Three Tanks, One Challenge
At a former gasoline station property in Virginia’s Piedmont region, Pollard Environmental encountered conditions that extended beyond simple underground tank removals. Our initial investigation identified petroleum-contaminated soil beneath the tanks and former fuel pumps. When our team removed the tanks we observed extensive metal corrosion, including multiple holes in two of the tanks. Working in coordination with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ), Pollard performed additional excavation (and proper disposal) of contaminated soils to a depth approaching 11 feet. Once excavating was complete, our team backfilled the affected areas and restored the site’s surface grade. Pollard also secured financial assistance from the Virginia Petroleum Storage Tank Fund (VPSTF) to help with the environmental corrective action costs.
VDEQ environmental compliance includes an assessment of groundwater impact to ensure that risk to human health and the environment are satisfactorily mitigated. The soil sampling/analysis data indicated minimal impact to groundwater, and the case was closed.
This project demonstrates why proper underground tank removal involves more than taking tanks out of the ground. The work required careful excavation around existing pavement, a nearby building, and buried utilities that included a underground natural gas line. Further, environmental compliance knowledge and decision-making was vital to meeting VDEQ requirements while financial assistance was accessed to minimize out-of-pocket costs to the client.
