I don't forsee any delay on account of toxics or whatever. But I'm sure they are required by some law or other to make an effort to determine what they will be dealing with ahead of time. For example, California's "state rock" is serpentinite, I believe, which has a significant component of asbestos in it (
http://geology.about.com/library/bl/...rpentinite.htm ) and a hill like Rincon Hill could well have serpentinite at its core. Generally, if they find significant amounts of this mineral, I believe all that would be required is a more intense effort to keep down dust as they excavate (ever seen the guys holding hoses continually wetting down excavation sites as they progress?). Possibly they would also have equipment operators and so on wear HEPA filter masks. But it shouldn't stop construction.
Yes, I think Turnberry does want to get going this fall and the activity going on now would be a natural part of that process and consistent with such a timetable. I was just hoping those guys there now would know in some detail when the serious digging was to begin and they didn't.