What is the difference between removal and closure-in-place?
Removal involves excavation of the tank, cleaning and disposal of tank residues, recycling of the tank and backfilling. Closure-in-place involves removal of tank residues followed by filling the tank with an inert substance (typically cement). Both methods should also involve a mechanism for making sure that overfills or leaks have not contaminated groundwater supplies; this is best done by having soil samples taken from underneath and/or adjacent to the tank bottom for analysis. This relieves the owner of future liability associated with prior releases. While tank removal is a little more expensive, if contamination is found during an assessment, it is easier to deal with the problem if the tank has been removed. Removal also eliminates any future questions regarding the tank.
