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February 8, 2015

Do You Have an Underground Oil Tank?

Bylaws have existed in the North Vancouver area for several decades about out-of-use underground oil tanks and oil tank removal North Vancouver has become the only course of action. The go-to tactic for many years in the past was to simply fill these oil tanks with sand or another material and call the problem solved. As you might expect, this has caused several issues. Oil can contaminate the soil as well as the water in the area. This can not only damage the market quality of the affected properties, but it has a significant health impact as this oil can travel much further than simply a few feet away from the tank. It can drain into rivers, lakes, other properties, and even waterways. Because of this, what was once a minor spill can quickly become a big headache for not only the authorities and the owner of the original property, but also the owners of each property that is affected.

Oil tank removal North Vancouver is your best course of action and of the utmost importance. The authorities do not take on the financial and legal burden of removing underground oil tanks. In fact, the burden is solely taken by the current owner of the property which means that if you’re the one holding the deed when things go south well, you’re the one footing the bill and dealing with the consequences.

While it is required for you to be made aware of all features of a property prior to purchasing it, it can occasionally happen that things get missed or things get intentionally left out. It’s a homeowner’s worst nightmare and it often comes true. Luckily, it usually comes true in ways that don’t have so many risks. Unfortunately, the case of an out-of-use oil tank is one way that it can either ruin you financially, or get you into legal trouble. It can happen that the oil tank has been ignored for such a long time that there is actually a permanent building above it now, thereby making it either extremely difficult or impossible for the tank to be removed without destroying the structure.

You must first figure out if you have an oil tank and if it is in a position that makes it possible to remove it. There are companies like West Coast Tank Recovery who do oil tank removal North Vancouver that can not only remove oil tanks (of course), but also act as inspectors who can figure out if there even is an oil tank and whether or not it’s been properly capped. This is best during the buying process, as the seller would be responsible for the costs, but if you discover a tank when you are the owner it is still a wise decision to arrange for oil tank removal North Vancouver. It definitely beats a bill of over $100,000 should the tank deteriorate and contaminate surrounding properties.