Underground Storage Tank Information
QUESTION: I am a buyer’s agent and my clients are looking at a house with an old underground heating oil tank in the backyard. The house was long ago converted to gas heat, so the tank’s not used any longer. The buyers want to get some basic information about underground heating oil tanks. What’s a good place to start?
ANSWER: A good place to start is with the NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The Underground Storage Tank (UST) Program, which is part of DEQ’s Division of Waste Management, publishes a couple of consumer-oriented publications on home heating oil USTs that are available on its web site at: https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/waste-management/underground-storage-tank-section. On the right-hand side of the page, under the heading “Underground Storage Tanks Section”, click on the link for FAQs/Brochures/Manuals. A Q&A on “Home Heating Oil USTs,” is available under the heading “Frequently Asked Questions”. A two-page discussion of “Non-Regulated USTs,” is available under the heading “Brochures”.
You also can contact one of DEQ’s regional offices in Asheville, Mooresville, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Fayetteville, Wilmington and Washington, NC. Visit https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/contact/regional-offices for information.
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