Oil Tank Cleanup in New Jersey, Pennsylvania & Delaware

Underground oil tanks were widely used throughout the Northeastern United States. New Jersey and Pennsylvania historically have some of the highest fuel oil usage. Many tanks are still in service, and many leaking USTs were replaced with ASTs. 99.999 of oil tanks are bare steel, which is highly susceptible to corrosion.  Rust never sleeps and over time the tanks rust, leading to the failure of the tank, with small holes opening up that allow any remaining oil to leak into the environment. Think of a small leak in your car tire, you keep filling it up and air keeps escaping. USTS does not have the sophisticated leak detection of gas stations, so oil leaks and the owner keeps filling it, just like a car tire.

Heating oil contamination in soil and groundwater causes environmental and health issues (vapors can enter a home) but the biggest hazard is to your bank account, as oil tank cleanup or remediation is expensive.  Environmental laws are unfair and place the burden of cleanup on the property owner called the RP (Responsible Party).   That is why tank sweeps are one of the most prudent forms of Due Diligence buyers can perform when purchasing real estate.

Leaking tanks, and even the mere presence of an oil tank, is also a legal liability and can cause issues when selling or purchasing a property. It is highly recommended that property owners avoid these issues by hiring a licensed and certified company to remove and test oil tanks before they put a property up for sale. This includes tanks that may be filled in place and you lack a report with testing data that explicitly states the tank did not leak.

Ok, so you know metal oil tanks leak, now what?

Know that not all tank leaks demand remediation, there are allowable levels of oil that can remain in the ground. The rub is the company that removed your tank should have collected samples on the day of removal to be able to make that determination. Many companies do not trust because they want to remediate, I know not ethical, but we see it all too often.   If your tank leaks and you do not have testing data, you will likely have to have the area sampled to determine oil levels.

Now let's say you have samples and they are all above standard, you will have to remediate, meaning digging up oil-contaminated soil, the rub is you likely do not have the OTHER soil samples you would need to determine how far the oil has migrated.  You would need to go into a diagnostic mode or as we call it delineation.

Your tank leaked, you have reams of testing data, now you actually know that the oil has migrated say 16’ deep and it goes 12’ toward your neighbor, stops 2’ from your foundation and give feet in the two other directions. You have a road map as to where, how deep and how much soil needs removal and also replacement of same. This is a logistical issue now as you need equipment that may or may not fit in the area, you may have to cross a sidewalk that can break from weight of equipment and the weight of soil. You may also find that contamination has gone deeper than your foundation and will be unable to safely dig up the soil without structurally shoring up the foundation. Sounds like a lot, right? It is.

Curren Environmental has been doing oil tank cleanup remediation for close to 30 years. You likely do not have a problem we have not dealt with, and we likely also know how to save money on aspects of the work. It helps to own all our equipment and do all work in-house, you avoid markup from subcontractors and the delay.

There are funding sources in NJ and PA to help homeowners with remediation expenses.   Pennsylvania allows you to submit, The Pennsylvania program is administered by DEP's Storage Tank Cleanup Program and will reimburse eligible heating oil tank owners (3,000 gallons or less) for the costs of corrective action associated with a release. The tank owner must pay a $1,000 deductible. The reimbursement is limited to the remaining eligible costs or $4,000, whichever is less. The reimbursement and deductible apply on a per-tank basis. All reimbursements are funded through the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund and up to $750,000 per year may be available.

New Jersey shockingly has a better program and odds are you will not need as much money as New Jersey can provide, the rub is there is an average 3-year weight to get monies, which is only because the program is so encompassing. Curren can assist you in submitting to this grant program.

Pro Tip

If you are selling and can’t wait you can have the remediation completed, sell the home, and apply to be reimbursed. We understand complex NJDEP requirements and have experience working on projects of all sizes, we know exactly what is needed and who is or does not apply to the grant.

Licensed Oil Tank Contamination & Remediation Specialists 

Nearly 100% of people who call us after hiring someone else’s tell Curren they wished they called us first.   We have been doing oil tank cleanup for over 26 years. We offer complete environmental cleanup capabilities, from oil tank location and tank removal to full site remediation. No matter how large or small your oil tank cleanup project may be, Curren Environmental can assist you.

We touch thousands of sites a year, every oil tank cleanup project is different but all have the same theme, get the site cleaned up and be as economical as possible. Some remediation projects are straightforward and others involve a multitude of factors that have to be thought out and planned out.  We are environmental experts and offer a free initial consultation.

888-301-1050