Oil tank removal

Hello Fran. I empathize and agree with you. The only way we consumers without sufficient financial resources can deal with expensive removals is to pressure our governments to assist us. I think we need to contact, as a consumer group, everyone we can. Interested in trying this? The cost of the Environmental Consultant always seems to be $1100. The Oil Tank Removal companies charge $1350-1650 and up. Same task, different prices! On top of those two costs is the permit:
Burnaby -$50
North Vancouver District - NO permit required
North Vancouver City -$72
New Westminster -$105
City of Vancouver -$300
Langley - NO oil tank removal program
West Vancouver - a whopping $525
Is this a fair and regulated program? Uh, no. It would seem that it's the government's duty to ensure that, as a "required" homeowner responsibility, Oil Tank Removal should be designated a "required service" and, as such, be regulated in price, service, and timely response. Sort of like the BC Medical Plan. What a joke! We've got a lot of research to do.

Does anyone know what it should cost to dump one ton of soil that is not very contaminated?

Hi everyone,

I was reading that article about those guys dumping oil down a lane in West Vancouver a week ago or so and they were caught by the fire department.

How do we stop this stuff from happening? If those guys got caught, how many others are doing it and not getting caught?

From what I know about oil, it goes into streams and kills wildlife and enters the food chain so ultimately into us.

Am I right? Any experts here to comment?

As a former employee of three oil tank removal companies i would like to weigh in on this issue. "Regulated... like BC medical." Get a grip. 1300 to 1600 dollars is a very fair amount to charge. It usually take two days with a couple of employees and alot of expensive equipment. How much you money do you make a day Frances?

Holly, their is no such thing as barely contaminated. It is either contaminated or it isnt. A simple google search will find you companies that dispose of contaminated soil.

Another important point is that it is nearly impossible to give an accurate qoute of what the cost of removing the contaminated soil is. Alot of time tanks will be leaking while in service so even if it is a small 300 Gallon it could have leaked more than that amount in its lifetime. A cursory inspection right after the tank is extracted from the hole does not always tell the whole story. Sometimes what looks to be minor can continue on for many meters.

No! These companies are not happy when contamination is found. The uncertainty ivolved in contamination is a huge pain. Not knowing how long it will take makes running a timely operation and scheduling future jobs very difficult.

Generally these guys are honest hard working individuals. Like everything else a few bad apples spoil the bunch. So dont shoot the messenger.

Melanie wrote:

My husband and I have put an offer on a house in the Mount Pleasant area, and have since found out there is oil contamination below the house. There is no evidence of an oil tank - there will be another inspection for this. The owners have agreed to clean up the soil professionally at their cost. Known there is/was contamination - would you still buy this house? we love it in every single way - except for this. Is this a deal breaker? How "clean" is a soil contamination clean up? It will be our first house, and we want to make the right decision.(the house is 98 years old).
Melanie

I live in Kerrisdale & have just had a oil tank removed by Tri-City Tank Tech. they did a good job, but I don't think they were completely up front with the diaster which ensued. We had to pay the entire cost because we bought the hse in '73 and original owners are long gone. The tank was removed and the existing oil pumped out. That plus the license cost about $2,500. however the oil had leaked out and the soil was contaminated. We were assured that the cleanup would be small, maybe 10 tons of soil removed at $5000 (on top of the $2500). In actual fact 50 tons(@ 400/ton) was removed and the site still wasn't clean. We finally told them to stop digging as we have no more money. The insepctor came ( for another $1800) and said the rather large hole could now be filled in. I asked about the oil still left in the ground & was told that over time the soil bacteria would "eat it".
so, in answer to the lady who asked if she should buy a house with oil contamination I'd say GO FOR IT. For anyone with an oil tank who wants to sell their house, if there's the slightest chance that your house will be demolished and rebuilt, DON'T REMOVE THAT TANK. Wait until the excavators come. It will be much cheaper & easier whether there's a leak or not.

