New regulations will require a secondary containment dike on farm fertilizer storage tanks greater than 5,000 gal. It's no easy matter to sort through the government standards and build a containment system that will pass inspection. Most farmers will hire an experienced company to do the job.

Enviro Guard is one company that provides a complete secondary containment system kit, including metal panels, liner and mounting clips. The metal panel system uses less space than an earthen dike system and can be dismantled and moved from site to site. Rohlf Construction in Ohio will help farmers navigate the regulations and determine the best configuration for them. Prices average about $1.50 for materials per cubic foot of contained area. According to Jim Rohlf, labor cost is about $2.50/cu. ft. and may be covered by the EQUIP soil and water conservation program.

In Ohio, contact Rohlf Construction, 4562 E. County Rd. 34, Green Springs OH 44836, 419/639-2666. Elsewhere, contact Ramsdell, Enviro Services Inc., Box 307, Flandreau, SD 57028, 800-658-6671, www.jcramsdell.com.

For an outline of regulatory requirements see http://www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov/pub/fotg/standards/word/Oh702i_Interim_Standard_Agchem_Facility.doc.