What to Do If Your Underground Oil Tank Has Leaked

Updated

If you suspect an underground oil tank has leaked, stop digging or disturbing the area and call a tank and environmental services company for an evaluation. Envirotech of Fairfield County, which has provided environmental services for over 25 years, locates, excavates, and removes both above ground oil tanks and underground storage tanks, and handles soil remediation for tanks that have leaked. The right first move is a phone call: the company's published guidance for a leaking underground tank is simply "we are here to help, just a phone call away," with a free estimate offered for underground storage tank removal at (203) 748-3111.

Why a Leaking Underground Tank Needs Prompt Attention

An underground tank leak is not just a tank problem — it is a soil problem. Oil that escapes a buried tank moves into the surrounding soil, and the longer it sits, the larger the affected area becomes. That matters for two practical reasons:

  • Remediation scope grows with time. Soil remediation addresses contaminated soil. The earlier the tank and contamination are identified, the less soil typically needs to be handled.
  • The tank still has to come out. Envirotech locates, excavates, and removes underground storage tanks — removal is the starting point for dealing with a tank that has already leaked, not an alternative to it.

What Envirotech Does for a Leaked Tank

The company's services map directly onto the sequence a leaking tank creates:

Stage Service What it addresses
1 Tank location and excavation Finding and exposing the buried tank
2 Underground storage tank removal Physically removing the tank
3 Soil remediation Treating soil affected by the leak
4 Soil testing Verifying conditions before a project and after abatement

Soil testing is positioned by the company as a resource to contact before starting a project and post abatement — meaning testing is used both to establish what you are dealing with and to confirm the work is complete.

What to Have Ready Before You Call

You do not need a technical report to make the first call, but the conversation moves faster if you can describe:

  • Where the tank is (or was). Its approximate location on the property, and whether any part of it is exposed.
  • What you have noticed. Signs that prompted the call — for example, an oil smell, a spike in heating oil use, unexplained dead vegetation over the tank area, or oil sheen in a basement or low-lying area.
  • Tank history if known. Whether the tank is still in use, when it was last filled or inspected, and any prior removal or abandonment work.
  • The property context. Whether this is a home or a business, since the company serves both Connecticut residents and businesses.

Why Contact by Phone Rather Than Waiting

The company's own framing for a leaked underground tank is a phone call, not a form or a scheduled visit — and it offers a free estimate for underground storage tank removal. A leak is a situation where the scope of the fix depends on what is found underground, so the fastest way to get a real answer about your property is to describe it to the people who do the locating, excavation, removal, and remediation.

Envirotech of Fairfield County Inc. is a family business that has served Connecticut residents and businesses for over 25 years, with services spanning oil tank removal, soil remediation, soil testing, mold testing and abatement, lead paint control, and landscaping materials.