How Do I Know if My Soil is Contaminated?

There are 2 characteristics of contamination that may or may not be present when removing an oil tank; however, the only conclusive way to make an assessment would be to submit the samples to a laboratory and test them for the appropriate suspect contaminates.  Once a tank is removed, there are a few indicators your soil may have issues.  Visually, the first thing you may notice is blue soil around the nest of the excavation from which the tank was extracted.  It is true that it can be blue clay that is native to your property; however, most times unfortunately this is an indicator that the tank has leaked into the soil at one point.  Keep in mind that just because the soil is blue it does not necessarily mean that the soils are contaminated.  In fact, if the soil is blue and does not emit any odor, there is a probability that over time the soils hydrocarbon levels have diluted and is now below the legal limit. On the other hand, if any hydrocarbon vapors (odors) can be detected from the soil, this usually indicates that there is a higher probability that the sample may be over the acceptable limits set by the Ministry of Enviroment.   Regardless of what characteristics are present in the soil, the only true way to assess the soils contents is to sample and submit the samples to an independent laboratory for testing.

For examples of contaminated properties, please visit our gallery and check out some pictures of Remediation.

 

Can You Tell How Far the Contamination Has Spread Once You Have Removed the Tank?

Unfortunately there is no guaranteed way to determine the severity of the contamination upon removal of the tank.  You may bring in a drilling rig and take core samples throughout the yard but that can get very costly and is not always accurate. There are many factors that are involved in the spread and severity of contamination:

  • Soil conditions
  • When the tank started leaking?
  • How full of oil was the tank?
  • How high is the water table?
  • What type of slope is in the yard?

For examples of contaminated properties, please visit our gallery and check out some pictures of Remediation.