SCP-1371 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-1371
Expected annual
$36K
One-time setup
$52K
Annual recurring
$36K
Personnel
0.15
Initial one-time setup is modest (~$52k) driven by equipment, cell sealing, and contingency reserves; main recurring costs (~$35.6k/yr) are pro-rated staff wages, monitoring/maintenance, testing, and security/legal allocations.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $52K
Equipment $19K
[#1, #2, #4, #5, #11, #12, #13, #25] Secure aquarium purchase and mounting (#1), initial life-support hardware (#2 initial), CCTV/env monitoring install (#4 install), UPS (#5), emergency retrieval gear purchase (#11 purchase), optional drone purchase (#12), transport container purchase (#13 purchase), spare aquarium (#25).
Facilities $12K
[#3] Site-18 Level-1 cell fit-out and sealing (seal vents, mount points, signage, tray, minor structural work).
Containment Upgrade Contingency $10K
[#16] Contingency reserve for future containment upgrades if specimen grows or behavior changes (taller/stronger/multi-stage containment).
Incident Response Fund $5K
[#14] One-time establishment of an incident response contingency fund for breach/retrieval/medical/equipment replacement.
Initial Research And Lab Setup $4K
[#15] Data logging / experiment equipment (accelerometers, pressure/altitude sensors, high-speed camera) and initial software/storage setup.
Disposition Reserve $2K
[#24] One-time reserve for long-term specimen disposition (retirement/transfer/necropsy/sample storage costs when enacted).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $36K/yr
Staff Wages $18K/yr
[#7, #8] Animal-care technician pro-rated wages (daily checks, feeding, water changes, cleaning; ~0.05-0.15 FTE) and researcher/PI oversight pro-rated time.
Research And Monitoring $4K/yr
[#15, #23, #18] Data storage & maintenance and periodic testing program budget (controlled buoyancy tests, analysis), recordkeeping/database/compliance costs.
Security Overhead $3K/yr
[#21] Apportioned baseline site security costs for Level-1 cell monitoring, access logs, and minimal guard patrol time.
Cover Story And Legal $2K/yr
[#19] Annual allocation for cover story/PR/legal retainer and external inquiry mitigation.
Supplies And Consumables $2K/yr
[#2, #6, #17] Life-support consumables and replacement parts (filters, conditioners), feeding supplies/vendor vetting, cleaning supplies, water change consumables, biohazard disposal.
Insurance Liability $2K/yr
[#20] Institutional liability allocation / insurance apportionment for animal care and site operations.
Training And Sop $1K/yr
[#10] Annual staff training on handling-in-container, 'do not touch' rules, emergency retrieval and SOP enforcement.
Facilities Maintenance $1K/yr
[#4] Annual maintenance and monitoring costs for CCTV/environmental sensors, minor aquarium mounting repairs and monitoring system upkeep.
Incident Response Reserve $1K/yr
[#14] Annual contribution to incident contingency reserve for unexpected breaches, retrieval, or emergency medical/treatment costs.
Veterinary Services $600/yr
[#9] Periodic exotic-animal veterinary checks, diagnostics, and routine treatment (emergency contingency handled via incident reserve).
Logistics And Transport $500/yr
[#13] Expected per-year average for occasional off-site moves (vehicle, staff) amortized as a yearly figure.
Emergency Rentals $500/yr
[#11] Expected average annual cost for occasional rentals (cherry-pickers, drones) when needed for retrieval; purchase covered in equipment.
Personnel Support $500/yr
[#22] Personnel health and psychological support allocation for staff involved in incidents or stressed by anomalous object.
Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $36K/yr
94.5% probability / year
Normal uneventful year with routine operations, maintenance, and scheduled testing; no significant breaches or recovery incidents.
routine maintenance scheduled testing no containment incidents
🚨 Minor Incident $39K/yr
5.0% probability / year +$3K vs baseline
Small containment breach or aquarium damage requiring emergency retrieval, minor equipment replacement, vet visit, and limited PR/legal work.
aquarium crack/leak lid unauthorized opening short retrieval requiring rentals/vet visit
🚨 Major Breach $61K/yr
0.5% probability / year +$25K vs baseline
Significant containment failure leading to off-site ascent or prolonged retrieval operation, extensive recovery resources, PR/legal, and equipment replacement.
specimen released and ascends extended recovery/search and retrieval major equipment replacement and incident response
👥 Personnel 0.15 total
Role Count Notes
Research Technician / Animal Tech 0.1 [#7] Pro-rated technician FTE for daily checks, feeding, aquarium maintenance and recordkeeping (costed into staff_wages).
Research Scientist / PI (oversight) 0.05 [#8] Pro-rated researcher time for approvals, oversight, and data analysis (costed into staff_wages).
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provide ranges and clear itemization allowing reasonable point estimates, but incident frequency and magnitude (retrieval/major breach) are uncertain and reserves/contingencies are judgment-based.
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