There are many regulations
in New York State (NYS) regarding the removal and disposal of soil that has
been contaminated by oil or gasoline.
The regulating agency is the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation. Information regarding these
regulations can be found on their website http://www.dec.ny.gov/.
If Heating Oil, Diesel Fuel, Kerosene or
Gasoline, leaks or spills in the soil, the impacted areas should be excavated
and the soil safely disposed of. If you
encounter this you should notify the NYSDEC spill hotline (800) 457-7362 and
contact an environmental company, Barrier
Contracting, LLC, for advice. The
proper disposal includes collecting soil samples
of the impacted soil to be analyzed by a certified lab. The samples can be
collected after the soil is excavated and stockpiled or prior to
excavation. The results are then sent to
the licensed disposal facility for review. Once approved, the contaminated soil
can be loaded and shipped to the disposal facility by a specialized hauler.
After the contaminated soil has been
removed, a consultant or specialized contractor, like Barrier, collects endpoint samples from the
four walls and the base. Again, these
samples are sent to a certified lab to be certified. When sampling, the sampler must also fill out
a chain of custody for the sample, these are usually signed by the sampler,
transporter and laboratory technician.
These “endpoint” or “post excavation” samples will be used to determine
if all of the contamination has been removed. Once, confirmed that the soil is
now free of contamination, backfill can be brought in to replace the
contaminated soil that has been removed.
While this seems like a simple process, it
is extremely important to hire the right professional to guide you through the
process. There are many companies to
choose from in Westchester and Putnam County.
Be sure to ask for references or read reviews (Angie’s
list is also a great tool). Choosing
the wrong contractor can add to the time and cost of the clean-up. The professional must be aware of the
regulations and protocols involved with cleaning up oil contamination. All of the information, analytics, manifests,
weight tickets, etc, must be included in a concise report describing the work
that transpired and proving the contamination has been properly removed and
disposed of.
