Evaluating contaminated soil removal costs and considerations

Contaminated soil poses environmental health risks, making remediation essential. One of the most effective methods for a soil remediation approach is soil excavation, which involves removing and transporting contaminated soil off-site for treatment or disposal. This process is widely used but comes with significant costs.

This blog post explores the factors that determine contaminated soil removal costs, provides average cost estimates and explains why consulting a remediation expert is important for determining the best soil remediation approach.

What causes soil contamination: An overview

Soil contamination happens for a variety of reasons, including:

Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides.
Domestic and commercial chemical use.
Disposal of untreated municipal waste and wastewater.
Accidental fuel leaks from tanks and pipelines.
Land development and construction.

Soil removal would only occur if there was a proven presence of soil contamination. Though expensive, this provides a faster solution by fully or partially eliminating the contamination sources.

Two aspects determine the cost of contaminated soil removal, as shown in the following table.

Contaminated soil removal costs

Upfront costs: These expenses cover the implementation of a particular soil removal strategy. They include:
- Design costs: Preparing remedial designs, work plans, sampling and analysis plans, and health and safety plans.
- Construction costs: Constructing infrastructure to supply electricity, water and natural gas as needed, mobilizing and installing process equipment, and performing startup and shakedown testing.
- Administrative costs: Obtaining permits, coordinating with regulatory agencies, preparing site infrastructure, performing a site survey, and locating subsurface utilities and other obstructions.

Although upfront costs can be significantly high compared to in-situ soil treatment methods, excavation can result in a shorter remediation period by partially or fully removing the contaminated soil source from a site.

Operation and Maintenance (O&M) costs: O&M costs include monitoring the performance of the remediation technology (contaminated soil removal) by collecting other media samples (groundwater and vapor samples) to monitor progress toward remediation goals. In addition, implementation of an engineered barrier following the soil removal further prevents any remaining soil contamination from migrating.

Notably, minimal on-site O&M costs are incurred at the remediation site after excavation. Off-site O&M is needed at the disposal facility, which includes sampling, analysis and containment systems maintenance , such as dewatering systems, landfills/soil caps and liners. However, these O&M costs are generally covered by the licensed disposal facility as part of their operational costs and are not the responsibility of the remediation site. The remediation site costs are limited to the upfront disposal fees for the disposal facility accepting the contaminated soil.

The excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soil involve selecting the right method and implementing the appropriate techniques for dewatering, handling, transport, pre-treatment and disposal.

During soil excavation, the contaminated media is removed and transported to off-site treatment/disposal facilities. Pre-treatment of the contaminated media is usually required to meet land disposal restrictions. Here are some of the factors that affect the cost of removing contaminated soil.

Type and concentration of contaminants.
Soil characteristics and land disposal restrictions.
Selected excavation technique.
Site access constraints and distance to the nearest disposal facility.
Presence of underground utilities or sensitive structures.
Dewatering and slope control requirements.
Depth and composition of the media requiring excavation.
Rate of excavation, including the number and size of excavators, loaders and trucks.
Duration of the removal process.

According to the Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable, soil excavation and disposal costs range from $270 to $460 per ton, depending on contamination levels and excavation methods.

Remediation costs can pose a major challenge to brownfield redevelopment. Between higher costs and limited funds, municipalities often elect to postpone redevelopment. However, partnering with an expert can help municipalities navigate the costs of contaminated soil removal and secure funding solutions for brownfield redevelopment.

How Fehr Graham can help with contaminated soil remediation

At Fehr Graham, our in-house experts in soil remediation and land redevelopment have helped clean up brownfield sites, including excavating and landfilling the contaminated soil on-site. We partner with environmental technology companies to provide advanced soil remediation techniques, such as applying chemical blending to the contaminated soil. Our grant management experts can help your municipality secure funding solutions for soil remediation on brownfield sites.

To learn how Fehr Graham can help you evaluate contaminated soil removal costs, contact us or call 920.453.0700.

Dillon Plamann is a Project Hydrogeologist who helps with soil and groundwater investigations, remedial activities, due diligence and building material assessments. He also works on reports, work plans, proposals, budgets, and Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments. Reach him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..