Soil Solutions Environmental Services

Spring Buying Season Is Here — Know What’s Underground

Spring is one of the busiest times of year for real estate in the Portland market — and it’s also when hidden property issues start surfacing.

At Soil Solutions, we help buyers, sellers, and agents identify environmental concerns before they become costly surprises.

Our services include:

🛢️ Heating Oil Tank Scans
Locate underground heating oil tanks before they delay a sale.

🧪 Soil Sampling & Decommission Verification
Confirm whether a tank was properly decommissioned and whether contamination is present.

📹 Sewer Scope Inspections
Identify breaks, roots, offsets, and hidden sewer line issues before closing.

🫁 Radon Testing & Mitigation
Protect indoor air quality by testing for elevated radon levels.

🌎 Leaking Tank Site Assessments & Excavation Cleanups
We perform site assessments and full excavation cleanups for leaking tanks in Oregon and SW Washington — in accordance with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Washington State Department of Ecology standards.

The best time to find these problems is before closing, not after.

If you're buying, selling, or listing property this spring, we can help.

📞 503-234-2118
📧 [email protected]

🌎 What We Do Beneath the Surface Matters

With Earth Day around the corner, we’re reminded that protecting the environment doesn’t just happen above ground.

At Soil Solutions, most of our impact happens where you don’t see it.

How We Help Protect the Environment

🛢️ Stopping Contamination at the Source
Leaking heating oil tanks can release petroleum into soil and groundwater.
Our excavation cleanups remove contaminated soil — eliminating the source and preventing further spread.

🫁 Addressing V***r Intrusion
Petroleum v***rs can migrate into homes.
We identify and mitigate v***r risks to protect indoor air quality.

🏠 Reducing Radon Exposure
We test for and mitigate elevated radon levels — improving the air people breathe every day.

🌊 Defining Contamination the Right Way
We perform soil and groundwater plume delineation in accordance with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Washington State Department of Ecology — helping ensure responsible, complete cleanup.

Why It Matters

Contamination doesn’t stay in one place.
It moves through soil, groundwater, and even into the air inside homes.

The work we do helps:
✔ Protect groundwater
✔ Improve indoor air quality
✔ Reduce environmental liability
✔ Keep properties safe for future generations

Let’s Do It Right

If you’re buying, selling, or managing a property, environmental due diligence matters more than ever.

📞 503-234-2118
📧 [email protected]

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Know Where the Oil Tank Is — But Not What’s Inside?

If a heating oil tank’s fill port is no longer accessible, there’s no easy way to confirm whether the tank is properly decommissioned.

That’s where we come in.

What We Do

🔧 Expose the Tank
We excavate a small access area (typically ~2’ x 2’) to reach the top of the tank.

🔍 Open & Inspect
We cut the tank open to visually confirm what’s inside.
A properly decommissioned tank should be clean and filled with backfill material.

🧪 Collect Soil Samples
We sample soil at the ends of the tank to evaluate for contamination.

What Happens Next?

✔ Clean tank + clean samples
We can register the decommissioning with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for an additional fee.

⚠ Issues identified (improper decommissioning or contamination)
We provide a clear path forward and a change order to address DEQ requirements.

When Is This Needed?

• Tanks decommissioned before ~2000
• No soil samples were collected
• Work completed but never registered with DEQ

How to Get Started

We start by reviewing public records and confirming what’s already documented.

📞 503-234-2118
📧 [email protected]

If you know where the tank is but don’t have documentation — it’s worth verifying before it becomes an issue in a transaction.

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DEQ’s V***r Intrusion Rules Changed. Cleanup Strategies Have Too.

In 2023, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality updated its v***r intrusion guidance — and finalized it in 2025.

The biggest shift?

It’s no longer enough to look at soil numbers alone.
Sites must now be evaluated for their potential to impact indoor air through v***r intrusion.

