Environmental Site Assessments

An ESA is conducted to identify and evaluate potential environmental hazards on a property, such as the presence of hazardous materials, soil contamination, or groundwater contamination.

Phase III ESAs are not typically conducted as part of the environmental site assessment process. Phase I ESAs involve a review of historical records and a site visit, while Phase II ESAs involve the collection and analysis of environmental samples.

A Phase I ESA is typically conducted first to identify potential environmental hazards on a property. If the Phase I ESA identifies potential hazards, a Phase II ESA may be conducted to collect and analyze environmental samples to confirm or rule out the presence of contamination.

Soil borings, groundwater monitoring wells, surface water sampling, and air quality monitoring are all common methods used to collect environmental samples during an ESA.

A risk assessment is conducted to evaluate the potential health risks associated with environmental contamination on a property. The risk assessment considers factors such as the type of contamination, the concentration of contamination, and the potential for exposure to contamination.

A QEP is a person who has the education, training, and experience to conduct environmental site assessments and to review and interpret the results of environmental site assessments. QEPs also develop plans for remediation of environmental contamination and provide expert testimony in court regarding environmental contamination.

ACMs, LBP, PCBs, and petroleum hydrocarbons are all common environmental hazards that may be identified during an ESA.

Brownfield Redevelopment Programs provide financial assistance for the redevelopment of contaminated properties, promote the reuse of contaminated properties, and reduce the environmental risks associated with contaminated properties.

A voluntary cleanup is conducted by the property owner on their own initiative, while a mandatory cleanup is conducted by the government when the property owner fails to clean up the property.

A deed restriction may be used to limit the use of a property due to environmental contamination, to prevent the development of a property due to environmental contamination, or to require the property owner to clean up environmental contamination.

An environmental lien is a legal claim against a property that secures the payment of cleanup costs for environmental contamination. An environmental easement is a restriction on the use of a property that is imposed to protect the environment.

A groundwater monitoring plan is used to monitor the movement of groundwater contamination, to evaluate the effectiveness of a groundwater remediation system, and to determine the potential for groundwater contamination to migrate off-site.

An SVE system removes contaminants from the soil by applying a vacuum, which draws the contaminants out of the soil. An AS system removes contaminants from the soil by injecting air into the soil, which forces the contaminants out of the soil.

A RBCA approach is used to develop cleanup goals for environmental contamination based on site-specific risk factors, such as the type of contamination, the concentration of contamination, and the potential for exposure to contamination.