The purpose of this project was to develop methods and data on the leaching and hydraulic properties of solid residues resulting from the processing of oil shale. A column test, called the ESM test, was developed as an aid to characterization of the chemical quality of the first leachate that would issue from a disposal pile of spent oil shale. Water added for cooling, compaction, and dust control will develop a chemical composition dictated by chemical reaction between the solution and solid phases. In the ESM column test, this process is simulated by moisturizing the solid to the expected field water content, followed by an equilibration period. After packing the moistened material into a column, the antecedent pore solution is displaced by injection of distilled water. Both theoretical and experimental results indicate that the first effluent from the column is displaced antecedent pore water, the chemical composition of which has been unaffected by the displacement process. The chemical characteristics of the first effluent are expected to be a reasonable index to the quality of first leachate generated from a disposal pile.