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A site walkover may provide clues as to the presence of an abandoned UST. Heating oil tanks usually exhibit spillage during filling, especially if the tank is old and has been filled repeatedly over a number of years. Staining of the soil with or without the characteristic odor of fuel oil may be an indicator of the presence of an abandoned fuel oil tank. lithe soil appears to be undisturbed, check for the presence of a fill pipe or a fill pipe that may have been cut off below ground level and covered over. Fuel oil tanks are generally buried near the foundation of the building. Check the basement of the structure for the placement of the furnace and any piping to an outside wall that may remain. If the piping has been removed, look for a hole or patched hole in the wall in the general vicinity of the furnace or the area where the furnace once resided. The fuel oil tank, if present, should be on the other side of the wall, near the foundation. Fuel oil tanks of greater than 1,100 gallons capacity should be registered by the tank owner with the MPCA. Contact the Tanks and Emergency Response Section at (612) 297-8679 to see if there is any information that indicates the presence or former presence of a tank at this site. USTs are generally buried 36"-42" below ground. Metal detection devices such as those used by NSP to locate metal gas lines and electrical wires may be capable of detecting the presence of an UST if it isn't buried too deep. Soil borings in an area of the site suspected to contain an UST can be conducted, but this can be a costly option. If the soil is sandy or otherwise relatively porous, a metal rod may be driven into the ground to a depth of 48" or so in areas suspected to contain a buried UST. Excavation may also be an option, however, this is labor intensive, may be costly and will be disruptive of the integrity of the site. ..............:.:. :'. T The presence of unsealed wells is a concern in many older buildings. Any unsealed or improperly sealed wells need to be identified and a licensed well contractor needs to be contacted to properly seal the well(s). The following information includes some clues on how you might locate an unsealed well and who to contact to learn more about them. Locating unsealed wells is a combination of research and educated guesses. There are three areas where records of old wells may be located: • Minnesota Geological Survey (612) 627-4784,water well records by section, township and range, and sometimes by address, • Minnesota Department of Health Nell Management Unit (612) 215-0811, Pre-1990 the wells are classified by year and the contractor that drilled the well, 3