Dear Home Seller:

If you are selling a home in the area bounded by Elk Grove Boulevard, Arlington Heights Road, Higgins Road, and Tonne Road or Fleetwood Lane, please read this informational brochure regarding underground fuel oil tanks in your area. In the area of the Village where your home is located there exists a possiblity that your home originally used fuel oil for heating purposes and may still have an underground fuel tank buried on the property.

Underground fuel oil tanks were used in some of the original homes build in our community in the late 1950's and early 1960's to store fuel oil for heating purposes. The fuel tanks were generally abandoned in place when the home's heating system was converted from fuel oil to gas. If these tanks were not pumped out completely, any remaining fuel oil has the potential to escape and contaminate your property and neighboring properties as well.

These storage tanks were usually installed underground, adjacent to the house, in the back yard. You may notice one or two pipes sticking up out of the ground behind your home (see photographs). Some owners may not notice any pipes, but may see an oily sheen on the soil surface next to the home after a heavy rain. Other homeowners may detect an odor of fuel oil. These could be indications of an improperly abandoned heating oil tank.

If you are selling a home with an underground tank, you need to disclose the presence of the tank or any steps you took to remediate the tank as part of your real estate transfer information. Please discuss this issue with your attorney or real estate professional prior to selling your home.

If you suspect or know you have an underground fuel oil tank, or you are unsure of the condition of the tank located on your property, please call the Elk Grove Village Fire Department at (847) 734-8020. The Fire Department will provide you with a list of local contractors you can call for inspection, and/or proper emptying or removal of your underground fuel tank. When considering a firm, please be certain to inquire into their environmental license, insurance, qualifications, and ask for references. In addition, the Fire Department has begun to build up a database on the location of these underground tanks, and may be able to provide you with information regarding the possibility of an abandoned fuel oil tank on your property.

While the Village wishes to advise you of the potential issues that are associated with underground fuel tanks, please remember the presence of a heating oil tank on your property is a private property issue.

Please Note: The photographs above are examples of properties where underground oil, fuel tanks are present. If you notice a steel piece of tubing (as above) coming up from the ground next to your home, please contact the Elk Grove Fire Department at (847) 734-8020.

The area where underground storage tanks may be located:

• North of Elk Grove Boulevard
• East of Arlington Heights Road
• South of Higgins Road
• West of Tonne Road and Fleetwood Lane