Contractors have removed the ruptured fiberglass oil tank at Panther Valley Intermediate School that spilled thousands of gallons of heating oil over the summer.

The new steel double-walled tank should be installed by the middle of next month, according Jamie Lynch, an engineer who is overseeing the project, however district officials have taken temporary measures to heat the building.Earlier this month, crews dug out the tank, which ruptured after less than a decade of use, well under what it was designed for. About 5,000 gallons - half of the tank's capacity - leaked onto the school property.The process involved considerable work to ensure that the school building wasn't damaged, because the hole where the tank sits is against the side of the building."It was no easy trick getting that tank out. For those who saw it, it was surgery," Lynch said.Crews also removed about 50 cubic yards of soil that were believed to have been contaminated with oil.After the tank was removed, an engineer working on the project determined that the fiberglass tank had not been installed correctly, which caused it to crack, and release fuel oil.According to Lynch, the engineer, the tank was covered with sand when it was installed, which allowed it to settle, and form cracks at either end of the tank.The district's engineer continues to track the oil that was spilled onto the property, and make regular reports to DEP. After the spill, contractors for the district drilled multiple test wells. Those wells are still showing some oil contamination, district business manager Kenneth Marx said.However most of it traveled along a trench that carries fiber optic lines between the intermediate and junior/senior high schools.It's unknown exactly how the improper installation was allowed to take place.Lynch has been documenting the process because the issue could someday wind up in a courtroom. He said that in talking with people who were around when the tank was installed, there may have been a miscommunication between the contractor who installed the tank, and a general contractor who built the Intermediate School.The new tank has been ordered, and is expected to arrive the week of Nov. 13. Lynch said the new tank is a 10,000-gallon steel, double-walled tank. In the meantime, a 2,000-gallon aboveground tank is allowing the school to heat the building.