On 25 Feb 2005 18:41:38 -0800, "Harry K"
wrote:

John/Charleston wrote:
On Fri, 25 Feb 2005 17:15:37 -0500, Speedy Jim wrote:

John/Charleston wrote:
I have a 1959 house that I'm fixing up and there seems to be an
oil
tank buried in the back yard. The house no longer has an oil
furnace,
but I poked a stick down the fill tube in the yard and it was
coated
with 12" or so of oil when I brought it back up. I have no idea
of
the capacity or shape of the tank so I don't know if this
represents
20 or 200 gals of oil! What can I do with this? Do I need to
call
a toxic waste disposal co and pay big$$$ or should I apply for a
federal grant as a superfund site?
Located in Charleston, SC

Thanks,
John

Maybe start with a call to a local fuel oil supplier.
Ask what local practice is.
The co. may even offer a de-commissioning service
or know who to call.

That's a good idea...there's got to be a simple way to pump whatever
remaining oil out of the tank and dispose of it properly. I can't
imagine I'm the only one with an oil tank in the backyard.

Thanks again,
John

You will find that you also have to decommission the tank. Just
getting rid of the oil isn't enough. May have to dig it up or fill
with some inert substance.

Harry K

In Charleston, the decommissioning was complete the day that homeowner
decided to stop using the fuel oil in that tank. Now maybe in upstate
New York, especially in the towns surrounding the Love Canal, I'll bet
the local governments have created laws forcing homeowners to dispose
of their old fuel oil storage tanks.

Bill