So I do Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments for a living- I’ll add my two cents here. If you’re lucky, their bank is just looking to assess the in-ground lifts and not the whole site.
Typically for a site with hydraulic lifts, we would collect several soil samples from the vicinity of the lift either via hand augers, or via a small tracked drilling rig if we anticipate more than a couple of samples. These samples will then be sent off for laboratory analysis of various compounds, for hydraulics and vehicle maintenance, typically volatile organic compounds (gasoline and solvent constituents), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (typically heavy petroleum constituents), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, used to be used as a hydraulic oil additive). Depending on the state they may have additional standards and methods used here.
It’s possible/likely that they will want to sample groundwater. Typically this is several temporary PVC monitoring wells installed via small drilling rig in to the surficial aquifer.
To get through the slab, they will probably want to core the concrete or use a hydraulic hammer on the rig. You as the seller should specify that all concrete holes are cored and patched following drilling- we’ve broken many slabs via hammering.
So if they find anything, this is then going to get compared to the applicable thresholds for whatever state you’re in, or to EPA thresholds. If you’re below the thresholds, the buyer will then have to decide whether they want to take on the liability for a site with low-level impacts. If you’re above, most buyers will walk away unless they are familiar with brownfields (former contaminated site) redevelopment.
All of this assessment, even though it is invasive, should be able to be completed without removing any equipment, although they will need access to the property and may make a hell of a mess if they set monitoring wells via rotary drilling. We usually try to use clean methods in environmental drilling though. In my area, costs for something like this range from 8k-15k depending on scope of work.
Feel free to hit me up for any more questions about the process if you want to know more. I should be able to answer questions about most steps of the process, as we provide turnkey service from Phase I all the way through redevelopment, with everything in between.
**Edit to add:** If you do want to allow the buyer to move forward with a Phase II ESA, I highly recommend finding a local environmental attorney or real estate attorney familiar with the state regulations, and heed their advice as to whether to move forward. We typically try to ensure that our assessments would not get a seller in to hot water even if the buyer walks away, but not all consultants/buyers extend this courtesy if they feel they can bully you in to selling for a much lower price.
