How do I know if my property is contaminated?

Send your soils samples to a soil laboratory.

USI offers soil testing as do over 100 land-grant colleges and universities around the U.S.

What is soil contamination?

Soil contamination implies that the concentration of a substance (e.g. nutrient, pesticide, organic chemical, acidic or saline compound, or trace elements) in soil is higher than would naturally occur.

Soil pollution refers to the presence of substances at concentrations above threshold levels where they become harmful to living organisms (See also soil contamination). Soils break down pollutants and limit groundwater and surface water pollution. Indeed, soils hamper pollutants leaching into the groundwater and limit their transport to surface waters.

Soil degradation, another consideration is the reduction in the capacity of soil to provide ecosystem goods and services and ensure its functions over a period of time. Soil degradation manifests itself in various forms, including soil erosion, soil salinization, nutrient depletion, loss of soil biodiversity, soil pollution, soil compaction, loss organic matter, soil sealing and others. Studies report that approximately 33% of our soils are facing moderate to severe degradation. The current rate of soil degradation threatens the capacity to meet the needs of future generations, unless we reverse this trend through a concerted effort towards the sustainable management of soils.