Site Inspections
Cedar Rock can assist you in finding out whether or not there is a UST present on a property and whether or not contamination of the underlying soils has occurred due to leakage.
Whether buying or selling a house, or just wanting to ensure that you can sell your property in the future, a Cedar Rock site inspection is among the most important things you can do to protect yourself from the legal and financial liabilities that can be associated with leakage from petroleum storage tanks,
whether located above or below ground; in-service or out of use for years; still in the ground, or removed, or said to have been "filled in the past".
Verifying the presence or absence of a storage tank and whether there has been any soil contamination is just as important as having a building inspection. The presence of unsuspected contamination can cause a sale to fall-through or be significantly delayed or may cause a loss of value for the property.
It is important to remember that it is not the storage tank that is the problem. It is whether or not the underlying soil has been contaminated that is the issue. Soil contamination must be removed and/or assessed according to NC State law.
Reasons for a Site Inspection
- Buyers - to prevent the purchase of a property with soil contamination requiring an expensive cleanup.
- Sellers - to establish that there is no contamination issue, or, to deal with the existence of a tank and contamination and to satisfy NC State laws prior to selling.
- Realtors - to guard against legal liability issues related to required disclosures and to provide clients with high quality service and financial protection.
- Verification - Cedar Rock is often asked to verify the effectiveness of tank removal or abandonment service work performed by others years earlier.
- Peace of mind. A seller should know what they are selling, and a buyer should know what they are buying.
What to Expect (in common situations)
During a site inspection, Cedar Rock will, if required, first verify whether or not a tank is present on the property. See our Hidden Tanks page for details on how this is done.
If the presence of an underground tank is confirmed Cedar Rock will then locate the depth below ground, size and orientation of the tank and determine the quantity of fluids remaining in the tank. After this a soil boring is made at one end of the tank to a depth about 1-2 feet below the bottom of the tank. The soils are examined for signs of contamination and/or odor.
If no contamination is found a second boring is carried out at the other end of the tank. If there is no contamination in this sample then no further work is required by law. However, Cedar Rock recommends that in this situation the tank be removed or abandoned-in-place to prevent the inevitable future leakage.
If contamination is observed Cedar Rock will make recommendations for removal of the tank and contaminated soils and if requested by the property owner will provide a proposal for the necessary work.
A report, stamped by a NC Licensed Geologist, will be prepared for the property owner detailing the results of the site inspection and the recommended actions to take.
To protect your investment or to allow the sale of your property contact Cedar Rock to arrange an inspection of your property of interest.