OIL TANK REMOVAL DUNCAN BC

Do you need an oil tank removed in Duncan, BC? Many homes on Vancouver Island built before 1957 were originally heated with furnace oil. When natural gas became available, the oil storage tanks, which were normally located underground in backyards, were filled with sand or capped however many left undetected or forgotten, however, as these unused buried oil tanks start to corrode and rust, the remaining oil can leak out and flow onto the owner’s property or worse the neighbour’s property, storm sumps and waterways, resulting in contamination of soil and water. Apart from the negative financial impact on the market value of the property, the owner can face substantial legal liability under various statutes and bylaws for such contamination.
The B.C. Fire Code and bylaws essentially require that out-of-service underground oil storage tanks (USTs) be removed and that all contaminated soil must be removed and replaced with clean fill if identified.

A very limited exception may be granted by the fire authority where the removal of the UST is impractical because it is located under a permanent structure or its removal would endanger the structural integrity of nearby buildings, in that case, the owner would still have to render the UST “inert” in accordance with “good engineering practices.” That would include arranging, at their own expense, for the remaining oil to be pumped out, for the tank to be filled with sand and all piping to be capped, as well as arranging for the removal of contaminated soil around the tank area as well saturated and contaminated areas within the vicinity of the oil tank. The responsibility for the removal of the UST and remediation of any contamination falls on the current property owner.

To determine if you have an underground oil tank on your property a preliminary site and smell investigation will be conducted. More advanced Ground Radar Penetrating equipment may be used if a property is suspect of having an oil tank but not visibly located. Obvious signs of an onsite oil tank and failure would be smell often permeating from the homes perimeter drainage systems. As oil tanks fail and leaching occurs, often oil will migrate to the homes drainage system which may be connected to floor drains within the home, oil smells will be noted within the rooms of the home where these floor drains exist, oil may also be observed at the homes drainage disposal location, often these drainage systems dispose into creeks, or daylight onto the property and signs may be visible. If an underground oil tank is found and has to be removed the following demonstrates the legal process required.

– Permits acquired prior to excavation.

– A BC one call is placed to determine all underground services before excavation start.

– Remaining oil has to be pumped out and taken to an approved recycling/ disposal facility if still in the UST.

– The UST removal begins with excavation services.

– The soil must be assessed for contamination. If contamination is present, soil and groundwater must be properly remediated, which may include complete removal and passed to a third party company specializing in soil analysis.

– UST strap and removal.

– Disposal of the oil tank is taken to an approved facility.

– You will receive a copy of the permit as well final inspection.

If there is a suspicion that there may be a UST and the seller will not or can not confirm either way, the buyer should be advised to make the offer subject to a satisfactory inspection that satisfies the buyer there is no buried oil tank and that the property is not a contaminated site. It would be prudent to engage the services of a specialized UST inspector to conduct a magnetic survey to detect a UST and then, if located, the integrity of the tank can be examined and surrounding soil can be checked for the presence of contaminants, Often the oil tanks are still intact and solid and no indication of seepage or leaking evident.

Many mortgage lending institutions now inquire about buried oil tanks and require verification before releasing financing and prior to registering a mortgage over the home. Insurance companies have also become aware of the liability surrounded by buried oil tanks and often request documentation verifying tank removal has been completed.

A buyer should be strongly advised, even in the face of competing offers for a property, to not remove any conditions without the UST and remediation work having been completed properly by the seller. Similarly, the buyer should not agree to take on the responsibility of the removal of the UST and the remediation of any contamination in exchange for a price reduction without fully realizing the potential liability that would ensue upon becoming the new owner.

For more information or for an onsite consultation give Vortech a call.