Oil Clean-up: Dealing with Spills & Contamination

Oil is difficult to clean up, and its environmental impacts are both well-documented and severe. Hence, it comes as no surprise that there are a lot of regulations and requirements surrounding oil and other petroleum products for both homes and businesses. But where do oil spills and contamination occur, and what oil clean-up efforts are required? Today, we look at these problems and solutions and what you need to do as a business or homeowner to be ready to deal with it.

The Problem with Petroleum: Oil Spill Regulations

The storage of both oil and waste oil is tightly regulated at both state and federal levels by state departments (such as the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This includes storing oil products, including fuel, heating oil, other petroleum products, and hazardous waste oil, as well as the required preparation and response to an oil spill. Some further reading from both these websites is below:

Common Sources of Oil Contamination

So, what are the most likely sources of oil spills and contamination in your business, or even at home? Below are some of the more common sources of oil contamination.

Roadway Oil Spill: One of the most common emergency oil spills involves oil tankers or other oil product-containing vehicles. The amount of containment and contamination depends on the location and size of the leak during the crash.
Oil Tank Leaks: Underground or above-ground tanks (UST or AST) holding oil or other petroleum products that start to leak. Learn about common signs of leaking tanks in our blog, Signs You Need Underground Storage Tank Removal.
Processing Lines & Pipes: The industrial machinery that moves oil and other products from point A to point B. Without regular industrial maintenance and cleaning, these lines and related machines (such as oil water separators) can introduce oil into the environment.
Home and Commercial Oil Furnaces: Furnaces that use heating oil on both residential and commercial levels can be a major cause of oil contamination. For residential properties in particular, see our blog, Residential Oil Tank Spills: Cleanup and Decontamination.

How NEDT Handles Oil Clean-up

The requirements for oil spills and a wide array of sources mean that you need a quick and comprehensive response. Right after the call, NEDT can send over our emergency spill response, which assesses and contains the initial spill. From interfacing with emergency services to regulatory agencies, we manage the entire project. This extends past the initial emergency to the long term, starting with rigorous decontamination and cleaning of the affected site and surrounding environs, even water decontamination.

At NEDT, we pride ourselves on our 24/7 emergency chemical and oil spill response services that have served Massachusetts and New England for over 25 years, paired with our peerless hazardous waste site remediation services. Our teams are always ready and prepared, and we’ve built our business around our customers’ needs. Contact us today to learn more, calling us at 1.800.698.1865 for an immediate response or to build us into your next emergency response plan.