Split Spoon Soil Sampler for Tough Sites

Four weeks. That’s how far out subcontractors were scheduling drilling for a New York environmental consulting firm. The solution: launch EAST COAST GEOSERVICES.

“We took destiny into our own hands and started in 2006,” Steven McGinn, partner, said.

What began as an in-house solution to support their environmental consulting work grew into something much larger.

“Now we’re doing more geotechnical work than environmental,” he said.

Operating on Long Island means dealing with one constant challenge: groundwater. For years, McGinn's crews struggled with traditional split spoon soil samplers packed with saturated material and literally splitting apart at the seams.

“Regular split spoons would come back packed and split apart, making them difficult to actually get apart,” McGinn said.

The solution came from an unexpected online discovery. While browsing equipment options on the Geoprobe^® website, McGinn spotted the Geoprobe^® 2-inch interlocking split spoon soil samplers. The design promised to solve the exact problem his crews faced daily. He decided to take a chance.

“They’ve worked out great since we got them,” McGinn said. “The interlocking split spoons don’t split apart when materials get packed in.”

McGinn describes the ordering process as "simple" with a phone call, quick review of his record, and order placed within minutes.

“I’m glad Geoprobe^® came up with the invention. It’s made my life easier,” McGinn said. “They save time opening up the spoon versus banging with wrenches. Just a slight rap with a hammer and the shoe and drive cap come off.”