Underground Storage Tank Removal and Closure

Pulling a tank is a one-day job for the excavator and a months-long paperwork job if the closure isn't handled right. Miller Environmental Assessment (MEA) handles the environmental side of UST closures: the state notice, observation and sampling on removal day, and the closure report that gets you to a clean letter. In Missouri, that means working within MoDNR's tank rules, the Missouri Risk-Based Corrective Action (MRBCA) process and, where your tanks are covered, the Petroleum Storage Tank Insurance Fund (PSTIF).

Who calls us

  • Fuel station and fleet owners retiring or replacing tanks

  • Buyers and lenders whose Phase I found a tank that has to come out before closing

  • Tank contractors who need a consultant on site for closure sampling

  • Other consulting firms needing field staff or a UST specialist in our region

  • Property owners who found an old heating oil or farm fuel tank

How a Missouri tank closure works

  1. Closure notice. The owner files a closure notice with MoDNR at least 30 days before closure starts, and the department approves it before work begins. The notice is good for 180 days.

  2. Three-day heads-up. MoDNR is notified at least three days before work starts on site.

  3. Removal day. Your tank contractor removes the tanks and lines. We observe the excavation, screen soil with a photoionization detector and collect samples beneath the tanks, piping and dispensers as MRBCA requires.

  4. If there's a release. Suspected releases are reported to the state within 24 hours. We help you decide on over-excavation, stockpile sampling and next steps while the hole is still open.

  5. Lab results and closure report. We prepare the closure report on the state form with the tank closure checklist, maps, photos and lab data.

  6. Clean closure or corrective action. Results below MRBCA levels support a no-further-action letter. Results above them move the site into risk-based corrective action, where we can carry the project forward.

Closing in place and change in service

Some tanks can't come out, such as those under a building or next to a foundation. Closure in place (filling the tank with an inert material) and change-in-service closures need the same notice and assessment, and an in-place closure in Missouri carries a deed notice.

PSTIF and MRBCA experience

We work on Missouri PSTIF-funded sites under MRBCA regularly: preparing Work Plans, designing and installing monitoring well networks, running groundwater monitoring events and managing laboratory hold times. If a release is found at closure, we know how to scope the follow-up work so the documentation holds up with both MoDNR and PSTIF, and we can help you understand whether your site may qualify for fund coverage.

Kansas tank closures

We are also licensed for UST removal and closure work in Kansas. Kansas closures follow KDHE's own notice, sampling and reporting requirements, and we handle that paperwork the same way we do in Missouri.

Qualifications

UST closures are overseen by Daniel Miller, a Missouri Registered Geologist and Kansas Professional Geologist with 14 years of environmental consulting experience and dozens of UST remediation projects, including oversight of several thousand linear feet of jet fuel pipeline removal on an airport redevelopment.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a consultant, or can the tank contractor do it all?
In Missouri, closure sampling and the closure report must follow MRBCA guidance. Many contractors bring in a consultant for that part, and we work alongside your contractor.

How long does closure take?
Plan on at least 30 days for notice and approval, a day or two on site, and a few weeks for lab results and the report.

What if the tank is unregistered?
Old tanks turn up all the time during due diligence. Call us before anyone digs; we'll sort out registration and notice first.

What if contamination is found?
We'll investigate the extent and, in Missouri, guide the site through MRBCA toward closure, including PSTIF coordination where the tanks are covered.

Have a tank coming out?

Request a closure quote with the tank count, sizes and contents.