What a headache and a way to fleece people indeed. Mine is real close to some drainage and concrete slab.
I read on http://www.diggerdicks.com/news.html following:
"Under fire code regulations, if the tank is located, for instance, beneath a paved driveway, foundation or slab patio, homeowners may be permitted simply to drain and fill the tank with sand."
I still need somebody that is prepared to decommission on that basis. Will keep you posted on what happens.

The Fire Protection guidelines are just that. They are for the safe removal of the tank based on Fire Protection.
If there is any evidence of contamination then provincial regulations apply. At that point the material has to be tested. If it is contaminated beyond permissible levels it has to be removed until it appears it is acceptable. Then it is tested on all sides and bottom. If test are still above the levels, then dig some more an repeat. If not then backfill and compact with clean compactable material.
Once it appears contaminated, a consultant with professional registration must be involved to certify that the test results are indicative of the site being clean.
The BC Contaminated sites legislation has set what levels of contamination are acceptable for different uses (residential, commercial, industrial)
Whether your house is a tear down or not does not change the requirements to clean it up. You will likely not be able to sell your house or land without a clean bill of health. You likely want to have a Certificate of Compliance under the contaminated Sites Legislation. If you become aware of contamination and hide it, you will become personally liable for clean up costs.
Oil is a natural substance but can do great harm,(like many organic substances) when they enter the environment.
The cost for testing are arrived at in a competitive market and do not go to the contractor.

There are not government funds for clean up or residents contamination be it a car leaking fuel or fuel tanks being left abandoned. Maybe there should be some form of help where clean up starts to out weigh home value and if clean up was done to previous government listed standards, but do homeowners not think they should be responsible for themselves? There has been talk about cleaning up oil tanks for over 20 years. Why should taxpayers pay to clean up your yard. When will people realize that “government paying” is just us paying.
The contractors charge the going rate.
No one can say how much it will cost because the extent and type of contamination are not known until the end. By getting quick results on test, you save on standby time for the crew.
Take responsibility for yourself. You can save money by prepping the area as much as possible yourself. Follow the guidelines given by the fire departments word for word. Make sure you know what is going on step by step and have paperwork, done at the time that backs up each step including photos. You can save overhead and profits charges from contractor by paying the consultant and testing charges directly.

Thanks for the reminders Kevin. The saga is still going. The tank removal people seems to really want to hang onto these soil samples and are not interested in the jobs where you do things directly in order to phase work as necessary to control costs. It has been very painful to get quotes for this well scoped tank cutout job (I have already cleared all access to the tank). Unregulated market and people beware IMO... Will keep you posted.

Some general questions and answers regarding heating oil tanks.

Why are underground heating oil tanks a concern? Historically, petroleum products have been stored in steel Underground Storage Tanks,(UST's). These steel tanks have a finite life expectancy (rust never sleeps) and when corrosion holes breach the tank shell or the welded seams of the tank fail, petroleum will leach into the environment. In response to both state and federal environmental requirements and emerging technology’s, replacement of single wall steel UST's have become a growing trend in order to remove the environmental liabilities associated with Leaking Underground Storage Tanks,(LUST's). Buried heating oil tanks raise a variety of environmental, safety, legal and economic concerns for home owners and home buyers. The largest concerns relating to environmental issues are heating oil leaks that cause soil or groundwater contamination. Economic issues consist of the cost and risks associated with testing, tank removal and site cleanup.

How do I know if a residential property has an underground storage tank?
Typically (85%) of the time there are tell-tale signs of an in ground oil tank such as a visible vent and/or filler pipes, disconnected oil lines coming through the foundation wall which were the supply and return lines from the heating oil tank, a concrete channel may be visible in the basement floor that leads to the furnace area.. Any of these physical signs is a good indication of a tank that has been removed or, there is still a tank in the ground.

To be more certain hire an environmental professional who is trained to look for this evidence as well as other key signs and who can also be equipped with a metal detector and a radio frequency locator or ground penetrating radar unit to evaluate a property for a suspect tank (UST).


