We were asked by an environmental engineer that we have worked for many times over the years, to remove two hydraulic lifts from inside a building and a 20k gallon fiberglass underground storage tank, previous contents unknown from a site in Philadelphia. We were able to get the permits for the hydraulic lifts fairly quickly. We mobilized to Philly, taped off the area with plastic to reduce the dust, saw cut and jackhammered out the concrete floor and removed both lifts. They were in good condition and hadn’t leaked, the excavation was backfilled with certified clean fill and we restored the concrete slab pinning rebar for structural stability into the existing slab in a 1’x1’ grid.
Once the permit for the 20k gallon underground storage tank was finally issued, we remobilized to the site, saw cut the asphalt, dug out the fiberglass tank, live loaded the tank into a dumpster and backfilled the excavation with certified clean fill. A vibratory trench roller was used to compact the area to prep it for paving. We restored the asphalt with base and top coats of asphalt. Soil samples were taken from the sides and bottom of all excavations to confirm that the lifts or tank had not leaked.
Removing underground tanks does not have to be a complex issue but you do need a licensed contractor and you want one with the knowledge, experience and expertise to handle your project the right way from start to finish.