That means:

• Stronger emphasis on the v***r pathway
• Updated screening levels
• More robust site evaluations before closure

How Soil Solutions Has Adapted

🧱 Excavation First — When Feasible
Removing contaminated soil removes the source of v***rs. It’s often the most permanent and straightforward path to closure.

🧪 Non-Excavation Site Assessments — When Appropriate
For low to moderate contamination — both before or after excavation — we utilize risk-based site assessments to evaluate v***r potential and determine if additional action is necessary.

💉 Chemical Injections — When Digging Isn’t Practical
In areas under structures or where access is limited, we can reduce contaminant mass in place to address v***r concerns.

The goal isn’t just cleanup.
It’s defensible cleanup under current DEQ guidance.

If you’re buying, selling, or advising on a property with a heating oil tank history, make sure your approach reflects today’s rules — not yesterday’s.

📞 503-234-2118
📧 [email protected]

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🚽🔎 What’s Happening Underground?

Before you buy, sell, remodel, or develop — know what’s hiding beneath your property.

At Soil Solutions, we provide professional residential and commercial sewer scoping services throughout Oregon and Washington.

What we can do:

✔ Scope sewer lines for homes and commercial properties
✔ Pull toilets for access when no cleanout exists
✔ Locate potential cesspools if a cleanout exists
✔ Locate potential septic tanks if a cleanout exists
✔ Scope rain drains to determine discharge location
✔ Locate underground water lines

If we identify a damaged or failing sewer line, we’ll connect you with a trusted local sewer contractor.

If we discover a cesspool, septic tank, or drywell?
We can provide a proposal to properly decommission it — including handling all permitting and regulatory requirements in-house.

No surprises. Just answers.

📧 [email protected]

📞 503-234-2118

🏆💙💚 Champions Protect Their Home Field. So Do We.

Big congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks and the 12s on bringing another Super Bowl victory home to the Pacific Northwest! 🏈

In the PNW, we believe in protecting what matters — whether that’s Lumen Field or your own home or commercial property.

At Soil Solutions, we help you protect your investment with:

🔎 Inspection Services
• Heating Oil Tank Scans
• Radon Testing
• Sewer Scoping

🛠 Full-Service Environmental Solutions
• Heating Oil Tank Decommissioning & Contaminated Soil Cleanup
• Complete Radon Mitigation Systems
• DEQ reporting, coordination & regulatory file closure

From residential homes to commercial properties, we handle projects the right way — with experience, precision, and a strong defense against environmental risk.

Because in real estate and environmental compliance, prevention is the ultimate game plan.

📞 503-234-2118
📧 [email protected]

🌐 soilsolutionsenvironmental.com

Excavation oversight is a flexible, cost-effective cleanup option for contractors and property owners who can provide their own equipment and hauling.

At Soil Solutions, we typically structure excavation oversight in two ways:

Option 1: Sampling First

We start by cleaning the tank and collecting initial soil samples. This gives you clear data on contamination levels and time to line up an excavator, trucking, and backfill material before excavation begins.

Option 2: Full Crew Ready

If you already have an excavator, operator, trucks, and drivers scheduled, we can begin excavation oversight immediately. You provide the equipment and labor—we direct the excavation, collect samples, and manage the environmental scope in real time.

What Soil Solutions Handles

• Tank cleaning and soil sampling
• Direction to your excavator operator on where to dig and where to collect samples
• Laboratory coordination and data interpretation
• DEQ reporting, registration, and regulatory communication
• Soil disposal account access for your trucking, hauling, and dumping
• Documentation to support regulatory file closure

Excavation is easy. Environmental compliance and regulatory closure are not. That’s where we come in.

📞 503-234-2118
📧 [email protected]

🌐 soilsolutionsenvironmental.com

A Phase I doesn’t end a project—it often starts the real investigation.

A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is the first step in commercial environmental due diligence. It reviews historical records, regulatory databases, and site conditions to identify potential environmental concerns.

When a Phase I identifies a Recognized Environmental Condition (REC), the next step is often a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment.

