When I first entered this industry 11 years ago, I admittedly didn't know the first thing about how underground storage tanks worked, what was involved in operating them, or what it took to keep them in compliance.  Since then, I've had my hands in many things, and now feel as though I have a pretty solid understanding about each one of those things.  The one thing that seems to have really caught my attention through all these activities though, is the Automatic Tank Gauge (ATG).

The ATG is perhaps more affectionately known as "that box on the wall.”  Now here's a device that seems to be crucial to life as your underground storage tank knows it.  If a tank system were the human body, the ATG would be the brain.  It's connected to numerous parts of your tank system, constantly monitoring and in some cases controlling those parts.  

Inventory....leak detection....and alarms!   Oh my!

The more I got involved in UST compliance and operations, the more I came to realize just how much the ATG really mattered.  No matter what I was doing, some piece of information that I needed always seemed to lead me right back to the ATG.   It seemed like the ATG was the answer to all my questions, like some crazy magic eight ball.

Q:  I'm filling out this tank registration and I have no idea how big my tanks are.

A:  ATG says I have two 10,000 gallon tanks.

Q:  My inventory reconciliation is showing a 4,000 gallon overage!          

A:  ATG says I received a delivery yesterday that I didn’t account for.

Q:  There is a big event in town tomorrow.  Do I have enough fuel in my tanks for all those customers?

A:  ATG says my gasoline tank is 85% full, but the diesel needs a delivery.

Q:  The state thinks my tanks are the source of a local release!

A:  ATG says my leak detection records have been passing every day for the last 12 months.

Q:  Maintenance says that they removed water from my sump yesterday and fixed the issue. Did they?

A:  ATG says the sensor went active two days ago and still appears to be active.

Q:  My wife keeps asking me “what’s the matter with you?”

A:  ATG says “All Functions Normal”….(phew!)

They say that information is power, and the ATG certainly provides a lot of information.  But how do you most effectively use the ATG to help your operations?  How does it become a tool to help you save time and money?  How do you harness this information for maximum efficiency?

The trick is three-fold: 

1)       You need to know what information the ATG is capable of collecting for you and why you need it.

2)       You need to know how to access that information.

3)       You need to know what it all means and how to use it.

I’ve been around long enough now to know that UST compliance and operations can be pretty dynamic and there’s always a lot going on.  Getting accurate information in a user-friendly, timely manner is key to staying ahead of the game.  I know that my job would be that much easier if only there was something that could deliver those things with relative ease.

If only…..  

For More information about ATG's and their abilities contact us.