Serving Hartford County, Middlesex County, New Haven County & Tolland County, R&R Landscaping, Tank and Tree Removal offers reliable, fast, and affordable tank removal services for underground or above ground storage and oil tanks.
Remediation is the process of stopping and reversing environmental damage. When an underground or above ground storage tank has leaked, the process of remediation involves addressing pollution on the surface and underground along with restoring the visual appearance of your property.
Petroleum products such as oil and gas contain contaminants that kill plants, pollute soil and make groundwater unsafe and unpleasant to drink. Along with long-term health risks that can result from this pollution, these leaking chemicals and gases can also cause fires and explosions. This is why the process of remediation is so important to ensure the safety of everyone who lives and works near a leaking storage tank.
What Does The Process Of Remediation Involve?
There are several successful methods of remediation and each one looks a little different. The best method is typically determined by the unique characteristics of the site (such as the type of soil, proximity to groundwater, etc.) and the extent of the contamination.
Before the remediation process begins, a professional cleanup contractor will visit your property and have tests performed in order to create a site assessment or site characterization that will outline the best cleanup method for your property. Local authorities and Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) may also play a role in determining the specific method of cleanup.
What Is The Cost Of Remediation?
The cost of remediation varies considerably depending on how far the fuel or other contaminates have spread and whether or not groundwater or surface bodies of water have been contaminated. The cost of cleaning up contaminated drinking water resources, such as an underground well, is considerable.
It can take a long time for the adverse effects to be reversed. Cleaning up contamination that has only impacted the surrounding soil is considerably less expensive. The earlier a leak is caught, the more likely it is that the cost will be minimal.
The precise and heavily regulated process of remediation requires the expertise of a licensed professional who has a thorough knowledge of the safety procedures, best practices and regulations that must be followed.
When you hire a licensed and experienced cleanup contractor like R&R, you can count on us to:
- Obtain Certified Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) soil testing by an independent state certified laboratory beforehand to determine if remediation is necessary
- Remove all contaminated soil and dispose of it according to EPA standards if contamination is discovered
- Take care of all of necessary paperwork for DEEP and local authorities
- Re-test the soil to confirm all contamination has been removed before beginning the backfilling process
- Backfill the excavation site, apply new topsoil and lay down sod or seed according to your preference
- Prepare a certified closure letter that details the entire procedure to show potential buyers, lenders, or insurance agencies
What Causes Storage Tanks to Leak?
Rust or improper installation are the two causes of tank leakage.
Rust is the most frequent culprit of oil tank leaks. Underground storage tanks are made of steel which will eventually rust. Corrosion, or rust, occurs because of the inherent tendency of iron based metals to revert to a stable form. The water in and around an underground tank plays a significant role in this process. When this water settles at the bottom with bacteria, sediment, and sulfur from the oil the combination of ingredients creates a corrosive acid that will eventually breakdown the steel wall of the oil tank resulting in a leak.
The amount of time that an underground tank can remain intact without leaking depends on many different variables: the thickness of the tank, its physical location, the moisture in the surrounding soil and type of backfill material, the pH acidity, the amount of water in the tank and how much damage or scratching was incurred during installation. It impossible to accurately predict when a specific underground tank will begin to leak because of this large number of changeable variables.
Leakage from an improperly installed underground tank is not as common but it is equally detrimental.
What Storage Tank Installation Mistakes Are Likely To Create Leaks?
The four leading installation mistakes that result in leakage are:
- Installing a damaged tank
- Using the wrong type of piping material or creating poor connections
- Installing an underground tank in acidic soil or soil with a significant amount of groundwater
- Installing an indoor rated tank that lacks the necessary thickness and anti-corrosion coating of an underground rated tank are