Phase I → Phase II

A Phase II moves beyond records and into the field. It typically includes:
• Soil sampling
• Groundwater sampling
• Soil v***r or indoor air testing
• Installation of monitoring wells (if needed)

Phase II studies determine whether contamination is present, how concentrated it is, and whether it poses a risk to people, property, or groundwater.

What Happens After Phase II?

If contamination is identified, several paths forward are possible depending on risk, concentrations, and regulatory requirements:

✔ Risk-Based Corrective Action Assessments
✔ Soil excavation and disposal
✔ V***r mitigation systems
✔ In-situ treatment (chemical or biological)
✔ Regulatory closure with Oregon DEQ or Washington Ecology

At Soil Solutions, we don’t just identify problems—we help solve them. We provide Phase I ESAs, Phase II investigations, and cleanup services so buyers, sellers, and lenders have a clear path forward.

Not sure where your property stands? A Phase I is usually the best place to start.

📞 503-234-2118
📧 [email protected]

🌐 soilsolutionsenvironmental.com

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Asbestos isn’t always obvious — but the risks are real.

Many residential and commercial buildings constructed before the 1990s may contain asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in places like flooring, insulation, drywall texture, siding, roofing, and pipe wrap. When these materials are disturbed during renovations, repairs, or demolition, asbestos fibers can become airborne — creating a serious health hazard.

That’s why proper asbestos inspection and sampling matters.

At Soil Solutions, we provide professional asbestos inspections and sampling performed by a certified asbestos sampler, with reports prepared by a certified asbestos report writer. Our inspections are designed to:

Verify whether suspect materials contain asbestos

Support safe renovation or demolition planning

Provide compliant documentation for asbestos abatement contractors

Help owners, buyers, and contractors make informed decisions before work begins

We focus on clear documentation, defensible sampling methods, and practical reporting — whether you need peace of mind or a report required for remediation or permitting.

Service Area
We currently provide asbestos inspections and sampling throughout:

NW Oregon Coast

NW Oregon (Portland, Gresham, Hillsboro, Oregon City)

Salem

The Columbia River Gorge

📞 503-234-2118
✉️ [email protected]

Assessment first — safety follows.

Assessment First. Solutions Second.

Leaking heating oil tanks don’t always contaminate groundwater — but when they do, the impacts can extend far beyond the tank itself.

Groundwater contamination from heating oil releases can create large subsurface plumes, affecting soil, groundwater, and soil-gas beneath a property. In some cases, contamination may migrate beyond the original tank location, making professional site assessment critical before any cleanup decisions are made.

That’s why our approach always starts with assessment first.

A proper environmental assessment helps:

Determine whether groundwater has been impacted

Define the extent of soil and groundwater contamination

Evaluate v***r and soil-gas risk to structures

Identify the most effective DEQ-compliant cleanup strategy

This can be difficult information for property owners to hear — especially when groundwater impacts are involved — but accurate data leads to better decisions, clearer expectations, and long-term protection of both property value and neighboring homes.

With over 25 years of experience addressing residential heating oil tank releases across Oregon and Washington, our focus remains the same:
clear answers first, responsible solutions second.

📞 503-234-2118
📧 [email protected]












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As temperatures drop across Portland, radon levels tend to rise.

During winter, homes are closed up tighter and the stack effect increases — especially on cold, windy days — allowing radon gas to build up indoors. It’s one of the most common times of year we see elevated radon levels across the region.

We offer short-term radon testing and radon mitigation bid visits throughout Metro Portland (often at no cost), as well as across NW Oregon, the Gorge, and down to Eugene.

If testing shows radon levels above the EPA’s recommended action level of 4.0 pCi/L, our licensed team designs a mitigation system specific to your home or building. In many cases, we can guarantee system performance to reduce radon levels to 4.0 or even 2.7 — and if we don’t hit that target, we’ll make system modifications at no additional cost.

Have questions or want to get started?
📞 503-234-2118
📧 [email protected]