News

RUSTs Raise N. Shore Alarm

The bill for the removal of buried residential fuel tanks keeps rising.

By Katharine Hamer, news reporter, khamer@nsnews.com

LEAKING underground oil tanks buried across the North Shore are not only causing environmental damage, they could also signify hefty financial costs for unsuspecting homeowners.

The tanks -- known as Residential Underground Storage Tanks or RUSTs -- were installed alongside thousands of North Shore homes built from the mid-1940s to 1960s.

At the time, oil was the main home heating fuel. Now it's virtually obsolete as a residential energy source -- and the disintegrating tanks are leaking oil into the ground.

Since 1989, the West Vancouver Fire Department has been asking residents to check their property for the tanks. Under the B.C. Fire Code, homeowners were required to drain and fill any unused tank with sand.

In the late 1980s, the cost of draining a tank was around $100. These days it's closer to $1,000 -- but following a 1998 fire code change, the onus is now on homeowners to remove the tanks completely and have an environmental engineer assess any surrounding damage. "You're looking at $2,000 and up to remove an oil tank," says West Vancouver Fire Dept. Capt. Martin Ernst. "Removing it, however, gets rid of the problem forever." Fire departments in both West and North Vancouver administrate the tank removal and drainage program. But Ernst says the public response to the problem has so far been poor.

In the 12 years since West Vancouver fire crews began touring neighbourhoods, knocking on doors and letting people know about the tanks, Ernst says that "only about 30% have been drained." And since the fire code changes, only around 30 tanks have been successfully removed.

Environment Canada figures suggest that around 4,600 North Shore homes were originally fuelled by oil or kerosene.

North Vancouver residents appear to have been more diligent: in the city, Fire Prevention Chief Dave Burgess estimates that half of the 300 to 400 tanks identified have been dealt with in the last few years; his district counterpart Brian Stegavig claims a near 100% success rate as a result of letters sent out to homeowners.

"A lot of people don't know the potential dangers to the environment and to their pocketbook if they don't deal with this now," Ernst says.

He cites the case of one West Vancouver man who had to shell out $80,000 when oil from an abandoned tank was found under the foundation of his house. "don't care who you are, that stings," says Ernst.

The man was lucky in one sense: none of the oil spilled over onto neighbouring property. "Homeowners really have to be aware," says Ernst, "that they will foot the cleanup bill, and if their oil makes it into a creek, or into a neighbour's yard, then they foot the cleanup bill for all the resulting damage."

Homes can also be placed on the provincial contaminated sites database -- where they will remain until the cleanup is taken care of. In the meantime, says Ernst, "you might have a very tough time selling your home."

Homeowners attempting to sell should declare the presence of an underground tank on their property -- and seek fire department assistance well before the property changes hands.
" There are a lot of people out there who simply do not know," Ernst says, "and others who say they do not know."

Signs of an underground tank include:
* a filler pipe sticking out of the ground;
* a vent pipe at the side of the house;
* a metal pipe cap close to the front or back yard

Often tanks are underneath a garden or driveway -- "anywhere," says Ernst, "an oil truck could reach."

Homeowners who suspect they have an underground tank should contact the fire department for help.

They can arrange for a metal detector or rolling radar at the site if the tank is not immediately visible.

In West Vancouver, it's no longer acceptable for homeowners to remove the oil or the tank by themselves. The West Vancouver fire department insists on documentation from a licensed company.

When the tanks are removed, they should be taken care of by a company licensed to transport hazardous waste.

" You really can't just do the job yourself," says Ernst, "and you can't just have anybody do the job. These people have to be experienced in the field, certified. We have homeowners tell us that they did they job, and they actually never did it, so we have to go back and check."
North Vancouver City residents residents are asked to supply an environmental report of the work carried out -- while North Vancouver District inspects sites regularly only when the work has been done by the homeowner.

But Stegavig says that contractors whose work is not up to fire code standards will be remove them from the department's recommended list.

Ernst says a lot of people also claim hardship to avoid having to remove the tanks. Under fire code regulations, if the tank is located, for instance, beneath a paved driveway, foundation or slab patio, homeowners may be permitted simply to drain and fill the tank with sand. Of the 95% who declare hardship conditions, Ernst estimates that only about 20% have a genuine claim.

Tackling the tanks is expensive, but as Ernst points out, "If you deal with that problem now -- if you deal with that tank and get it out of the ground, it's going to save you a lot of grief later."

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