.

(1) If the test results for the excavation zone or the UST site indicate that a release has occurred, owners and operators must begin corrective action in accordance with subpart F of this part;

(2) If the test results for the excavation zone or the UST site do not indicate that a release has occurred, further investigation is not required.