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(780) 450-3957
Environmental soil testing helps consultants, industrial facilities, landowners and project teams investigate suspected contamination, characterize site conditions and support remediation or reclamation decisions.
PBR Laboratories provides environmental soil testing support from Edmonton for projects throughout Alberta, Western Canada and Canada.
Depending on the site history and investigation objective, testing may include:
The right testing program depends on the site history, suspected source, contaminant type, sample location, depth and decision the results must support.
Environmental soil contamination testing measures selected chemical or microbiological parameters in soil where historical or current activities may have affected site conditions.
Testing may support questions such as:
A laboratory result applies to the submitted sample. It does not by itself define the entire extent of contamination.
Testing may be appropriate after suspected or known releases involving fuels, oils, industrial chemicals or other materials.
Former industrial, commercial, agricultural or waste-handling activities may create reasons to investigate soil conditions.
Soil testing can support environmental investigations where site history suggests potential contamination.
Laboratory results may help characterize affected areas before remediation decisions are made.
Testing may support assessment of selected soil conditions during reclamation or restoration work.
Environmental soil testing may be appropriate when historical property use creates contamination concerns before or during redevelopment.
PBR’s current soil service information supports several analytical areas relevant to environmental soil investigations.
Petroleum hydrocarbon testing can support investigations involving:
PBR’s existing Soil Chemical Testing page identifies total petroleum hydrocarbons C6+ among its documented soil capabilities.
Related Service: Petroleum Hydrocarbon Testing in Soil →
Metals testing may be relevant where industrial history, natural geology or other site conditions create a reason to investigate elemental concentrations.
Results should be interpreted against:
Related Service: Metals Testing in Soil →
Soil chemistry may include:
These measurements can help characterize site conditions and support interpretation of contamination results.
Related Service: Soil Chemistry Testing →
Depending on the project, microbiological testing may contribute to investigations involving:
PBR’s documented environmental microbiology capabilities include several bacterial groups relevant to soil and environmental investigations.
An elevated result means that the laboratory measured a concentration above the comparison value or criterion being used for that specific project.
It does not automatically tell you:
The next step may involve:
reviewing site history → evaluating sample locations → comparing results with criteria → collecting additional samples → assessing other environmental media
This is why contaminated-site testing should be interpreted as part of a broader site investigation rather than as a standalone laboratory number.
Not necessarily.
A detected chemical or metal must be evaluated in context.
Important factors may include:
The correct question is not simply:
Was something detected?
It is:
How does the measured concentration compare with the criteria and site context relevant to this investigation?
One of the most common mistakes in environmental soil testing is ordering a broad panel without first considering likely sources.
A better approach is:
site history → suspected contaminants → appropriate sampling → analytical testing → interpretation
Examples:
Potential focus:
Potential focus:
Potential focus:
The appropriate analytical program should reflect the site's actual history.
Sampling design is critical because contamination is often unevenly distributed.
A single sample from the wrong location may miss the area of concern.
Important considerations include:
PBR’s decision framework emphasizes representative sampling and correct sample handling when results support environmental decisions.
Ask PBR about sample requirements before collecting contaminated soil samples.
A grab sample represents one specific location or depth.
This can be useful when the goal is to investigate localized contamination.
A composite combines material from multiple locations.
This may provide an average representation, but it can also dilute localized contamination.
For contaminated-site investigations, composite sampling should therefore be used carefully and only where it aligns with the project objective.
Some contaminants can migrate from soil into groundwater depending on:
Where groundwater impact is plausible, soil data may need to be considered alongside groundwater or environmental water testing.
Environmental consultants may use laboratory soil data to support:
The laboratory analysis should align with the consultant’s project objectives and sampling plan.
Industry / Application Page: Environmental Consultants & Site Assessment →
Industrial sites may require environmental soil testing where operational history, spills, process chemicals or storage areas create possible soil impacts.
Potential analytical areas include:
Historical land use can create environmental concerns before redevelopment.
Testing may help investigate:
PBR’s soil services should be positioned as environmental and analytical soil testing, not geotechnical engineering testing.
Industry / Application Page: Land Development & Construction →
Laboratory testing can support different stages of remediation and reclamation.
A typical workflow may be:
Initial site characterization
↓
Contaminant identification
↓
Delineation
↓
Remediation or reclamation work
↓
Follow-up sampling
↓
Review of analytical results
Depending on the project, relevant testing may include:
Industry / Application Page: Remediation & Reclamation Projects →
PBR supports environmental consultants, industrial facilities, remediation teams and land-development projects throughout Alberta with analytical soil testing and direct communication about sampling and test selection.
PBR supports contaminated-site and environmental soil investigations across Western Canada where projects require soil chemistry, hydrocarbon, metals or microbiological data.
PBR provides analytical soil testing support for environmental investigations across Canada.
The objective is to help clients connect:
site history → sampling → analytical result → environmental decision
rather than simply receive a laboratory number.
Environmental soil testing measures selected contaminants and soil characteristics where current or historical activities may have affected site conditions.
PBR’s documented soil capabilities include petroleum hydrocarbon-related analysis, metals, soil chemistry and selected environmental microbiological testing. Specific parameters should be selected according to the site history and project objective.
Yes. Petroleum hydrocarbon testing can support investigation of soil potentially affected by fuel or oil releases.
Yes. Metals testing is available for applicable soil matrices. The required element list should be based on the project and site history.
Start with the site's historical and current uses, known or suspected releases, process chemicals and project objectives. This information helps determine which analytical parameters are relevant.
No. A result applies to the submitted sample and sampling location. Whether it represents the larger site depends on the investigation and sampling design.
It depends on the investigation. Compositing may provide an average, but it can also dilute localized contamination. The sampling design should match the decision the data needs to support.
Potentially. If site conditions or contaminant characteristics suggest migration to groundwater, soil and groundwater results may need to be evaluated together.
Yes. PBR supports clients throughout Alberta, Western Canada and Canada.
Tell PBR:
PBR can discuss available soil testing and sample requirements before submission.