Buried oil tanks, why the fuss?
There was a period when unsightly oil tanks were buried. Presumable that put them, out of sight and out of mind. However a buried oil tank only lasts a given amount of time before it rusts and starts to leak. Given enough time even a small undetected leak will silently contaminate a huge amount of the surrounding area. Years and years of undetected leaching often results in damage to neighbouring yards, foundations and public property. Before the removal process can start the tank has to be located. The next task is to determine if there is any residue oil in the tank. You can’t just pump and dump this goop, it has to be dealt with environmentally. With a bit of luck it gets pumped out. On the other hand, if your luck has tanked, you have to deal with jelly because oil and water emulsify to form a solid. When the oil has been cleared away you are ready to start with the removal of the contaminated soil.  In comes the excavator and anything that gets in the way of a 100,000 pound excavator becomes collateral damage. This covers landscaping, underground sprinkler systems, water mains, septic
fields, gas mains and any other buried utilities. The size of the hole in the ground is directly related to the amount of oil that has leaked out and how far it has leached and don’t smile as the truck(s) pull away from the curb because removal is not the end of the story. The soil has to be
decontaminated. To add insult to injury the clean up process can take weeks rather
than days because soil sampling has to take place in Vancouver and that 100,000 pound excavator is not
going to wait around for the results of a soil sample to determines wheather or not the yard is oil free. All this hassle to avoid a free listing in the BC Contaminated Site Registry!
Last, but not least, you have to fill the hole with clean material and repair those damaged systems. Old derelict tanks have spawned an industry and the cost of removal ranges from a couple of thousand dollars to many tens of thousands of dollars. So now you understand the reasons for the fuss.
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