We found an underground fuel oil tank, what do we do now? The phrase let the buyer beware should be listened too and an appropriate investigation of the tank should be performed. If this is a real estate transaction, under no condition purchase the house, no matter how “good the deal is” until the tank is removed and/or ground is tested by a licensed environmental company for any contamination. If the current owner does not have any paperwork on the tank, then assume such paperwork does not exist and an evaluation of the tank will be required.
It should be noted that the vast majority of oil tanks in the ground are not leaking, but tanks like roofs are an expendable items and require replacement. In addition if a buyer fails to investigate a tank and later (after the purchase) finds that the tank has leaked, the cost for cleanup will be the responsibility of the new owner.

More information on heating oil tanks can be found at www.currenenvironmental.com

Ooopsie forgot to wrapup saga story. SNR Tank removal ended up doing a bangup job and handed over the samples. Maxxam Analytics did the sample analysis work. City of Burnaby FD chief K. was awesome and am glad it is all over now.

Bottom line: be prepared to act as the prime contractor (i.e. doing some of the work including some googling research, freeing up access to tank, submitting result for analysis yourself, subsequent fill and last visit to FD office) and you should be able to limit the damage. Good luck!

So we are the proud owners of an old underground oil tank, which was never disclosed to us on the property disclosure , sadly we were naive as first time and we liked the house and thought it would be a good investment . Then we decided that we would like to sell ourt house and the realtor we used to sell the house said you have an old oil tank, we thought okay so what, well jokes on us cause it is a really big deal. We are so scared that it could cost us 30,000.00 or more but there is also the possibility of it costing much less. It is the uncertainty of how much it could cost that is scaring me.. Why are we responsible for the full cost of removal when we have only owned the house for four years, the house was built somewhere in the 1950,s somebody somewhere knew it existed cionsidering the previous owners had it for 10 years..I wish there was a grant or something that could help us out, we dont have a ton of equity inthe house so we dont have a ton of money... Any advice

nicole wrote:

So we are the proud owners of an old underground oil tank, which was never disclosed to us on the property disclosure , sadly we were naive as first time and we liked the house and thought it would be a good investment . Then we decided that we would like to sell ourt house and the realtor we used to sell the house said you have an old oil tank, we thought okay so what, well jokes on us cause it is a really big deal. We are so scared that it could cost us 30,000.00 or more but there is also the possibility of it costing much less. It is the uncertainty of how much it could cost that is scaring me.. Why are we responsible for the full cost of removal when we have only owned the house for four years, the house was built somewhere in the 1950,s somebody somewhere knew it existed cionsidering the previous owners had it for 10 years..I wish there was a grant or something that could help us out, we dont have a ton of equity inthe house so we dont have a ton of money... Any advice

We have just found out we have an oil tank buried (8 years later). On the Property Disclosure Report the previous owners said "no" for the question on oil tanks. I am wondering if the previous owner can be held liable in our case (and yours?). They did not choose "don't know" they said "no". We too are petrified of the potential cost, which would all have to be borrowed against the house. But, we know it has to be done for environmental/health reasons.

Does anyone know where in the metro-vancouver area I can dispose of the (uprooted) oil tank? I plan to do the digging and removal myself to save some of the cost... I called the vancouver landfill # and was told that they don't accept oil tanks (which is nice of them, considering that the city requires us to remove them from our porperty but then won't help us dispose of them).
Any ideas?
Thanks.

ZFL wrote:

Does anyone know where in the metro-vancouver area I can dispose of the (uprooted) oil tank? I plan to do the digging and removal myself to save some of the cost... I called the vancouver landfill # and was told that they don't accept oil tanks (which is nice of them, considering that the city requires us to remove them from our porperty but then won't help us dispose of them).
Any ideas?
Thanks.

