I go on vacation for a week and all hell breaks loose. One of my tenants calls me last Wednesday, he’s cleaning up the yard (and actually doing a great job).
There used to be a garage in this yard and all that remains is the block foundation sticking out of the ground. When he removed the top row of block he found oil filling the holes in the next row of block (great previous homeowner).
Now I have to go to the city on monday and find out the best way to go about clearing this up.
I should’ve stayed on vacation…..
Replies
dang man, why go to the city and open a can of worms?
Siphon it out of there with a manual fishtank pump type of thing or soak it up with a bunch of rags till there's nothing left.
Why would you want to involve the city government? The city government and the majority of Building Inspectors are not your friend.
Years back a rental kept having to have a septic tank pumped out. The real problem was water runoff from the roof concentrated and saturated the ground by the septic and would eventually seep into the tank.
Not thinking he calls the county to ask what should be done and the next day a red sticker is on the door.
5 grand at '80s money later and an aerator pump that wears out once a year was the answer when a simple gutter channeling runoff from the roof is all that was needed.
be don't let me have to say 'I hate to say I told you so but...'
-Thoreau's Walden
I was waiting for someone to ask about the city. Someone called them and they gave me a violation w/a fix by date on it. It had to be one of the neighbors cause when I went over to check on it yesterday it took me a few minutes to find it and you cant see it from the street.
I didnt see it when I bought the place cause the top run of bricks was filled with yard type debris and was dry. I may go by today and at least pour some litter in the holes to start clean up.
My biggest fear is that the city will want a cert to say its clean and having worked with hazardous waste in a previous life, I know how expensive professional clean up can be.
Edited 7/1/2007 9:15 am ET by MSA1
So the city already knows about the oil or was the violation for concrete foundation?
You must have some sucky neighbors to do that.
You have my condolences.
Time to demo that block foundation and cover with woodchips or something quick? Maybe you'll get lucky.
Best to you with hopes of a better day.I have thus a tight shingled and plastered house, ten feet wide by fifteen long, and eight-feet posts, with a garret and a closet, a large window on each side, two trap doors, one door at the end, and a brick fireplace opposite. -Thoreau's Walden
Someone called about the oil. They dont care about the old foundation, the tenant was in the process of removing it when he found the oil.
I'm going over today to suck out the fluid and try to begin cleaning it up. It looks like its been there awhile so I have no idea how far it may have soaked into the ground. I dont even know if i'm dealing with sand or clay yet.
Any way of getting the previous owner to take care of this mess ( if it indeed was caused by them). . Im thinking that prevoius owner knowingly sold house with hazardous waste on it. Would think that they would have to give disclosure. Guess you would have to talk to your lawyer.
Good luck
For cleaning it up, what about drilling a drain hole near the bottom of the concrete block and draining the oil into a waste container?Live by the sword, die by the sword....choose your sword wisely.
It was a power of attorney type sale. The son (that never lived there) sold it to me. His step dad (the most likely culprit from what i've heard of him) is dead and the son never got along with him so he didnt go to the house.
As far as the drill idea, these blocks are below grade cinder blocks from an old foundation. I'm going to have to try sucking it out digging a little and maybe some kitty litter.
After you drain it out you can remove the rest of it with Microblaze. It is a type of bacteria that will literally eat the rest of the oil. Mix it in a sprayer and sray it on. After it sets for a while wash it down.
I couldnt find Microblaze doing a search online so I found a similar product that might work. What I have done in the past was just get it from my local fire dept. for a small donation.
http://www.dawginc.com/industrial-cleaners-degreasers/microbial-hydrocarbon-remediation.php#prod1
Thanks alot. Worth a try.
couple ideas i have,epa doesn't have jail do they?
first i'm thinking rainwater has filled the blocks partially so there is water and oil. i first would take a wet dry vac and suck all i could up and put in 5 gal containers.dump them at local auto parts store.
then some kitty litter poured in there and left for a few days and vac it out and dispose. then get the concrete block out of there.
i just had 3 underground oil tanks removed and luckily they were not leaking,but in the course of conversation the guy told me that he had been to seminars and simple green was recommended for oil clean up.
good thing is oil does not go deep in the ground,so that helps.larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
Ended up callin my excavator today. I got down to the footing today and of course it spread. Too much to do by hand.
