Costs vary depending on the number and type of samples, and the requested analytical laboratory analysis turnaround time. Costs can vary from a few hundred dollars for small projects to tens of thousands of dollars for new buildings involving mass excavation.
Sampling costs can also vary according to site area, depth of final excavation needed and how well known the history of the site is. For example:
- A utility trench, 30-inches by 48-inches deep, 50-feet long: one to two samples would be taken by EH&S and incurs a cost of $500 each.
- Larger sites or projects requiring excavation to greater than 10-feet bgs, will benefit by hiring an environmental consultant to coordinate drilling and sampling needs. Projects in this range will require additional equipment and may expect sampling costs to be in excess of $20,000 and up to $50,000 for basic environmental and geotechnical investigations.
- Contaminated sites or sites with historical contamination may incur more costs than the examples provided and are best reviewed in advance with EH&S for proper planning.
A tax will also be incurred by the State Board of Equalization per ton of hazardous materials disposal, if applicable to a project’s waste stream or off-haul material.