This is supposed to be a regulated business although very borderline IMO. These tanks are tracked by the cities along with their disposal and contaminated soil. Would advise caution. If you want to control your costs, do it under some sort of an approved company. I was pleased with the one I referred earlier, although the job quite different from yours.

nicole wrote:

So we are the proud owners of an old underground oil tank, which was never disclosed to us on the property disclosure , sadly we were naive as first time and we liked the house and thought it would be a good investment . Then we decided that we would like to sell ourt house and the realtor we used to sell the house said you have an old oil tank, we thought okay so what, well jokes on us cause it is a really big deal. We are so scared that it could cost us 30,000.00 or more but there is also the possibility of it costing much less. It is the uncertainty of how much it could cost that is scaring me.. Why are we responsible for the full cost of removal when we have only owned the house for four years, the house was built somewhere in the 1950,s somebody somewhere knew it existed cionsidering the previous owners had it for 10 years..I wish there was a grant or something that could help us out, we dont have a ton of equity inthe house so we dont have a ton of money... Any advice

Under the Contaminated Sites regulation you have recourse to sue the previous owners and since the realtors have been involved name them also for not exercising due diligence and care in the sale. T

Rejean B wrote:

<quoted text>
This is supposed to be a regulated business although very borderline IMO. These tanks are tracked by the cities along with their disposal and contaminated soil. Would advise caution. If you want to control your costs, do it under some sort of an approved company. I was pleased with the one I referred earlier, although the job quite different from yours.

The tank can be taken to any metal recycling company (Richmond Steel, North Star, etc.) and if clean you can even get some money from it. Keep the Bill of Lading (i.e. the ticket they give you for disposal) for records. There is ABSOLUTELY no law saying that home owners cannot do their own removal work. In some municipalities you need a permit (certainly Vancouver) and if you suspect contamination then get sampling done by an independent professional engineer. It makes no sense to me why the well-educated homeowner does not see a conflict of interest when the contractor samples on their own job site. Gee, if I am charging $400/tonne for simple removal of soil and I find "contamination" then heck, I could make some more money. By the way, the remediation is just a fancy, technical work in residential jobs for digging and transporting soil. Prices should be similar to Regular excavation plus $20-$40/tonne for tipping fees at the treatment centre.$400/tonne is WAY TOO HIGH. Considering that you can easily dig out 50+ tonnes a day (one machine)- that would mean $20,000 of excavation and transportation. If machine time is $120/hr+$1200/day+trucking 50 tonnes at $1500, and treatment at $2000 + incidentials $1000 that would equal around $7000.$13,000 profit, in one day, now that's some good profit margins. Why stop digging??? Most smart contractors would continue to "show" the owner how dirty it is? I love it when the guy stands at the top of the excavation and tries to explain that the soil is really bad. Get an independent engineer (not hired by the contractor) to come out and sample. Get real analytical data/numbers and have the engineer explain the Ministry standards for contamination (i.e. 1000 ppm is allowed in soil!). Spend the money to have the consultant on site, and save thousands.

I was looking to buy a house that had a underground tank at one time. The house is now 35 years old. The current owner states that the tank was removed 15 or so years ago when gas was installed. The only records that could be found only state that the house has had gas for that long. No other records. My wife and I hired a company and they have told us that they did not find any tanks on the property. I was told they searched the entire property. If the tank was removed "by the owner" that long ago should I be concerned?

My parents have recently passed away and my siblings and I have their house up for sale. An offer came in and with it an inspector who mentioned there could be an oil tank on the property. We hired Speedy Oil Tank Removal to do the job. They quoted around $2500 to remove and fill without contamination. The job started Monday with 3 guys with shovels. They found contamination. It is now Friday and there are now 6 guys working the site, 2 double trailer semis, a backhoe, a bobcat....3 trees have been taken down as well as the fence, and the digging started into the neighbours yard this morning! I was dumbfounded and shocked and asked the crew to halt work immediately until I could make some calls, get more information, advice, whatever....The contractor advised I had no authority as I had not signed the contract (my brother-in-law did)..My sister is executor of the estate and has the final say in everything and goes along with everything this guy advices, no questions asked. Its crazy! Anyway, mayhem ensued and it is totally out of control. The job is at around $50,000 right now, we are liable for all the damage to the neighbours yard, on and on.....I need someone in the know to come out to advise me (us). How far do we go? The oil has been in the ground already for at least 25 years unused. What more damage can it do? The situation is out of control but the work has now stopped for the weekend so I have a bit of time here. Please advise!! Note: so glad I found this forum with all your comments!

