Heating Oil Tank Decommissioning
If you are buying or selling a home that has used an oil storage tank as a heating source, there is a good chance the Heating Oil Tank (HOT) will eventually need to be decommissioned along side with a required DEQ certified cleanup. In the past, utilizing oil (stored underground) to heat the furnace was a common method to heat a home and is still used today. As newer homes began to switch over to electric or gas furnaces, oil tanks were often abandoned and forgotten, making it a problem for construction and new developments.
Over the course of several years, corrosion and environmental factors have caused underground oil tanks to leak and become an environmental hazard. As a result, petroleum fumes from the underground oil tank leakage have become hazardous to humans by releasing carcinogens and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, causing cancer and related respiratory diseases. If not addressed quickly, petroleum has been known to contaminate the soil, eventually seeping down into groundwater. Because of this, The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has implemented regulatory measures to have inactive or damaged Heating Oil Tanks Decommissioned along with a mandatory DEQ certified cleanup.
Cleanup and Reporting Requirements
According to Oregon’s Heating Oil Tank Program, if release of petroleum from your underground heating oil tank has been identified and confirmed, you have 72 hours to report of release to DEQ.
*Note: Your initial soil test result is valid for 90 days. If your heating oil tank has not been properly decommissioned or removed during this time frame, you will need to pay to have another soil sampling redone.
Hydro Geo & Environmental, Inc. understands your circumstance and will take immediate action to ensure your oil tank has been properly decommissioned or removed. We are certified and have managed over 1000 Heating Oil Tank Decommissioning projects throughout the Portland Metro and Vancouver areas. We take pride in conducting excellent and thorough decommissioning work that fits your budget.
Contact Hydro Geo & Environmental, Inc. today for a free on-site assessment and quote!
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