Decommissioning Fuel Stations: Managing Hydrocarbon Risk the Smart Way

Tanks out, risks controlled

Petrol filling stations are compact but complex. Underground storage tanks (USTs), interceptors, vent lines and forecourt slabs create multiple pathways for hydrocarbon migration. A closure that treats every tonne as hazardous is expensive; one that assumes everything is clean is reckless. The solution lies in targeted evidence and a tight sequence.

Begin with a Phase 1 Desktop Study to collate historic drawings, leak incidents and groundwater context. Use that knowledge to place boreholes and trial pits around USTs, dispensers and interceptors. As demolition starts, implement a WAC Testing plan for segregating impacted arisings from clean soils and concrete. Keep interceptor cleaning and waste carriage within the permit’s conditions, and maintain a photographic trail.

Reduce disposal, increase certainty

On a recent decommission, hydrocarbon staining was limited to two trench runs; the rest of the platform met inert criteria. Because segregation was planned in advance, the team exported only a fraction as hazardous and reused compliant crushed concrete in capping layers. The client saved time and avoided needless haulage.

Where redevelopment follows, measure infiltration to inform SuDS and check that soakaways do not intersect residual pollution. Field‑verified Infiltration Testing shuts down this risk decisively. If the site sits in a coalfield, a screening‑level Coal Mining Risk Assessment ensures future foundations won’t intersect shallow workings.

Close cleanly, hand over confidently

EnviroSolution delivers the data and documentation that regulators and buyers expect on closure: Phase 1 Desktop Study for context, WAC Testing for lawful disposal and segregation, and Infiltration Testing for future drainage certainty. The result is a clean handover and a site ready for its next use.