The Environment Agency is responsible for the protection of "controlled waters" from pollution. Businesses are responsible for complying with environmental regulations and for preventing pollution of "controlled waters". "Controlled waters" include watercourses, lakes, lochs, canals, coastal waters and water contained in underground strata (or "groundwater"). Failure to comply with the regulations could be very damaging to your business with the potential of a substantial fine being imposed, expensive clean up costs (in the case of an actual spill) and the cost of repairing damage to your site.

It’s also worth noting that you don’t even have to cause an environmental incident for the Environmental Agency to take action, just by not having appropriate measures in place could result in action being taken. Ignorance of what the required measures are is no defence either.

After reading the foregoing, if you have a bund on your premises to defend against accidental leakage or spills of chemicals, oils or other liquids from a storage vessel, you are undoubtedly concerned that any signs of damage or contamination could leave you heavily exposed, so what are the basic requirements for your bund (secondary containment)?

It must be able to hold at least 110% of the storage vessels maximum capacity.

It must be impermeable to the material stored.

It must enclose the ancillary equipment (e.g. local fill and draw-off facilities, vent pipes, sight gauges, taps, valves, etc.) and have no drain-down outlets or connection to the environment.

If you have more than one storage vessel in the bund, the bund must be capable of storing 110% of the biggest vessels capacity or 25% of the total capacity, whichever is the greater.

Appearances can be deceiving

Don’t just assume that because the bund looks a little worn that it won’t be able to perform. Test it by filling with water and monitor over an hour or so to see if the water level drops. You will obviously need to be conscious of the fact that the bunds capacity will be reduced when doing this.

By the same token, just because your bund looks in pristine condition it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s water tight. Indeed brickwork alone often isn’t. If the bund does leak, don’t instantly assume that you have to knock it down and start again. Even if your bund is showing signs of wear and tear or contamination, 90% of the time it can be made compliant by applying a Fibreglass Lining to it.

Despite the fragile impression its name may give, fibreglass is in fact very tough and hardwearing, and it will outlast most other traditional materials both indoors and out. It is corrosion resistant, will not flake and most importantly of all is impermeable to water, oil and most chemicals.Although the cost of repair or refurbishment may feel like a cost you could do without, it will pale into insignificance when compared to the cost of cleaning up an environmental spill.