Typically, environmental
assessments and investigations are divided by regulatory agencies into separate
phases of work, each of which are defined by specific methods, goals, or
objectives. Individuals involved in property transactions and owners need to be
familiar with the activities which are associated with each of these phases, so
that the nature of activities at a subject or nearby property can be recognized
and defined.
As part of any property transaction involving a
commercial or industrial property, most lenders require that an initial
environmental site assessment be performed in order to accurately assess and
quantify the potential environmental liabilities present at a site. The most
common and most widely accepted instrument for this purpose is the Phase I
Environmental Site Assessment, which consists of a non-intrusive assessment of a
facility's potential environmental liabilities. This assessment should comply
with the current ASTM standard for such assessments (1572-97) as well as any
lender-specific requirements, these typically include the following components:
- Site inspection
- Interviews with key personnel
- Regulatory database searches
- Historical aerial photo and map reviews
- Chain-of title / prior use review
The results of the Phase I Site Assessment
reach conclusions on each identified issue of concern. If the results of the
Phase I indicate that additional investigation is necessary to delineate or
quantify the nature and extent of impact at a site, these activities are
conducted as part of a Phase II or Initial Site Characterization, which commonly
includes (but is not limited to) the following:
- Subsurface investigations
- Materials sampling and analysis
- Surface water or sediment sampling
- Groundwater monitoring well installation
and/or sampling
Generally, the results of the Phase II
investigation can be used to determine if remediation is necessary at a site. If
so, the scope of investigative activities is expanded to comprise a Phase III or
Final Site Characterization, in which comprehensive impact studies are
conducted, and necessary physical site characteristic data is collected with the
goal of assessing remedial design options. These activities include:
- Additional soil/groundwater investigations
- Aquifer and soil characteristic studies
- Remedial option feasibility testing
- Remedial option selection and preliminary
design
- Fate and transport/remedial design modeling
Finally, once final remedial design options are
chosen, the Phase IV, or Site Remediation stage is conducted, in which the
remedial design is implemented and operated. Generally, Phase IV work continues
until remedial goals are met, and the results of the cleanup activities are
accepted by the overseeing regulatory agency.
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