Oil tanks are rather simple equipment, but due to the environmental hazard their contents pose, disposal requires some care. You may want to work with a contractor to help you navigate the process.
Removal
Even if you’re not doing massive excavation for an underground tank, oil tank removal Westchester county NY can still take a bit of work and is subject to permits and regulations.
When all the paperwork is taken care of and inspectors have given you the go-ahead to get to work, underground tanks should be uncovered. Next, whether it’s underground or above ground, the tank must be opened and emptied of its contents. If the oil inside is still good, it may be repurposed. If not, it will have to be sent to a waste management facility. As it is highly toxic, it must never be dumped into the environment or put in the garbage.
After the tank is emptied, the interior must be thoroughly washed. Before the tank can be taken away, it will have to pass inspection to ensure proper cleaning has taken place.
If the tank was underground, the resulting hole should be filled in and compressed down to ensure no sinkholes form after the soil settles. If it was above ground, any holes left behind must be filled in to prevent accidents and hazards.
Abandonment
Sometimes removing an underground tank is inadvisable. Despite the name, abandonment isn’t just shrugging your shoulders and forgetting a tank exists, but first neutralizing the threat it may pose to the environment.
Underground tanks are uncovered, opened, cleaned, and inspected much like with removal, but instead of taking them out, they are left in the ground and filled with either gravel, sand or cement. This prevents sinkholes from forming when the tank eventually rusts and decomposes.
Responsible disposal of old oil tanks won’t just prevent fines, it will help protect the groundwater and soil, ensuring your drinking water is clean, and your local ecosystem remains healthy.