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Tiverton DPW reports ~350‑gallon oil leak; cleanup underway, double‑wall tanks to be installed
Summary
Town DPW said crews contained an estimated 350‑gallon heating‑oil leak, removed four old tanks, staged contaminated soil pending approved disposal and plans to replace single‑wall tanks with monitored double‑walled tanks; initial cleanup costs reported at about $55,000 with additional costs estimated.
Tiverton’s Department of Public Works reported that crews uncovered and remediated an oil leak estimated at about 350 gallons discovered after a weekend; Western Oil (contractor) contained the release, DPW removed the shed and four single‑wall tanks, and contaminated soil has been staged pending disposal approvals.
DPW leadership told the council the town excavated down approximately 5–6 feet to reach contamination, removed the tanks and backfilled the area. A temporary fuel tank is being used with the fire marshal’s approval while the town seeks an appropriate double‑walled replacement to meet insurer and DEM requirements. “We took the shed down, took the foundation out, dug down about 5 feet, 6 feet,” the DPW director said, describing the cleanup steps.
The DPW reported current cleanup costs of roughly $55,000 and estimated another $35,000–$40,000 for remaining work; disposal costs for contaminated soil are pending approval from an approved disposal facility. The town said the trust/insurance denied pollution coverage for the incident and that DPW will account for costs and return to council for any additional appropriations.
Councilors pressed on whether other town tanks were single‑wall; DPW said similar single‑wall tanks elsewhere had been removed years earlier and that the DPW’s tanks were the only ones with the issue. The director said the replacement double‑wall tanks include monitoring systems to detect intrusion into the inner wall, reducing the risk of unnoticed leaks in the future.
The council asked for a final report when remediation and disposal are complete; DPW said it will provide full accounting and the town will not rebuild the shed until soil disposal approvals are in place.
