There has been some talk in the industry (in Maryland) in the last year or so, with regulators, that maybe the state(Maryland) maybe would NOT require Licensed Tank Removal Contractors to have a LAB TEST performed on the soil from below “clean” & NOT leaking residential Underground Storage Tank(UST’s), during the tank abandonment in place process or during the tank removal process. And instead rely on the onsite contractors P.I.D Meter readings to determine if tank is leaking or not and if a soil sample needs to be tested at a lab or not. (FYI if a tank is leaking or soil is contaminated, the lab test is required by law)
This question was brought on by a single company in the industry, and the state may agree with them. (So what does this mean for you?) If you hire a tank contractor to perform a job, they may or may not be including a lab test & soil sample in the scope of work. Therefor you have no proof to any future home buyer, that the soil below the tank is clean or contaminated. Not to mention, you yourself do not know with 100% certainty the soil is clean. And whether it poses a problem to your yard, basement foundation, or drinking water well on the property.
We here at GREENTRAX, INC. wholeheartedly DISAGREE with this!
(Once again, the Governor Wes Moore administration is doing something to hurt MD homeowners. First in 2024 they took away a very successful 20+ year program that reimbursed homeowners the out-of-pocket costs when they removed a leaking oil tank and had soil remediation performed. We here at Greentrax were against cancelling this program and worked with some members of the legislature to try to fight this. Now, the MDE may change or reinterpret this soil testing rule, and it makes Zero sense.)
Myself (this Blog writer), many MDE inspectors and many people in the industry do NOT agree with this. So if you are reading this, and then speak with any other tank contractor, other than GreenTrax, Inc., make sure you insist that you have a lab test on the soil below the tank, when your buried tank is removed or properly abandoned in place. Let us assure you, Greentrax always has, and always will continue to, obtain & have tested at a 3rd party independent lab, soil samples, for EVERY SINGLE UST tank we do. PERIOD.
If any tank removal or abandonment contractor tells you, that you do not need a soil sample tested at a lab; they are doing you the customer a HUGE disservice. And they have NOT been in the tank industry long enough and/or do not do enough residential tank jobs each year to know that the lab test soil sample is THEE most important part of the tank job. AND if you do not have proof that the soil is clean, this (I 100% guarantee) will come back to bite you when you sell the house. DO NOT try to save a nickel as it will cost you a dollar later.
The lab test is not that much money for what you are paying for the total job cost, and you want hard proof that the soil is clean or contaminated.
We have been in the oil tank industry for 30 years, we have dealt with thousands and thousands of buried tanks in Maryland, with many, many of these tanks being dealt with around the time of a home sale/property transaction. (even home refinancing or getting new or renewing Home Insurance). Everyone wants to know if the soil is clean or not, and you cannot just rely on a field meter or contractors say so.
FIELD METERS Note: PID meters are = Photo Ionization Detector. Basically, a sniffer meter, it smells the dirt for oil/fuel and gives the onsite technician a level reading.(This is in no way the same as a laboratory test that uses much more precise & sophisticated equipment to perform the testing) The problem is that different meters have different quality. The calibration of the meter is important and not everyone has their meter calibrated regularly. Also, When its cold outside the soil doesn’t “smell” as much as when its warm out, so you wont get as accurate of a reading in cold weather. That’s why Greentrax tests the soil in the field AND does a lab test for EVERY single underground tank job we perform.
If you are a sellers real estate agent, the property owner / seller, a home buyer, buyers real estate agent, a home inspector, bank/lender, insurance company or other interested party. You want a full tank closure report package from the tank company, that includes not only pictures of the entire job process. But a write up of what was done, amongst other things. With the most important thing needed being, the results of the lab test on the soil sample. Then you can show whoever it is, the job was done professionally, properly & legally. That’s why we recommend you call us here at GreenTrax, Inc. 410-439-1085. We are the best, most efficient, most reliable and most knowledgeable residential heating oil tank contractor in Maryland.
Here is a Scenario we have seen before: When you, or your heirs, or spouse etc. eventually must sell the property, and the property goes under contract. The potential buyers ask for, or you provide them the paperwork you were given by this “other tank company who did NOT test the soil at a lab” when your buried oil tank was decommissioned. Maybe they(buyers) are not sure what they are looking at, so they call another tank company or call Greentrax for an interpretation of what that report means. We will 100% tell them, this report is not good enough. As there is no proof the soil is clean and you want to know that before you buy this house. (or maybe the buyers agent has dealt with oil tanks before and knows that a lab test result is a MUST have, to protect their client.) So they ask your spouse/heirs/children who inherited the house, for proof the soil is clean. Now your heirs have to deal hiring someone to come back out to either dig up the area AGAIN or perform another soil test. So now its costing more money and time and stress to deal with. So you could have hired Greentrax the first time and had the work done properly the first time.
So don’t try to save a small amount of money as it will cost you more in the long run.
As always, Call GreenTrax, Inc. We are here to help and answer questions for you and give you more details about this process. 410-439-1085
