Soil testing for contamination before buying land

[rrlovesbi]

We are in the process of purchasing an Ag parcel in Mountain View. We discovered that the property had over 25 vehicles previously removed. There is a possibility that the owner was a mechanic but not sure. I just saw a related post on free soil and water testing by the Univ of Hawaii- Manoa for lava affected areas. They will also test for heavy metals, which could indicate contamination.
http://punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=25252&SearchTerms=soil,testing

However, are there professional services here that can test the soil? Maybe we are being too concerned because there are plenty of other lots with multiple abandoned vehicles.

Thanks

Robert

[Hunt Stoddard]

When the lot I'm living on right now (in Keaukaha) was cleared in the 90s there was literally about six feet of old trash, dumped appliances, car parts, and all manner of scrap on it. The entire top layer was skimmed off and disposed in dumpsters at great expense. I'm not sure if there was just no dumps or transfer stations around here back in the day or what, but I think the entire neighborhood used this lot as a dumping ground. The lot next to me is similar and just had its ancient termite ridden house torn down. There are car parts and batteries half buried which I'm going to dig out and dispose.

My brother's lot in Orchidland had multiple piles of junk, slime of unknown origin, stolen bicycles, appliances, refrigerators, stoves, clothes, cans, bottles, tarps, etc.

It's very common to get lots that hide thousands of dollars worth of cleanup right under the vegetation, so I commiserate.