Emergency Oil Tank Spill in Peabody Mass
CommTank received an emergency call from the Absolute Oil Company on Saturday, September 22, 2018 because one of their customers had an oil spill. CommTank’s project manager went to the home and inspected the aboveground heating oil tank, located in the garage, and found that it had developed a hole on the tank bottom. Based on how full the tank was, he estimated that 200 gallons of fuel spilled out of the fuel tank, and ran down the driveway in a wide swath. After following oil puddles found in the gutter he discovered that it had traveled 275 feet down the street.
CommTank crews sweep up speedy dry they spread to absorb the oil
The customer works for Vermont Mutual and has a home insurance policy with them that covered the spill cleanup. Bill Simmons of Simmons Environmental Services was called and acted as the Licensed Site Professional (LSP) for the project. The LSP examined the site and was concerned about protecting the storm drains from runoff. The MassDEP also responded to the spill and asked CommTank to power wash the street and clean out the catch basins immediately because of the rain forecast for the overnight hours.
A view of the storm drain that contained oil before it was removed
CommTank’s emergency crew power washed the pavement and street prior to the rain storm. The crew also removed oil from the catch basin and placed booms to catch any residual oil. CommTank technicians removed the leaking heating oil tank and replaced it with a new double-walled Roth tank.
Dan Hoag has worked in the environmental and tank storage industry for 16 years. Dan’s range of expertise includes designing systems for oil spill clean-ups, treating soil contamination through "in situ" oxidation and testing, and inspecting underground storage tank systems. As head of Marketing and Information Technologies at CommTank, Dan draws from field experience to write about fuel, water and chemical storage technologies, and the regulations that affect them. He has developed training courses in home inspection, underground storage tank operator, ultrasonic thickness and tank tightness testing. Over the past decade, Dan has published over 60 articles about industry trends and has documented commercial, residential, and environmental projects through illustration, videos, and photography. When Dan unplugs from technology, he spends his time backyard farming, hiking, and kayaking, while masquerading as a hockey player during the wee hours of the morning.