All of the suggested do-it-yourself cleanup options may very well work, but if you get caught and especially if it turns out that there was more than a very small amount of oil, you may be looking at some serious problems with the environmental authorities, who don't look kindly on non-professional remediation work. Sort of like do-it-yourself asbestos removal. Laws vary some from state to state, but in MA, for example, you were probably required to notify DEP as soon as you saw the problem and must use a licensed site professional to do any work. Non-compliance penalties can be draconian.
You have a claim against whomever dumped the stuff, for whatever that may be worth.
Also, check your insurance policy. You are unlikely to be covered, but who knows.
The guy that dumped it is dead, so thats not much help. I've come to find that insurance is only good when you put money in not out.
Hired a crew.
Why is it that we; meaning Federal, State and County, governments can pave thousands of miles of roads with asphalt and not a word is mentioned about oil contamination but if a private citizen spills oil on the ground, all hell breaks loose?
Why is it that we; meaning Federal, State and County, governments can pave thousands of miles of roads with asphalt and not a word is mentioned about oil contamination but if a private citizen spills oil on the ground, all hell breaks loose?
I remember when I was a kid, they used to oil the dirt roads.
One difference is that the oil in bituminous paving tends to get bound up in the material and doesn't penetrate into the ground and potentially the ground water. In most places, oil contaminated soils are mixed in with the aggregate in bituminous paving as a cheaper disposal option.
that's the end of his insurance...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
dang man, why go to the city and open a can of worms?
Yea, nothing good can ever come from that!
Doug
When we spill oil at work we use oil soak (kitty litter) to soak it up. It is legal to dispose of soaked kitty litter in regular trash, so long as there is no free liquid dripping off. The material soaks up slowly, but over a week or so you should have most of it up. You can shop vac the litter out of the block and change it out a few times. Then, take the blocks off well below the surface and take them to the dump.
MSA
My ex FIL dumped about 5-7 gallons of gas out in the alley behind his house. The next door neighbor not really caring for him much called the city and turned him in.
City came out and dug the ground up, sent it of to TX to be "purified" or what ever they do with this stuff and billed him $500 for the job. I think a match would have done the same thing!
Like rez said, you don't want the city involved - not that you have a choice at this stage but.......
Doug
Edited 7/2/2007 7:10 am ET by DougU
If my city did that for $500 i'd be a happy guy. As far as remediation goes thats cheap.
MSA
Yea but it was only 4 or 5 gallons of gas! Nothing like a lot of oil that has seaped into the ground over a long period of time, big difference.
Hell gas will evaporate before it soaks to far into the ground.
Doug
I misread you. Yeah the gas would go away pretty quick.
Kinda like when I worked for the solvent recycling co.
We went to a place that used acetone. Acetone's wood based, they said if they have a spill the EPA says just let it evaporate.
Hell I didnt know you were in Michigan, they got bigger problems then your little oil spill. The big car companies have been dumping more oil then you have there on an hourly bases!
Move along with your plans and dont say a thing. ;)
Doug
Finally, a voice of reason.
"Hell gas will evaporate before it soaks to far into the ground."Maybe if it starts out above ground. But I know of a fill station that had leaking tanks. And they ended up buying a house on the ohter side of a 4 lane road and tearing it down..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
That is alarming but I still wouldnt involve the athorities!
Doug
A lot of states have programs that provide financial support for property owners who become aware of contamination issues that weren't apparent when they bought the property. The rationale for these programs is to encourage people to take appropriate and effective cleanup actions, rather than have them attempt DIY fixes, or worse, ignore their issues. Call your State DEP or DNR or whatever they call it there and ask ASAP. In the meantime, document everything you expend for possible reimbursement, and keep in mind that using a non-licensed/registered company for remediation work may get you, and them, into hot water.