SCP-6350 — SCP-6350 | Cost Breakdown

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SCP-6350 Unknown ~ medium confidence

SCP-6350

Expected annual

$1.4M

One-time setup

$6.2M

Annual recurring

$1.4M

Personnel

Initial capital and setup (lab kit, boats/ROV, secure storage, insurance/reserves) are the primary one-time costs (~$6.17M driven largely by potential remediation). Annual operations are driven by personnel, lab analyses, monitoring, interagency contracts and contingency reserves (~$1.375M/yr).

🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $6.2M

Physical Remediation Potential $5.0M

[#16] Potential one-time large-scale remediation/sealing/dredging if mines are re-exposed; highly scenario-dependent (range documented $1M–$50M+). This line represents a mid-range planning figure for major remediation.

Initial Research And Lab Setup $550K

[#5, #6] Capital for microscope/analysis-capable lab buildout and medium-tier instruments, plus cold-storage/freezers and secure sample cabinets for an initial biobank (~$500k lab equipment + ~$50k freezers/storage).

Equipment $230K

[#2, #3] Purchase of 1–2 patrol boats and trailers (~$80k) and inspection-class ROV(s) capital (~$150k). Does not include large lab instruments (moved to initial_research_and_lab_setup).

Insurance Reserve One Time $150K

[#20] Initial liability reserve to cover incidental liabilities and potential legal contingencies.

Facilities $100K

[#1, #15] Buoys, signage, fences, occasional dock/shore work and small structural work; includes initial placement/installation and small site infrastructure (generators excluded from lab equipment). Estimate assumes durable buoys, markers and minor shoreworks.

Record Suppression One Time $40K

[#11] Upfront legal/records work to remove or redact historical records and pay custodians as needed.

Data Secure Setup $30K

[#14] Initial secure database setup, encryption, secure comms provisioning and reporting infrastructure.

O5 Admin One Time $25K

[#22] One-time administrative/O5 review and reclassification costs (meetings, reports, secure archive work).

Historical Specimen Handling One Time $20K

[#18] Retrieval/assessment of historical autopsy specimens, chain-of-custody setup and specialized preservation for anomalous materials.

Ppe Initial $15K

[#9] Initial purchase of respiratory protection, suits, portable decon equipment and disposables for field teams.

Fake Site Setup $12K

[#10] Initial setup of fake travel blogs/sites, seeded content and initial SEO work.

🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $1.4M/yr

Staff Wages $500K/yr

[#7] Salaries for dedicated team (2 epidemiologists/toxicologists, 1 field coordinator, 1 lab tech, 1 liaison, part-time boat/guard staff, ROV operator/technician, administrative support).

Research And Monitoring $200K/yr

[#4, #5, #17] Regular environmental sampling program and per-sample laboratory analyses (pathology, elemental analysis, microscopy, XRD).

Contingency Reserve $200K/yr

[#16] Annual emergency reserve for rapid-response containment, mass sampling, quarantine and short-term remediation actions ($250k–$5M suggested range).

Interagency Contracts $80K/yr

[#12] MOUs, small grants and contracts with USFWS, local fishermen and contractors for sampling and reporting.

Long Term Monitoring $80K/yr

[#17] Multi-year ecological studies, graduate collaborations, tagging programs and periodic surveys.

Cover Story And Legal $60K/yr

[#10, #11, #19] Ongoing online content/SEO, social monitoring, takedown/legal work, and small overt community outreach to avoid suspicion.

Logistics And Transport $40K/yr

[#2, #3, #13] Boat fuel and maintenance, small craft operating costs, vehicle rentals and periodic field campaign transport expenses.

Supplies And Consumables $30K/yr

[#4, #6, #9] Sampling supplies, cold-chain consumables, sample preservation materials, PPE resupply and disposal.

Public Relations $25K/yr

[#19] Overt community relations funding (events, small grants, environmental projects) to defuse suspicion.

Patrol Operations $20K/yr

[#2] Recurring operating costs for patrols (fuel, docking fees, radios, life-saving gear maintenance).

Rov And Dive Recurring $20K/yr

[#3] Annual dive-team recertifications, ROV maintenance and per-mission operational costs averaged over the year.

Travel And Lodging $20K/yr

[#13] Travel, per diems, and lodging for field operations and contracted personnel.

Medical Surveillance $20K/yr

[#8] Routine medical monitoring for exposed personnel (exams, imaging, PFTs) and readiness for per-exposure costs.

Data Management Recurring $15K/yr

[#14] Software licenses, secure database hosting, IT support and encrypted communications maintenance.

Energy And Utilities $15K/yr

[#15] Electricity for freezers, ROV charging, field office power and fuel for boats; ongoing generator fuel/maintenance.

Insurance Premiums $15K/yr

[#20] Annual premiums for liability and legal coverage.

Personnel Training $12K/yr

[#21] Regular training, safety drills, dive safety, exposure protocol drills and tabletop exercises with partners.

Sample Archive Maintenance $10K/yr

[#6, #18] Freezer electricity, maintenance, monitoring and secure storage upkeep for archived specimens.

Facilities Maintenance $8K/yr

[#1, #15] Maintenance and replacement of buoys/signage and minor shore/dock upkeep; small generator maintenance.

Historical Specimen Storage $5K/yr

[#18] Ongoing storage costs and chain-of-custody record maintenance for historical specimens.

⚡ Cost Scenarios

📊 Baseline (baseline) $1.4M/yr

94.0% probability / year

Normal, uneventful year with routine monitoring, lab analyses, personnel wages and contingency reserve accumulation.

routine_sampling no exposures normal operations

🚨 Minor Incident $1.5M/yr

5.0% probability / year +$150K vs baseline

Localized exposure or small breach (one or a few individuals/divers), triggering medical response, targeted sampling, boat/ROV repair and increased legal/PR activity.

single exposure event localized breach increased public attention

🚨 Major Remediation $4.1M/yr

1.0% probability / year +$2.8M vs baseline

Major re-exposure or outbreak requiring large-scale physical remediation/sealing, mass sampling, sustained emergency response and extended legal/PR operations.

lake level drop / mine re-exposure widespread contamination/outbreak decision to attempt physical sealing

👥 Personnel 9 total

Role	Count	Notes
Research Scientist / Epidemiologist / Toxicologist	2	[#7] Senior scientific staff for analysis, study design and liaison with external labs.
Lab Technician	1	[#7] Day-to-day sample processing, instrument operation and chain-of-custody management.
Field Coordinator	1	[#7] Organizes sampling campaigns, manages contractors/fishermen and oversees field safety.
Liaison / Community Officer	1	[#7, #19] Coordinates with USFWS, local authorities and manages overt community relations.
Security Officer / MTF Agent (part-time guards)	2	[#2, #7] Part-time boat/shore patrol staff to deter access and conduct inspections.
ROV Operator / Dive Technician	1	[#3] Operates/maintains ROVs and supports dive-team logistics when in-water operations are required.
Administrative Staff	1	[#11, #14] Records management, FOIA handling, legal coordination and reporting support.

📋 Confidence Notes

Core operational costs (personnel, routine monitoring, basic equipment) are well-supported by the notes; large uncertainties remain around capital choices (ROV vs. dive reliance, buying vs outsourcing lab capability) and the magnitude/probability of remediation (orders-of-magnitude variance). This yields medium confidence.

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