Dumping oil on the ground

Fellow in Minnesota dumped a partial load of used oil on the ground back in the woods, just last week, don't know the motive, and it was _big_ news. You can google that story I'm sure.

Neighbor is in big big trouble if you want him to be.

--->Paul

Charles

If after working with him on it he still refuses, then consult a local code enforcement officer, see if they can help. Tell them what you offered, get them to go by and talk with him. Only as a last resort do you call the state EPA. If they come out it will probably cost him his property, since they will hire a EPA certified crew to come in and dig it all out, haul it off in EPA certified dump trucks to a soil burning plant, and he will have to pay for every cent of it. You don't want that, and he wouldn't either. The code man, while probably not legally able to do something, can "encourage" him by suggesting what a cleanup could cost. A little bit of authority goes a long way sometimes.

Charles

Dale

Oil is eaten up by microbes in the (dry) soil, and most metals will bind with the soil and be relatively immobile (zinc is one that can stay quite mobile). Unless he dumps more than an average home owner goes through, chances are it won't never reach your well water, but there are some circumstances where it might: your well is hydrologically downgradient from his favorite dumping spot(s); sandy soils, shallow GW table, tigher soils where your well creates a large cone of influence (i.e., the groundwater table around your well is depressed due to pumping).

However, if he dumps every time he changes his oil, his wife's oil and more, there will always be detectable oil in the soil, and there will likely always be elevated metals levels. Also, unless the GW table is very deep, there will also likely be detectable contamination in the GW near his dumping. As oil floats, you may have GW problems that will travel a considerable distance on the surfacw of the GW table, even though it does not impact a well that is drawing water from 100' or so below the top of the water table.

If these are purely residential properties, the chances of anyone ever sampling in the vicinity of the dumping is small. If the properties are now, or were ever farms or businesses, or properties near-by are commercial, chances of the bank sending someone to sample soil at property transfer / refinancing is higher. Finding contamination on your propery, or comming from your property is not something I would wish on anyone.

Dealing with environmental issues are a huge headache and even small issues are very expensive to deal with.

The bottom line is: why risk it having any contamination in your soil or your goundwater?

Good luck dealing with your neighbor.

There really isn't an easy way around this. If he's a guy you really don't care for anyway, go ahead and report him. If you get along with him, ya still gotta express your concerns and at the mot offer to get rid of it for him. I'd sure try to find out if someone would come and get it for free, or how much it would cost to dispose of it.

This is a very delicate situation you are being forced to be in, and I hope you and your neighbor can come to some sort of terms.

Donovan from Wisconsin

• Hobby farm

Soundguy

Used motor oil is classified as a hazardous waste. It contains heavy metals .. etc.

Dust control oil, and bituminous 'tack' and water asphalt emulsions are all but environmentally inert once cured.. same with asphaltic concrete.

In most areas, dirt + concrete debri + asphalt debri are classified as 'clean' materials and are suitable for C&D landfills that are not lined.

( I'm a CE and work for a GC.. we do quite a bit of state and local municipality work ) Most of my college work was done in water systems engineering, including poloution issues.. etc.

Soundguy

Soundguy

Although, I suppose if you tick him off with a visit from the EPA and a fine, he may just start dumping it at midnight, right over your well or something.

Maybe first try to explain to him how you don't want him dumping oil, and tell him where he can take it to be properly disposed?

Every time a question pops up about dumping used oil on the ground, you get a bunch of responses, all falling into two different camps:

1. It came from the ground, so why the heck can�t I pour it on the ground! Darn EPA and government intruding in everyone�s business!

2. It�s illegal, and furthermore it harms the environment. Take your used oil and other household hazardous waste to a proper disposal place.

And if you can�t tell, I�m a firm believer in camp 2. For a lot of reasons. Most importantly, it harms the environment. Your environment, right by your house. A lot of folks say, �Oh, its just a little bit, it can�t hurt.� Well, if everyone thinks that, then that�s a heck of a lot of oil that gets dumped every year.

Recycling your household hazardous waste is easy just about everywhere. Most any auto parts store will take used oil. And the rest of the waste (old batteries, paint, etc) can easily be recycled. Here in Illinois, they hold collections every weekend.

If that�s not reason enough, realize that in California, you now need a special license to buy auto paint. If you don�t own a body shop, you can�t get it. They had problems with people dumping old auto paint, so they just made it illegal for the average Joe to buy it. They tried passing a law that you would require a locking oil plug on all cars, so that you wouldn�t be able to change your own oil. That particular law didn�t pass, but it gives you an idea of what�s out there. Recycle your stuff; otherwise you give the rest of us a bad name.

I'd really be concerned. In about a million years or so, it will probably contaminate your well.

Allan

If you folks wanna live all piled up in a pile, that is your business; it's entirely up to you.

Allan

I guess the best thing to do is never tell your neighbor anything.....

Any one remember the lesson learned many years ago about being a "tattle tail"?

By the way, is there any thing that isn't illegal?