Soil contamination
Soil contamination
(OP)
in 1998, 3 UST's were removed from property we are looking to buy. The property used to be a gas station. I have several questions:
1). Did the people who removed the tanks have to do an environmental inspection?
2). Is their "closing report" sufficient, or do I need a Phase I inspection?
3). If there WAS any contamination of the ground from the fuel, wouldn't it have dissipated after so long?
4). If not, what (if anything) can we do about it (or what do we need to do)?
5). Is the person who is telling us we HAVE to do Phase I / Phase II / Phase III inspections blowing smoke?
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
1). Did the people who removed the tanks have to do an environmental inspection?
2). Is their "closing report" sufficient, or do I need a Phase I inspection?
3). If there WAS any contamination of the ground from the fuel, wouldn't it have dissipated after so long?
4). If not, what (if anything) can we do about it (or what do we need to do)?
5). Is the person who is telling us we HAVE to do Phase I / Phase II / Phase III inspections blowing smoke?
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
RE: Soil contamination
RE: Soil contamination
RE: Soil contamination
Also, closure requirements have changed since 1998 (At least here in CA), and what might have been considered allowable to stay in place then might not be acceptable today.
Natural degradation depends on several factors, including the material released, the geology of the site, and how much was remaining.
Without a Phase I, you don't "know" that the tanks only held gasoline. It was not uncommon in the past to use the same tank for several products-you won't know until you look. The Closure Report is a starting point-your Ph I assessor will need to review it and see if it is complete, or has lots of holes in the data.
RE: Soil contamination
We don't need lenders for the property itself; we've already got that money. Later, we may need a lender for refinancing, but contamination (if any) is minimal. We're talking about micrograms per liter, and since everything is below the reporting limit (all confirmed by an OUTSIDE testing source, not the company that pulled the tanks), I feel confident that there's no "shenanigans" going on.
Neither the county nor the city requires such an inspection.
RE: Soil contamination