On Dec 16, 3:31 pm, "RonABC" wrote:

My real question is, if an underground oil tank on a residential property
needs to be removed, and it is found to have been leaking, -- and it is NOT
near any structures and is out in the open -- is the cost of removal more or
less self-limiting?

Yes and no.

I had a tank removed by an environmental services company. One of the
soil samples taken from below the tank indicated minor leakage. A
test of the well water came back clean. The information was submitted
to the state EPA who decided no action needed to be taken. Case
closed, oil tank gone, and I have the paperwork to show that it was
done right. (This all cost $1500 or $2000 - don't remember which.)

But, what if there'd been oil in the well water? How can that be
cleaned up for any price?

The guy who did the work told me about one of the local oil suppliers
who somehow dumped 500 gallons of fuel oil into somebody's backyard.
The cleanup cost was so high that the oil company ended up buying the
whole property.

Research your local regulations. My state has a fund that reimburses
homeowners for heating oil tank cleanup costs. You might find
something like that. The government really doesn't want to bankrupt
homeowners. They're after the big offenders - the gas stations that
pump thousands of gallons of fuel into the groundwater.