By Christine Pearsall and Angela Marshall
Oil tanks leak havoc under homes
Residents of Nassau County are singing their own version of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" as they grapple with the latest environmental issue to hit suburbia - buried oil tanks. These tanks, many of which are leaking, are increasingly raising environmental, economic, safety and legal concerns, not only for homeowners, but for prospective homebuyers as well.
"My neighborhood looked like a war zone," said a North Merrick resident, who asked to remain anonymous. Like an epidemic, leaks sprang up in her suburban neighborhood causing an army of government officials and contractors to swarm the area. "There were cranes and backhoes everywhere. The DEC required that we test the dirt surrounding the tank; we had scaffolding going more than15 feet feet deep in some areas. Because the tank was placed so close to the edge of the house, we were afraid the foundation would collapse."
Ms. Martin, not her real name, said that when she called to find out why her recently-filled tank was empty, her oil distributing company reported her right away. Within 24 hours she found herself in the midst of a nightmare. "Several of my neighbors were faced with the same problem."
Ms. Martin and her neighbors did not want to give their names because they felt knowledge of their problem would decrease the values of their homes. "We're all cleaned up now, but there is a stigma that sticks with land that once had a spill."
Total cost of clean-up for Ms. Martin's leak - more than $10,000 and that's just a drop in the bucket, according to some experts in the field. "The clean-up can cost $20,000 or much more," according to a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) pamphlet.
And, according to the DEC, many insurance policies contain a "pollution exclusion" clause, which means the homeowner is stuck with the entire bill.
According to Walter Hang, of Toxics Targeting, there have been over 1,600 such leaks reported in Nassau County. Toxics Targeting is an Ithaca-based company specializing in computerized environmental reports. There are currently 323 leaks that don't meet clean-up standards. But Mr. Hang warned that people should recognize that these are just reported cases. While there can be as much as a $25,000 a day fine for not reporting a spill, Mr. Hang said, it happens.
Experts have found that many people are reluctant to call anyone concerning a potential leak, fearing they're opening a Pandora's box. "If there is a leak, then all hell breaks loose," said a spokesman from the Strux Corporation, a Queens-based tank testing, cleaning and removal company. However, he said, "You can't just walk away from it."
With "tens of thousands" of these tanks in Nassau County, according to Mr. Hang, there are likely to be many more leaks to come if people don't take action to remove their aging tanks.
Traditionally, heating oil tanks were made of bare steel, with installation procedures and standards recommending that they be buried outside. This was not a problem as long as the homes and the tanks were relatively young. However, as both homes and tanks age (the life expectancy of a home heating oil tank is 10-25 years depending on the brand), corrosive elements such as water, in combination with oil by-products like sulfur, cause tank failure by rust penetration from inside the tank.
Leaking USTs (underground storage tanks) can cause a multitude of problems, all of which have potentially ruinous results. Environmentally, heating oil leaking into the soil causes contamination of both soil and water. Economically, the high cost and risk of testing tanks, tank removal or abandonment, site clean-up and litigation can be exorbitant. From a safety standpoint, old, decrepit tanks, if not abandoned and filled properly, can collapse, causing surrounding ground to do the same.
Any one of these issues alone is enough to concern a homeowner, but combined, the consequences raised by leaking tanks can be disastrous for both the homeowner and the environment.
Of course, the best defense is always a good offense, especially concerning USTs. Alan Levi, president of OSI-Oil Services said that one of the best preventative measures a homeowner can take is to rely on a reputable, full-service oil company, "It's wise to use a full-service company because they will come in at least once a year to service equipment. They can monitor oil usage year to year and will be aware of any changes that might signify a leak." Should a leak be discovered, Mr. Levi said, a good oil company will know what steps to take and which authorities to notify.
Even residents who use gas heat should be aware of this potential problem because as a Strux spokesman put it: "The laws and litigation don't stop at your property."
Oil leaks on neighboring properties could mean big bucks to those who don't have tanks. The oil doesn't recognize property lines and there have been cases where residents had to pay to clean-up leaks that aren't theirs because it seeped onto their land.
Preventative maintenance is the surest, safest and least expensive way to deal with aging, but still intact oil tanks. However, given the inevitability of an eventual leak, there are other steps a homeowner can take to protect himself and the environment.
One of those steps is to have an existing tank pressure tested. Although pressure testing can effectively detect a leak, it should not be done on tanks over ten years old, as the test itself could damage an already aging tank and cause more harm than good.
Another way a leak can be detected is through soil boring. With this method, soil samples are taken from areas surrounding the buried tank to determine the presence of leaked oil. However, this method can be quite costly, especially if the tank is buried under a driveway, deck or patio.
Although both types of testing are effective, they can only prove that a tank is not leaking at that point. They cannot predict any future leaks. Given their potential costliness, (between $300-500, according to the DEC) it is often wiser to abandon or completely replace the tanks with above ground models, than it is to test them. Detailed testing information and a list of companies that perform them is available through the DEC by calling (518) 457-4351.
Tank abandonment is one way to deal with an old tank, even if it is not leaking. Abandonment in place, as it is technically known, is a process in which residual oil left in the tank is pumped out, the tank is cleaned and then filled with inert matter such as sand or cement. It is an effective way of dealing with the problem without going through a complete removal and more than 21,000 residents have chosen this method since 1987, according to Cynthia Brown, spokeswoman for the Nassau County Department of Health.
However, tank abandonment does pose some concerns of its own. Future plans to build in that area might require the tanks removal, which could be more costly than removing it now.
Sandy Fortel, of Rockville Realty, said that tank removal is probably the best solution, "We advise all our homeowners to remove their tanks and ward off future problems."
Costs of tank removal vary greatly depending on a number of factors including size but are generally between $500 and $2,500, according to the DEC. This estimate does not include the cost of tank replacement, sampling and testing of the ground, and clean-up if a leak is found.
Testing, abandonment, removal - none of these options are cheap. But, added together none come anywhere close to what it would cost to clean up a leak. Anyone who believes that they have a leak should call the DEC's spill hotline at 1-800-457-7362.
