ASTM D5730-02 - 10.7.2002
 
1. Scope

1.1 This guide covers a general approach to planning field investigations that is useful for any type of environmental investigation with a primary focus on the subsurface and major factors affecting the surface and subsurface environment. Generally, such investigations should identify and locate, both horizontally and vertically, significant soil and rock masses and ground water conditions present within a given site area and establish the characteristics of the subsurface materials by sampling or in situ testing, or both. The extent of characterization and specific methods used will be determined by the environmental objectives and data quality requirements of the investigation. This guide focuses on field methods for determining site characteristics and collection of samples for further physical and chemical characterization. This guide does not address special considerations required for characterization of karst and fractured rock terrane. In such hydrogeologic settings refer to Quinlan and Guide D 5717, (1).

1.2 This guide refers to ASTM standard methods by which soil, rock, vadose zone, and ground water conditions may be determined. Laboratory testing of soil, rock, and ground-water samples is specified by other ASTM standards which are not specifically discussed in this guide. Laboratory methods for measurement of physical properties relevant to environmental investigations are included in Appendix X1.

1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard.

1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.5 This guide offers an organized collection of information or a series of options and does not recommend a specific course of action. This document cannot replace education or experience and should be used in conjunction with professional judgment. Not all aspects of this guide may be applicable in all circumstances. This ASTM standard is not intended to represent or replace the standard of care by which the adequacy of a given professional service must be judged, nor should this document be applied without consideration of a project's many unique aspects. The word "Standard" in the title of this document means only that the document has been approved through the ASTM consensus process.

 
2. Referenced Documents

D2434-26

Standard Test Methods for Laboratory Measurement of Hydraulic Conductivity of Coarse-Grained Soils

D2487-17(2025)

Standard Practice for Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes (Unified Soil Classification System)

D2488-26

Standard Practice for Description and Identification of Soils for Engineering Purposes (Visual-Manual Procedures)

D2922-05

Standard Test Methods for Density of Soil and Soil-Aggregate in Place by Nuclear Methods (Shallow Depth) (Withdrawn 2007)

D5314-92(2001)

Standard Guide for Soil Gas Monitoring in the Vadose Zone

D5408-93(1998)

Standard Guide for Set of Data Elements to Describe a Ground-Water Site; Part One-Additional Identification Descriptors

D5409-93(1998)

Standard Guide for Set of Data Elements to Describe a Ground-Water Site; Part Two-Physical Descriptors

D5410-93(1998)

Standard Guide for Set of Data Elements to Describe a Ground-Water Site; Part Three-Usage Descriptors

D5447-17

Standard Guide for Application of a Numerical Groundwater Flow Model to a Site-Specific Problem (Withdrawn 2026)

D4700-15

Standard Guide for Soil Sampling from the Vadose Zone (Withdrawn 2024)

D5451-21

Standard Practice for Sampling Using a Trier Sampler

D5717-95e1

Standard Guide for Design of Ground-Water Monitoring Systems in Karst and Fractured-Rock Aquifers (Withdrawn 2005)

E177-26a

Standard Practice for Use of the Terms Precision and Bias in ASTM Test Methods (Includes all amendments and changes 5/14/2026).

E380-93

Standard Practice for Use of the Internation System of Units (SI) (the Modernized Metric System) (Withdrawn 1997)

E1527-21

Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process

G57-20

Standard Test Method for Measurement of Soil Resistivity Using the Wenner Four-Electrode Method

D3404-15

Standard Guide for Measuring Matric Potential in Vadose Zone Using Tensiometers (Withdrawn 2024)

D1586-11

Standard Test Method for Standard Penetration Test (SPT) and Split-Barrel Sampling of Soils

D3550-01

Standard Practice for Thick Wall, Ring-Lined, Split Barrel, Drive Sampling of Soils

D3584-83(1988)

Practice for Indexing Papers and Reports on Soil and Rock for Engineering Purposes (Withdrawn 1996)

D4043-17(2026)e1

Standard Guide for Selection of Aquifer Test Method in Determining Hydraulic Properties by Well Techniques (Includes all amendments and changes 7/17/2026).

