Soil Testing & Contamination Cleanup
TPH-Dx, BTEX, and naphthalene-PAH panel · DEQ Risk-Based Concentrations are the pass/fail · Reportable releases must be called in within 72 hours
Sampling under DEQ protocol; if a release is confirmed, excavation to clean lines, manifested disposal of impacted soil, and Cleanup Report writing for the No Further Action determination that restores marketability.
Quote this service
Tank size, depth, access, contamination risk. Site survey is free.
What this service covers
A meaningful share of buried tanks in older Eugene neighborhoods have leaked at some point in their service life. The South Hills clays slow lateral migration and tend to keep plumes vertical and confined, which often makes cleanup scope tighter than the same release in sandier valley-floor soil. The flat alluvial soils in Bethel and along River Road behave differently. Releases there can spread laterally before they are caught, particularly when the water table sits within a few feet of the tank.
The cleanup framework is statewide. Soil samples are tested for TPH-Dx (the diesel-range hydrocarbons that make up most of #2 heating oil), BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes), and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, with naphthalene as the most commonly elevated). Results are compared against Oregon DEQ Risk-Based Concentrations: cleanup levels that vary by exposure pathway and current land use. A sample above the RBC means a reportable release; DEQ has to be notified within 72 hours of the result, and the property file stays open until cleanup is documented.
The closeout document for an active cleanup is a No Further Action determination, DEQ's formal letter confirming the property meets cleanup levels and no additional remediation is required. That letter is what restores marketability after a release. Most Eugene-area cleanups that stay above-grade and contained close on a one-day excavation; deeper plumes or releases that have reached groundwater require a longer timeline and a written Cleanup Report before DEQ will issue NFA.
How we run this service
Soil samples to ORELAP-accredited labs
No field-screening readings substituted for lab data. DEQ does not accept PID or photoionization-detector readings for closure, and we do not bill for them as if they did.
Plume delineation, not over-excavation
When initial samples fail, we step out a defined sampling grid to find the clean line, rather than digging an oversized hole and inflating disposal costs. Tighter scope, cleaner closeout.
DEQ-approved disposal
Impacted soil is manifested and trucked to a permitted facility: typically Coffin Butte Landfill in Benton County, Short Mountain in Lane County for Class 3 streams, or the Wasco County hazardous-soil cell for higher-concentration material.
No Further Action documentation
When a release will not close on a single dig, we prepare the written Cleanup Report (or coordinate with a Licensed Environmental Professional when DEQ requires one) needed for the formal NFA letter.
Specific situations we handle
Pre-purchase Phase II site assessment
Buyer-side investigation of soil conditions before closing, independent of any work the seller has commissioned.
Decommissioning closure sampling
The standard sampling that accompanies a tank removal under OAR 340-177: TPH-Dx, BTEX, PAH panel from cradle and sidewalls.
Property-line boundary delineation
When a release is suspected to have migrated from a neighbor, we sample a defined boundary grid to establish the line and protect against assigned joint liability.
Active excavation cleanup
Chase-the-plume excavation to clean limits, manifested disposal, and confirmation samples that document the cleanup endpoint.
Groundwater impact response
When a release has reached the water table (typically discovered when the excavation hits free water) we coordinate monitoring wells and a longer-track cleanup under a DEQ project manager.
No Further Action report writing
Final Cleanup Report assembly and submission to the Eugene DEQ office for the closure letter that restores property marketability.
Who this service fits
Soil testing or active cleanup is the right service when:
- i.A tank decommissioning turned up dark, oil-stained soil or a hydrocarbon odor at excavation. DEQ requires sampling regardless of visual appearance, but staining means budget for cleanup, not just sampling.
- j.A buyer's due-diligence inspector pulled hand-auger samples that came back above RBCs, and you need to scope the actual extent rather than trust the buyer-side screening data.
- k.A neighboring property's recent cleanup turned up contamination near your line and you want a defensive boundary investigation on file before anyone claims joint liability.
- l.You inherited or are about to list a Eugene-area home with a long-abandoned tank and want to know what is in the ground before the listing goes live.
- m.A previous cleanup closed at a higher commercial-use RBC and a residential sale now requires re-evaluation against tighter residential cleanup levels.
How a job runs, start to finish
Sampling plan
We design the sampling grid based on tank location, suspected release point, and adjacent receptors: drinking-water wells, basement walls, storm drains, neighboring foundations.
Field collection
Hand-auger or excavator-pulled samples following DEQ protocol. Disposable trowels, lab-supplied glass jars, chain-of-custody initiated on site.
Lab turnaround
Same-day shipment to an ORELAP-accredited lab. Standard turnaround is 5–7 business days; rush 24-hour turnaround available for transactions on a clock.
Cleanup or closure
If results pass RBCs, we file the closeout. If a release is confirmed, we report to DEQ inside 72 hours, scope the excavation, and pursue closure under DEQ's simplified track or a written Cleanup Report path as appropriate.
What this service includes
A typical soil testing or contamination cleanup job includes the sampling plan design, hand-auger or excavator-pulled cradle and sidewall samples following DEQ protocol, ORELAP-accredited lab analysis on the TPH-Dx, BTEX, and naphthalene-PAH panel, comparison against DEQ Risk-Based Concentrations, and the 72-hour release reporting to DEQ when an RBC is exceeded. Pre-purchase Phase II site assessments for buyers who want independent data, property-line boundary delineation when a neighboring property's release is suspected to have migrated, and active chase-the-plume excavation to clean limits with manifested disposal at Coffin Butte or Short Mountain are all part of the scope. For releases that do not close on a single dig, we coordinate monitoring well installation, write the Cleanup Report, and pursue the No Further Action determination DEQ issues to restore property marketability.
Underground Oil Tank Removal
Excavate, decommission, and document buried heating oil tanks across Eugene-Springfield under the Oregon DEQ HOT program. Closes with an ORELAP-tested soil sample panel and a Decommissioning Report filed at the Eugene DEQ office.
View service →Soil Testing & Contamination Cleanup: Common questions
What contamination shows up most often around Eugene tanks?+
Two patterns. The first is a slow weep from the underside of a corroded steel tank: TPH-Dx in the diesel range, usually concentrated in the soil column directly beneath the tank cradle, often resolved by chasing the impacted soil to clean lines on the same dig. The second is an old surface release from filling overflow: TPH plus elevated naphthalene in the top two feet, common around tanks where the fill pipe sat in an awkward spot for decades. Different sample patterns, different cleanup scopes.
How does South Hills clay change the cleanup picture?+
Tertiary volcanic clays in Eugene's South Hills are heavy, slow-draining, and electrochemically active enough to drive faster steel corrosion than the alluvial soils on the valley floor. The good news: those same clays slow lateral migration of a release. Plumes tend to stay vertical and contained, which makes cleanup scope tighter than the same release in sandy Bethel or River Road soil would be.
Do I have to disclose a closed release to a future buyer?+
Oregon's seller property disclosure form asks about known contamination history. A release that DEQ has formally closed with a No Further Action letter is a known-but-resolved condition: disclosable, but not a deal-killer. Lenders treat a closed file the same way they treat any other closed environmental matter. The version that does kill deals is an unresolved suspicion of leakage with no DEQ documentation.
Ready to talk about your specific tank?
Free site survey. Fixed-price quote. Decommissioning Report filed at the Eugene DEQ office.