I know a geotech. engineer. While his company essentially runs on money from hydrocarbon contamination asessment/remediation from old gas station sites and residential properties, he privately admits that the problem is overstated but the engineering companies won't say that publicly - in fact lobby for more regulation.
I am a pharmacologist trained at the doctoral level. When you look at the toxicity of fuel oil to various living systems, it is very low. If it is such a problem that "a pin hole in an oil tank can cause untold environmental damage" as stated by the West Van. Fire Dept. why are they not going around checking oil pan plugs on cars or inspecting parking spots in garages? There are thousands of litres of motor oil contamination - that washes into storm drains - on every roadway.
All that home owners should be required to do is to have the oil pumped out and the tank filled with an appropriate sorbant material. If the surrounding soil is visually saturated with oil then it should have to be removed as well. The lab testing for minute levels of oil residue & excavation of tanks is an unnecessary and ridiculous expense for property owners.

West Vancouver, BC, has the highest fee of all municipalities on the lower mainland and that's just to get a permit from the Fire Department to have the oil tank removed. It was a whopping $525 but has been recently reduced to $350. Leaving some homeowners who had their tanks removed why they are out $200!

Worse, West Vancouver just sent letters to property owners who are suspected to have underground oil tanks, that they will be issued an annual fee of $250. West Vancouverites have been questioning the mismanagement of their government since soon after Mayor Goldmsith-Jones took office several years ago.

Here are the results of research I’ve done so far regarding the cost of oil tank removal permits (based on research in 2008):
Burnaby -$50
North Vancouver District - NO permit required
North Vancouver City -$72
Surrey -$15
New Westminster -$105
City of Vancouver -$300
Langley - NO oil tank removal program
West Vancouver (where I live)- a whopping $525 (now $350)
Not exactly fair!

Further, the quotes I got from oil tank removal companies vary by up to 100%.

Before this problem reaches rip-off proportions like the leaky condo crisis, government MUST intervene - if it is as concerned about the environment as it says it is.

The US has a trust fund established by Congress in 1986. However, many of the state oil cleanup programs do not work because some states have problems handling the funds which reached $2.16 billion in 2004.
In the US, here are some of the states which offer substantial financial assistance for residential oil tank removal and I haven’t finished my research yet:
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Vermont
Maine
Maryland
New York
Alaska
New Hampshire
Wisconsin
The United Kingdom offers financial assistance for residential oil tank removal.
New Jersey’s criteria for financial assistance to remove one’s oil tank is that the homeowners combined income must not exceed $250,000. The value of the property doesn’t matter.
CANADA, BC, AND VANCOUVER MUNICIPALITIES OFFER NO FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE WHATSOEVER.
Further, to add insult to injury, those taxpayers who inherited property but are broke, ill, or a combination of the two, are being forced to sell a home to pay for oil tank removal but cannot sell the home until we remove the tank, while the property will remain uninsured because no insurance company will insure a property with an underground oil tank. WHAT THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?
To just say, oh, call these companies and put a list endorsing your friends’ companies is easy and shallow.
To try for change requires vision, courage, honesty, ethics, and a sense of humanity and reality that many of you who earn much more than I do have no idea about. You are, indeed, living the high life at other people’s expense, literally. That’s capitalism for you. The weak get weaker and the strong pounce upon them and gather up their belongings the minute they die. Vultures, leeches, and vampires.

I truly feel sorry for anyone who has an oil tank on their property, but I feel sorry for us all because everything we do is dangerous for our environment. And that is what our government fails to deal with.