Underground Storage Tank (UST) Removal Management

Underground storage tanks (USTs) are used to store petroleum products for furnaces as well as for fuel for motor vehicles. The presence of the petroleum tanks usually comes to light during due diligence work associated with real estate transactions. Often this news is greeted with a fair amount of anxiety for fear that the tank may have leaked over the years and that the real estate deal could be threatened by the presence of contaminants. It has been True North's experience that this is not usually the case.

True North Environmental has conducted numerous UST closures (where the tank is either filled or removed) in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County area and throughout Central Virginia. Usually soil samples are collected near the base of the tank and submitted to a laboratory for analysis. If the results indicate that a leak has occurred, our clients are informed and are advised as to the reporting requirements of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

The Virginia Petroleum Storage Tank Fund (VPSTF) reimburses homeowners for state required cleanup, or remediation, of any contamination associated with leaking underground storage tanks (LUSTs). While the program does not make the experience any more pleasant for those confronting LUSTs, it does provide substantial financial relief for residential (as well as commercial) sites significantly impacted by contaminants. 

True North Environmental  will, under most situations, conduct the required work via "assignment of the fund" from our clients.  This means that our clients will only be  "out of pocket" in the amount of $500 for residential cases and $5000 for commercial cases.  Please contact us to learn more about this program.

The link provided below can provide more information to Virginia's heating tank regulations and programs: http://www.deq.state.va.us/tanks/homepage.html.

The series of photos on the right hand side of the page are from a job completed by True North in Charlottesville, Virginia. The upper photo shows a vacuum truck removing residual liquid from the tank. A picture of the excavation pit follows this photo after the tank was removed. Two soil samples were collected from the base of the tank and submitted to a laboratory for the appropriate analysis. In this particular instance (which is often the case) the soil samples did not indicate the presence of hydrocarbon contaminants.

The tank was cut and cleaned and transported to a scrap yard for disposal (pictured here) and the pit was filled with clean backfill and the surface area was seeded and stabilized with straw. True North completed a report that included photos, laboratory analysis and a description of field activities. Documentation regarding tank removals/closures is very important especially where property transactions occur.

Please contact True North Environmental if you have any questions or are in need of consulting services associated with USTs.