Imported Soil Clean Fill Assessment Requirements

All soil imported for fill on UC Berkeley property must be demonstrated to be clean for the intended use based on the UC Berkeley Office of Environment, Health & Safety’s (EH&S) evaluation of the historic use of the fill source site and analytical tests on soil samples.

Required Submissions

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

1. Fill Source Area Assessment

Detailed information on 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 (such as serpentine content).

2. Soil Sampling Plan

The following is the minimum frequency based on area or volume. Note - samples should be collected using incremental sampling collection methods following the ITRC Incremental Sampling Methodology where feasible.

Area of Individual Borrow 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 Borrow 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

All soil sampled should be analyzed by a state certified analytical laboratory for the following target compounds using the required test methods.

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

Topics

Building Safety topic page, Environmental Protection topic page