How much does it cost
to remediate (cleanup) an oil tank leak?
Finding oil in ground in the Beverly Hillbillies television show is very different than finding oil in the ground from a leaking oil tank on your property. We get calls daily asking what does it cost to cleanup an oil tank leak? Cleanup of tank leaks can be as little as $4,000.00 and can skyrocket to over $100,000.00.
The above photo is a cleanup that was over $100,00.00.
The cost to cleanup a leaking oil tank directly relates to how much oil has leaked from the tank and for how long. How would anyone know this information? By just removing the tank, no one would know. You see even small pin holes can allow a substantial amount of oil to leak.
Think about it this way, if you made a pin hole in a gallon of milk, would you have a big mess? Of course, you would, the only thing that would stop the milk leaking is when the milk container was empty and regarding oil tanks, they get refilled, and leaks can go undetected by the owner.
That said leaking tanks can be treated like finding a cancer, you can do testing to determine the extent of the leak. Once the area of contamination is known, then costs can be accurately calculated. Clearly the bigger the area, the more expensive. The deeper the contamination has spread will also trigger the need to support a foundation as most tanks are installed close to the dwelling, they were heating.
Yes, oil comes from the ground, but most likely no oil reserves are below your property. Tanks leaks are a headache and can take a bite out of wallet. At Curren Environmental we have over 25 years of experience dealing with leaks, we offer a free consultation and if you have already completed testing, we can review your data and provide remedial option. We perform all work with in-house personnel and equipment, that keeps cost down.
Free Initial Consultation
888-301-1050
Not every tank leaks and not every tank leak requires remediation. The hard part is finding a company that is that honest to say that and look out for your best interest.
We started in the 1990's, touch 1000's of projects every year and never had a bad year. Being honest with clients, we do all work inhouse to save clients' money and time.
If your tank leaked, any cost to clean up the leak is contingent on the concentration of the oil (low level of petroleum can be left in place) as well as how far the oil has spread, migrated, moved through the soil. This area also called the plume is defined in terms of X' long, X' deep and X' wide and extrapolated into tons of soil requiring remediation.
Once you know how far the oil has spread you can evaluate what is the most cost-effective approach to remediation. You do this by performing soil test borings which is just as it sounds boring (drilling) into the ground and testing the soil.
Once you know where and how much to remediate you can remediate which is typically excavation to remove the petroleum impacted soils.
Expert Advice 888-301-1050