Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Guidance for Residential Home Heating Oil Tank Leaks

Reporting

Report oil spills including any leak from a tank and/or piping to the DEEP Emergency Response and Spill Prevention Division at 866-337-7745.

Releases of residential heating fuel from tanks system servicing four or fewer residential units discovered after March 1, 2026, are regulated under the Release Based Cleanup Regulations (RBCRs), which includes timeframes for completion of immediate actions and remedial actions.  

Insurance Information

Homeowners should consult with their insurance agent to determine if the release is covered under their policy. If the release is the fault of a heating oil dealer, homeowners should consult with their dealer. The State requires heating oil dealers to have general liability insurance coverage and insurance to cover any potential environmental damage due to heating oil spills.

When a release of any petroleum or chemical occurs to the ground, this means that a release has occurred to the waters of the state. Water is a public trust. Thus discharges to soil or water result in third party damage because the waters of the state have been damaged by the release to the ground.

The property owner or the entity that caused any condition which reasonably can be expected to create a source of pollution to the waters of the state is responsible for cleaning up the release and restoring the soil and water.

Department of Insurance Contact Information

  • Online portal: to file a complaint or ask a question
  • On the webpage, look for “File Complaints”.
  • Call the Consumer Services Division at: 1 (800) 203-3447 or (860) 297-3900.
  • E-mail the Department of Insurance at: insurance@ct.gov.

Storage Tank Leaks

 Your heating oil supplier may be able to help you find a registered contractor to remove underground tanks and/or piping. If the tank is known to be leaking prior to its removal, the tank must be removed by a permitted spill cleanup contactor. If a leak from the tank is discovered during or has occurred during the tank’s removal, a permitted spill cleanup contactor must perform all of necessary remedial actions.  For releases regulated under the RBCRs, the completion of remedial actions will need to be either certified by a Permitted Environmental Professional (PEP) or verified by a Licensed Environmental Professional (LEP).

When an underground storage tank is removed, samples should be obtained from the bottom and sidewalls of the tank grave. You are responsible for restoring neighboring properties to pre-leak conditions.

After excavating the stained soil, the permitted spill cleanup contactor should collect soil samples to make sure they removed all of the pollution possible. Soil samples should be collected from the bottom and each side of the excavation. Samples should be collected from discrete locations nearest where stained soil had been. Do not mix soil samples from different locations (composite sampling), as that will skew the data. If groundwater is present in the excavation, the sidewall samples should be obtained at the level of the water, and a water sample must be collected. Send collected samples to a Connecticut certified lab for analysis for Extractable Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (ETPH) using the CT DEEP Reasonable Confident Protocols. Permitted spill cleanup contractors usually have certified labs with whom they work.

Remove additional soil if the ETPH concentrations exceed 500 ppm (parts per million or mg/kg). Collect and analyze additional samples to show the cleanup is complete. Soil venting can be used to clean up areas with residual staining that cannot be excavated, such as beneath structural footings.

For above ground tanks, keep oil from reaching sumps or floor drains. If oil gets into sumps or floor drains, it will spread farther and will be harder to clean up.

Close the door(s) between the tank and the rest of the house. Open windows and doors to the outside to allow vapors to escape. Use window fans facing out to exchange the air and reduce heating oil odors. Turn off forced air heaters or air conditioning to keep odors out of the rest of the house. Removing and properly disposing of any oil-stained items (cardboard, wood, drywall, etc.) will also improve indoor air quality. Use deodorizing cleansers to clean oil-stained concrete.

Pollution located under a garage or basement floor presents a difficult situation. With your contractor, try to determine how much oil escaped by checking oil delivery records and/or sampling soil from beneath the floor. If the contamination is severe or if drinking water wells are within 500 feet, excavation may be necessary. The DEEP Corrective Action Unit can help determine the best course of action in such circumstances (DEEP.Leakingust@ct.gov or 860-424-3376).

Sensitive Receptors

Any impacts or potential impacts from a leaking UST or AST to sensitive receptors, including surface water bodies and drinking water resources must be addressed by a permitted spill cleanup contactor.

When groundwater is encountered during the remedial excavation for a leaking tank, a post-remedial groundwater sample should be collected to confirm impacts to groundwater, if any. If groundwater impacts are confirmed a sensitive receptor survey should be conducted.

Heating Oil Odors/Soil Venting

If heating oil odors remain in the house after soil removal, a passive soil venting system could help. A passive soil venting system is made of perforated plastic piping in a buried stone-lined trench near the pollution. This provides airflow near the pollution, allowing the remaining oil to evaporate into the air and exit through the pipe, instead of into the house.

If residual odor is more severe, you may need an active soil venting system. Active soil venting uses an electric blower to pull air through the system faster, removing pollution more quickly.

If there is no petroleum odor in a building, soil venting may not be necessary.

Documentation

For releases regulated by the RBCRs, all required immediate action submittals and a release remediation closure report certified by a Permitted Environmental Professional (PEP) or verified by a Licensed Environmental Professional (LEP) must be submitted to the DEEP through Release Environmental Assessment and Cleanup Tracker Case Tracking System ("REACT").  Resources on how to become an authenticated user in REACT and how to search for a case in REACT can be found on the DEEP’s REACT Resources and Instructions webpage. 

For the home heating fuel releases regulated under the RBCRs that were caused by the homeowner or occupant of the property, the release remediation closure report should demonstrate that all required immediate actions pursuant section Sec. 22a-134tt-5 have been conducted and that the remediation of the release of home heating fuel resulted in the removal of soil impacted by the release to the maximum extent prudent and identify the nature and extent of soil impacted by the release that has not been removed.  The report should also indicate whether groundwater was impacted.  If groundwater was impacted by the release of home heating fuel, an LEP must verify that groundwater has been remediated pursuant to the requirements of section 22a-134tt-10 of the RBCRs. The release remediation closure report should also include photos, a sketch of the excavation area showing all sample locations, and all laboratory analytical results. 

For the home heating fuel releases regulated under the RBCRs that were not caused by the homeowner or occupant of the property, such as releases caused by a fuel provider, the release remediation closure report should demonstrate that all required immediate actions pursuant section Sec. 22a-134tt-5 have been conducted and that demonstrate that the remediation of the soils impacted by release of home heating fuel resulted in compliance with the RBCRs.  The report should also indicate whether groundwater was impacted.  If groundwater was impacted by the release of home heating fuel, an LEP must verify that groundwater has been remediated pursuant to the requirements of section 22a-134tt-10 of the RBCRs. The closure report should also include photos, a sketch of the excavation area showing all sample locations, and all laboratory analytical results. 

For releases of home heating fuel that occurred prior to the RBCRs, contractors should produce a letter report detailing the tank removal and the excavation of contaminated soil. The report should include photos, a sketch of the excavation area showing all sample locations, and all laboratory analytical results. Provide copies of that report to DEEP Emergency Response and Spill Prevention Emergency Response Unit and the local Fire Marshal.

Homeowners should keep that report with their other important property related documents, as questions regarding contamination from heating oil tanks can arise during home sales. Potential homebuyers and lenders are typically interested in tank leaks but are reassured if homeowners can document that cleanup is complete.

 

 Content last updated September 2026