kerosene in soil around coop- UPDATE- Really need some help now :(

[theacw]

I burned down a lilac stump with kerosene a week ago to build my coop and run in that area. Now I am worried that it was a mistake now that I can smell the kerosene so strong in the soil, is that going to be a big problem?? I wanted to grow grass in that area and now I am worried!!! What can I do?

 

[chawk]

My husband worked for the local oil company for many years and I asked him what he thought. He said if they had a spill,no matter how small, the soil HAD to be dug up. Then it would have been incinerated. He thinks digging up the soil would be a good idea so your chickens dont ingest it. He isn't sure how you yourself would dispose of it. He only knows what his company did and that was take it to a professional to be incinerated. But he said he would for sure get the kero out. It will kill your birds if they ingest it, he has been on clean ups where full sized German shepards have died from ingesting small amounts. He said make sure you dig it all out of the ground.. no matter how deep. It will be rising back out. No matter what. They had to do all kinds of stuff when there were spills because of the EPA and regulations.

 

[theacw]

Thanks for the info! Although hoping it wasnt what I was going to hear! I guess it was what I was expecting and I want to definitely be safe over sorry. But it is ROOTS GALORE in that area so it is definitely going to be tough. If I just would have thought before I acted sometimes......

 

[chawk]

I actually Googled removing Lilac bushes and there was info galore about it. Turns out its a good burning wood. One interesting tidbit though was that burning it may make it come back stronger Another thing I'm sure you didn't want to hear. People actually burn the bushes themselves to get rid of blight so it will grow back better.. Don't feel alone though.. DH had to dig up before.. Once they had a HUGE spill b/c an old fill wasn't sealed off properly and had to replace tons of the peoples personal property, etc.. Fun was had by all...Good luck and PM if you need to ask anything else..and DH said we all have 20/20 rearview vision

 

[al6517]

Depending on the size of your coop/run situation I wouldn't want to have to dig it up and haul it off either. perhaps deep tilling the soil then using some old lumber scraps and burnable trash, burn the whole pile down to nothing but ash dust. this may take a huge fire that will burn for a long time and then tilling again, may still enable you to grow grass and still get rid of the kerosene residue. just a thought.

 

[theacw]

Ughh! I swear, God has given me so many signs to not keep my girls!!! I already started building my coop so now I am kind of stumped (no pun intended

) The stumps/roots are half under it, and half outside of it. I suppose I can keep sawing it down as it grows and hope it doesnt grow underneath the coop. But its going to be SERIOUSLY hard to get rid of all the contaminated soil. I almost wonder if it would be easier to move the coop elsewhere. But its in the perfect spot, especially for the ease in the winter. I guess I could put the run on the backside but it would be pretty small, if I put it on the other side, it will be too close to neighbors property to get approved.

And this is just for thanks in helping me

This is my Debbie cuddeling with me last night. Isnt she sweet?

 

[patandchickens]

Oy. I hope neither you nor anyone living near you has a shallow well, nor a deep one with an imperfect casing

But, here you are now, can't change the past.

Quite honestly, IMO the best solution would probably be to hire someone with a bobcat, or tractor with blade on the front, or one of those mini excavators, to dig up roots AND soil and put it in a long narrow pile for a few years or something; then bring in fill (from elsewhere, or from somewhere else on the property if available) to fill the resulting hole. With all those lilac roots it is NOT going to be a do it yourself with a shovel type project.

Irrespective of what you do with the contaminated soil area, I'd strongly suggest not putting the chickens on or near it.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[theacw]

Oh jeez, I am beyond stressed about this.

I have put so much money and time into this coop already that I am at lost on what to do. The coop is pretty permanent right now and I really dont have much help on this project. This has been experience from hell already! My bf actually bought me 2 chicks without thinking, I got attached, and now its pretty much just been me working on this myself (I am a 22 year old girl :S ) My dad has been nice enough to help a little but when I told him about this problem is was very short about it and basically told me "do it yourself then". So now here I am, confused on what to do. Id really rather not spend a couple hundred dollars to rent something to dig everything up and have to take apart my coop to move and do it. And I honestly dont really have anywhere to move it. Its insulated so it is VERY heavy.

Is there ANYTHING you guys think I could do? Moving it or digging up a lot of the soil is nearly impossible for me. If I move the run on the other side (the trunk is mainly on the side of the coop with a little below it) would that be far enough from it? He guessed he used maybe a half a quart on the stumps, and it burned for maybe 6 hours. The stump was so alive that it didnt go down much.

Im sorry, I dont mean to sound like I wouldnt do ANYTHING for my little girls because I wish I could....but as a 22 year old girl with absolutely no one to help me, I am not sure how much I can do.

 

[theacw]

Anyone?

I started digging a few inches off the top, dont really see any ash or remainders of the wood we used to try to burn it down. I think there is some under the coop though....

 

[Heathero617]

Did he pour the kerosene directly into the stump? You say it burned for about 6 hours and he used only about 1/2 of a qt. You could possibly take a soil sample and have it tested to see if it all burnt off or if you have contaminated the soil. Petroleum always looks like more when spilled as it spreads quickly. But it does evaporate somewhat and if it was burned, you MIGHT have gotten lucky. Take several samples one from right where the stump is, one from a few feet away and one from about a foot or so in the ground. All that may be left is a residual that is harmless if you're lucky. Best of luck to you and keep us updated.