Phase II Soil Sampling - Cleveland, OH

A Phase II Inspection is conducted after a primary Phase I inspection finds what we call "suspect" conditions. In this case, the historical research of the building indicated there was an underground storage tank in this warehouse that held gasoline or diesel. We were also told that the tank had been taken out years ago. However, did they remove it right? Was the old steel tank leaking before it was pulled out of the ground? That's where the Phase II comes in. We can determine if the soil beneath the 6" thick concrete is contaminated without knocking the building down and then come up with a plan to address the contamination.

We've been to this site several times over the years and confirmed on the first visit that the soil is indeed impacted with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Our subsequent visits were to try to determine the extent of the contamination, the flow of the contamination and evaluate any groundwater impacts. On this most recent visit we drilled 24 separate holes and evaluated soil samples every 2 feet in an attempt to delineate the spread of the VOCs. We use a photo ionization detector (PID) to get preliminary readings of the VOC in parts per million from each sample. The highest two readings are then submitted to a laboratory for a more detailed analysis.

We don't get the chance to do too many of these but they're always a good time! If you're thinking of buying a historical site or even an old house, let us know. We can help!