In an article by the Woodstock Times, the hamlet of Bearsville in Woodstock, New York has recently removed most of the 14 underground oil tanks in their area. The local council said that, if left untouched, the tanks might leak oil and contaminate the town’s water supply, thus forcing them to take action by hiring private contractors. So far their efforts have made Bearsville relatively safer, although there are still three tanks left to deal with.

Bearsville’s sentiment regarding underground tanks is the same thing felt by many people from New Jersey and they always make it clear to call NJ oil tank removal companies, like NJ Tank Removal, whenever they discover one. These companies have the necessary equipment and expertise to handle the removal process seamlessly and with as little damage to property as possible. Removing buried storage tanks is not always a pleasant job, but the inconvenience of some excavation work pales in comparison to the damage that these tanks can cause.

Most oil tanks that Americans usually stumble across in their basements or when digging in their lawns are 275-gallon steel tanks that are likely to be several decades old. These are not designed to last for more than 20 years and can therefore rupture because of rust; leaking their contents to the soil. In the case of Bearsville, the council feared that these long-forgotten tanks will poison the town’s aquifer and network of underground wells.

The likelihood of this happening in New Jersey is arguably much higher because there are about 14,000 underground tanks scattered throughout the state, according to a September 2012 report by the Environmental Protection Agency. Unfortunately, state laws impede the process of getting these tanks removed. For instance, the state of New York can only handle the removal of tanks that have a minimum capacity of 1,100 gallons; leaving Bearsville residents to fend for themselves to remove the smaller ones they find underground.

This is why it is important to work with NJ oil tank sweep companies like NJ Tank Removal. Not only are they capable of removing old tanks that state laws can’t touch, these companies can also inspect residences for any traces of a buried oil tank that homeowners are usually unaware of. They use state-of-the-art technology and procedures like soil testing and low-psi tank pressure tests.

After all, prevention is much better than cure. While Bearsville was lucky to have dealt with their storage tank problem early on, some people in New Jersey may not be as much. Therefore, action must be taken immediately.

An article on the KVOA.com website dated July 5, 2013 details the dangers of having an underground oil tank. The article notes that across the nation, over 500,000 spills of hazardous materials are caused by these damaged and old storage tanks. They pose a significant danger when the substances manage to contaminate underground water supplies.

Numerous homes in New Jersey are also faced with the problem of having unwanted underground storage tanks for oil. Most of these aged structures are well beyond their 10 to 20 years of useful life, which could contaminate the ground and any water supply lines buried deep. Thankfully, convenient NJ oil tank removal is a phone call away, since homeowners can hire companies like Core Environmental Services to dig out the leaking liability.

The article states that the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) received numerous reports of more than 8,500 leaking underground storage tanks across the state. The department has cleaned up about 7,500 of them, although they still receive reports from concerned citizens. The ADEQ can’t stress enough that previous owners of a tank should either maintain the storage, properly seal it, or destroy it before they abandon their lot.

According to the ADEQ, most tanks used to be built out of bare and untreated steel, which corrodes after long periods of time. Naturally, a corroded tank would give way to leaking, spilling its contents underground. Since the late 1990’s, most of the older tanks have been upgraded to newer, more durable kinds, yet there are still plenty of companies that use the previous models.

Arizona’s case isn’t isolated; the entire country is littered with tanks that spew petroleum. There are about 465,000 leaking tanks all across America, especially in rural areas that still depend on the older types of tanks. The liquid can seep into reservoirs, turning the water poisonous, and too much petroleum could eventually even pose a serious fire and explosion threat. Those living in New Jersey might want to call a company that specializes in tank removal in NJ to help them stop the leaks.

Just because a leaking underground tank is buried deep beneath the ground, it doesn’t mean it’s never going to affect you. The dangers of a fuel leak are real, and those planning to move into a new home should inquire whether or not the lot has a new or old tank. It’s highly recommended that folks immediately dig up a tank, leaking or not, if they discover that it’s a pre-1990 model.