Underground Tank Location

Norcon can assist the property owner or real estate buyer in determining if an underground tank currently exists, or previously existed at a site. Norcon completes this investigation in several ways:

• Review public records, including local construction permits.
• Search for sub-surface anomalies with a magnetometer to locate undocumented underground storage tanks.
• Inspect low spots from where a tank might have been remove.
• Conduct soil borings in suspect areas.
• Perform laboratory analysis to test for petroleum hydrocarbons.

Tank Removal
For over 10 years, our team has been safely removing all types of Petroleum Underground Storage Tanks. Our staff will work with you and for you to assure that this process goes as quickly and smoothly as possible. If you are selling your home or business, converting to a new above ground oil tank or to gas, or would just like to remove a tank no longer in use, Norcon is the company for you!

The Process:
• Before any work is done, we will visit your property, at no charge to you, to perform a site inspection. This will allow Norcon to look at the location of the tank and give you the best price to remove the tank. Typically we will deliver your proposal within three business days. Once you accept the proposal we will contact your township to obtain all of the proper permits and schedule an inspection. At the time that the tank removal is scheduled we will also take further precaution by having all underground utility lines marked out to prevent any damage of sub-surface lines.
• The soil above the tank will be excavated, evaluated, and segregated, the tank will be cut open, entered, and cleaned out according to guidelines set forth by the American Petroleum Institute. For more info, please visit the American Petroleum Institutes Web-Site at: http://api-ec.api.org/newsplashpage/index.cfm Once the tank has been thoroughly cleaned it will then be removed from its location in the ground. The tank will be inspected for any holes by our staff and a township official, usually from the construction or health department. The ground surrounding the tank and the soil under the location of the tank will be inspected for any discharge. Once the tank has been inspected and cleared for recycling, the excavated area will be backfilled with the previously excavated overburden and clean fill material (from a quarry) to grade level. Our office staff will then submit the proper documentation (receipts, disposal tickets) to the township in order to allow the township to close out their permit file.

Tank Abandonment
In the instance that a "UST" or "Underground Storage Tank" is located in an area where as the removal of that tank may cause an impact to the structural integrity of the building, a structure such as a septic tank or pool, or a deck or patio, the method of Tank Abandonment "may" be recommended. This process is similar to a tank removal except that the tank is not removed from its location. Once the tank has been thoroughly cleaned, holes are cut in the bottom of the tank so that the soil directly beneath the tank can be sampled and analyzed for Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPHC). If the soil samples do not exhibit any evidence of heating oil, then the tank can be filled with an inert material such as sand or concrete slurry and be permanently sealed and left in its location. In the event that there is evidence such as oil odor or residue in the soil, the tank will be secured but not filled until the results of the soil samples received from the lab.

Spill Remediation
If there is evidence of a spill from the UST, Norcon will typically conduct a simple site investigation, taking 2 or more samples from soils beneath the tank. Not all releases mean an expensive clean up! For example, in some cases where there has been a discharge from an underground storage tank, the soil sample results may not be in violation of applicable NJDEP standards and we can just properly document the conditions and request that the NJDEP Case Manager close the case with a No Further Action (NFA) Letter.

Because Norcon is certified in the Unregulated Heating Oil Tank Program (UHOT), site remediation does not have to mean a long, expensive process. If only soils are impacted, the site remediation can be completed on the same day as the tank removal, and contaminated soils are typically removed from the site within 3-4 weeks. As a pre-certified consultant in the UHOT program Norcon can get NJDEP approval of a clean up and remedial action report (RAR) within 30 days of submission, in most cases. For more information, please go to:

http://www.nj.gov/dep/srp/unregulatedtanks/

http://www.nj.gov/dep/srp/finance/ustfund/ustfund_faq.htm

http://www.newtanksnj.org/default.aspx