Find Out What’s in the Ground Before You Pay to Clean It Up
When a Phase I turns up a concern, or a regulator asks for answers, A-Tech defines the full extent of the problem with defensible, lab-verified sampling. Solid characterization gives you the facts to move forward with an approach agencies will accept, without paying to clean up more than you need to.
Our Sampling & Investigation Services
- Soil, Groundwater & Soil Vapor Sampling
- Underground Storage Tank (UST) Investigations
- Waste Characterization & Profiling
- Wastewater & Discharge Sampling
- Sediment & Surface Water Sampling
- Methane & Landfill Gas Evaluations
- Environmental Site Boundary Monitoring
What is Site Investigation & Characterization
From a Flagged Concern to Measured Facts
A Phase I ESA flags the possibility of contamination. Site investigation and characterization is where that possibility becomes measured fact: where it is, what it is, how much, and how far. A-Tech collects and analyzes physical samples of soil, water, vapor, and waste, then compares the results against the regulatory screening levels that apply to your site, so you and your agency work from the same defensible data set.
Delineation
We map the vertical and lateral extent of contamination: the source, the plume boundaries, and which media are affected. Knowing the true footprint keeps a cleanup scoped to reality instead of guesswork.
Characterization
We identify the specific contaminants and their concentrations, profile waste streams for disposal, and compare findings to DTSC, Regional Water Board, and federal thresholds. You get a report agencies accept and a path to closure you can budget for.
When you Need Site Investigation & Characterization
Characterization is rarely optional once a concern surfaces. The sooner it is done right, the more control you keep over cost and timeline.
- A Phase I Identified a Concern. A Recognized Environmental Concern (REC) needs to be confirmed or cleared with actual sampling before a transaction can close.
- A Regulator Is Asking Questions. DTSC, a Regional Water Quality Control Board, or a local agency has requested characterization of a known or suspected release.
- You’re Closing or Removing a UST. Tank closures require soil and groundwater sampling to show whether a release occurred and to define its extent.
- You’re Redeveloping or Building. Excavation, dewatering, and soil export all depend on knowing what is in the ground and how it must be handled or disposed of.
- You Need to Profile Waste. Soil and materials leaving the site must be characterized and profiled so they go to a properly permitted facility.
- You’re Managing Ongoing Compliance. Boundary monitoring, discharge sampling, and landfill gas evaluations keep active sites inside their permit conditions.
Investigation Costs Less Than Getting The Cleanup Wrong
Characterizing a site costs a fraction of remediating one. It costs less still than cleaning up the wrong volume, missing a plume, or having an agency reject your data and send you back to the field. The figures below show what is at stake.
Figures are national reference estimates from U.S. EPA Underground Storage Tank program data and California UST Cleanup Fund cost guidance. Actual costs vary with contaminant type, media affected, site conditions, and applicable state cleanup standards.
Our Site Investigation & Characterization Services
One team, every medium, so your investigation stays coordinated from the first boring to the closure report.
Multi-media sampling to delineate contamination in the subsurface, evaluate vapor intrusion risk, and set concentrations against regulatory screening levels.
Tank closure and release-response sampling that determines whether a release occurred, defines its extent, and supports the path to regulatory case closure.
Analytical profiling of soil and materials so they are classified correctly and directed to a properly permitted disposal or recycling facility.
Sampling to verify that industrial and construction discharges meet permit limits and regulatory thresholds before they leave the site.
Characterization of creeks, channels, ponds, and sediments to assess impacts and support permitting near sensitive receptors.
Subsurface gas assessment for sites on or near former landfills, evaluating methane and landfill gas to protect future structures and occupants.
Perimeter monitoring that confirms contamination is contained and documents compliance for active and closing sites.
Why A-Tech?
Data That Holds Up, and a Team That Knows What Regulators Accept
- Defensible, Lab-Verified Results. Every conclusion is backed by certified laboratory analysis and documented chain-of-custody, the standard agencies require before they sign off.
- Licensed Professionals Who Know the Agencies. Investigations are led by qualified environmental professionals who work daily with DTSC, Regional Water Quality Control Boards, and local oversight agencies across California and Washington.
- Scoped to Reality, Not to Fear. We characterize the actual footprint so you remediate what you must and nothing you don’t, which protects your budget from over-cleanup.
- One Team, Built Toward Closure. Because A-Tech handles due diligence, investigation, and remediation design, we investigate with the end in mind and carry your project from one phase to the next without a handoff.
Have a Site Concern to Investigate?
Call 800-434-1025 or schedule a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Phase II ESA is the first round of sampling that confirms whether a suspected contaminant is actually present. Site characterization goes further. Once contamination is confirmed, it defines the full vertical and lateral extent, identifies every affected medium, and profiles the contaminants so a cleanup can be properly scoped. The two often flow together, and A-Tech handles both.
Most often when a Phase I ESA identifies a Recognized Environmental Concern, when a regulator requests characterization of a known or suspected release, when you are closing or removing an underground storage tank, or when you are planning redevelopment that involves excavation and soil export. If a concern has surfaced and a decision or transaction depends on the answer, it is time to sample.
It depends on site size, the media involved, and how many sampling locations are needed, but a focused investigation for a modest site typically runs in the low tens of thousands of dollars. That is a small fraction of the average leaking-UST cleanup, roughly $154,000 nationally, which is why accurate characterization up front protects your budget. We provide a scoped estimate after a short consultation.
Field work for a straightforward site is often finished in a few days, with laboratory turnaround and reporting typically adding two to four weeks. Timelines run longer for larger sites, groundwater investigations, or where agency coordination and permitting are required. We give you a realistic schedule as part of the work plan.
Soil, groundwater, soil vapor, wastewater and discharge, sediment, and surface water, plus landfill and methane gas for sites on or near former landfills. Because we cover every medium in-house, your investigation stays coordinated and your data set stays consistent.
Yes. We use certified laboratories, maintain documented chain-of-custody, follow agency-accepted methods and sampling plans, and interpret results against the correct screening levels. Our reports are built to withstand regulatory review from DTSC, Regional Water Boards, and local oversight programs.
A-Tech serves clients throughout California, including Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and Northern California, as well as the greater Seattle area in Washington. Call 800-434-1025 to discuss your site.
