Exported Soil Off-Haul Requirements

All soil must be evaluated by UC Berkeley standards for environmental contamination with laboratory analysis before export to any off-site location.

  • UC Berkeley soil cannot be taken to K-12 schools, residential developments or other sensitive receptor sites.
  • UC Berkeley retains right of approval for all proposed disposal or reuse sites.
  • Contaminated soil disposal will be subject to taxation through the Board of Equalization, based on weight and hazard class.

Required Submissions

The following required documentation must be provided to EH&S for review at least two weeks prior to the proposed off-haul date.

1. Source Soil Assessment

The location and history of the source area including previous land uses, whether any previous environmental site assessment has been performed, and any pertinent geological or soil information must be verified by EH&S.

2. Soil Sampling Plan

  1. A Soil Sampling Plan (SSP) must be developed by the project and approved by EH&S.
  2. UC Berkeley generally requires soils to be sampled using the Incremental Sampling Methodology. Sampling increments and frequency (samples/unit volume) should be included in the SSP.
  3. Additional samples required by disposal sites or end-use sites may be required and should be included in the SSP.
Area of Individual Export Area Sampling Requirement
2 acres or less 4 samples minimum
2 to 4 acres 1 sample every ½ acre minimum
4 to 10 acres 8 samples minimum
Greater than 10 acres Minimum of 8 locations with 4 subsamples per location
Volume of Export Area Stockpile Samples per Volume
Up to 1,000 cubic yards 1 sample per 250 cubic yards
1,000 to 5,000 cubic yards 4 samples for first 1,000 cubic yards + 1 additional sample per each additional 500 cubic yards
Greater than 5,000 cubic yards 12 samples for first 5, 000 cubic yards + 1 sample per each additional 1,000 cubic yards

3. Certified Laboratory Analytical Results

Analyte Method
Heavy metals EPA methods 6010B and 7471A
Petroleum TPH modified EPA method 8015
PCBs EPA method 8082
Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) EPA method 8270C SIM Method
Organochlorine Pesticides EPA method 8081A
Volatile Organic Compounds EPA method 8260
Other as necessary based on site history and intended use (for example, radioactive materials, plant pathogens [such as Sudden Oak Death], etc.]. TBD depending on analyte

4. Shipping & Off-Haul Documentation

Waste Document Type Signatory Approval
Non-Hazardous Waste Manifest or Bill of Ladding UC Berkeley Representatives. Final shipment and volume are recorded with EH&S.
Hazardous Waste Manifest EH&S or UC Berkeley qualified DOT-trained employee.
Special Waste Profile EH&S

All soil shipping documents (BOLs and manifests) must be sent to EH&S for final record retention.

Topics

Building Safety topic page, Environmental Protection topic page