D4044-96

Standard Test Method for (Field Procedure) for Instantaneous Change in Head (Slug) Tests for Determining Hydraulic Properties of Aquifiers

D4050-20

Standard Test Method for (Field Procedure) for Withdrawal and Injection Well Testing for Determining Hydraulic Properties of Aquifer Systems

D4104-17

Standard Test Method (Analytical Procedure) for Determining Transmissivity of Nonleaky Confined Aquifers by Overdamped Well Response to Instantaneous Change in Head (Slug Tests)

D4105-15

Standard Test Method for (Analytical Procedure) for Determining Transmissivity and Storage Coefficient of Nonleaky Confined Aquifers by the Modified Theis Nonequilibrium Method

D4106-20

Standard Practice for (Analytical Procedure) for Determining Transmissivity and Storage Coefficient of Nonleaky Confined Aquifers by the Theis Nonequilibrium Method

D4127-18a(2026)

Standard Terminology Used with Ion-Selective Electrodes (Includes all amendments and changes 6/1/2026).

D4210-89(1996)e1

Standard Practice for Intralaboratory Quality Control Procedures and a Discussion on Reporting Low-Level Data (Withdrawn 2002)

D4220-95(2000)

Standard Practices for Preserving and Transporting Soil Samples

D4448-01(2019)

Standard Guide for Sampling Ground-Water Monitoring Wells

D4547-20

Standard Guide for Sampling Waste and Soils for Volatile Organic Compounds

D4630-19

Standard Test Method for Determining Transmissivity and Storage Coefficient of Low-Permeability Rocks by In Situ Measurements Using the Constant Head Injection Test

D4631-18

Standard Test Method for Determining Transmissivity and Storativity of Low Permeability Rocks by In Situ Measurements Using Pressure Pulse Technique

D4687-14(2022)

Standard Guide for General Planning of Waste Sampling

D4696-18

Standard Guide for Pore-Liquid Sampling from the Vadose Zone

D4750-87(2001)

Standard Test Method for Determining Subsurface Liquid Levels in a Borehole or Monitoring Well (Observation Well) (Withdrawn 2010)

D5079-25

Standard Practices for Preserving and Transporting Rock Core Samples

D5084-24

Standard Test Methods for Measurement of Hydraulic Conductivity of Saturated Porous Materials Using a Flexible Wall Permeameter

D5092-04

Standard Practice for Design and Installation of Ground Water Monitoring Wells in Aquifers

D5093-15

Standard Test Method for Field Measurement of Infiltration Rate Using Double-Ring Infiltrometer with Sealed-Inner Ring

D5195-21

Standard Test Method for Density of Soil and Rock In-Place at Depths Below Surface by Nuclear Methods

D5254-92(1998)

Standard Practice for Minimum Set of Data Elements to Identify a Ground-Water Site

D5269-15

Standard Test Method for Determining Transmissivity of Nonleaky Confined Aquifers by the Theis Recovery Method (Withdrawn 2024)

D5270-96

Standard Test Method for Determining Transmissivity and Storage Coefficient of Bounded, Nonleaky, Confined Aquifers

D3441-25

Standard Test Method for Mechanical Cone Penetration Testing of Soils

C998-26

Standard Practice for Sampling Surface Soil for Radionuclides

D420-18

Standard Guide for Site Characterization for Engineering Design and Construction Purposes

D422-63(1998)

Standard Test Method for Particle-Size Analysis of Soils

D653-26a

Standard Terminology Relating to Soil, Rock, and Contained Fluids (Includes all amendments and changes 6/15/2026).

D1140-25

Standard Test Methods for Determining the Amount of Material Finer than 75-µm (No. 200) Sieve in Soils by Washing

D1452-09

Standard Practice for Soil Exploration and Sampling by Auger Borings

D1587-08

Standard Practice for Thin-Walled Tube Sampling of Soils for Geotechnical Purposes

D2113-14

Standard Practice for Rock Core Drilling and Sampling of Rock for Site Exploration (Withdrawn 2023)