Phase 1 ESA Report

Every property is subject to potential environmental risks, the phase one environmental site assessment (ESA) can help determine whether a property may have been contaminated by current or previous activities. The purpose of the environmental assessment is to determine if there is a contamination on the property which may affect the environment or the people who are using the property. It is commonly required when there’s a transaction in the ownership of the property, when applying for a building permit or when changes in zoning or usage of the property is required. An ESA report can protect the purchaser of the property and limit his or her liability by discovering environmental concerns prior to the purchase of a property. An environment
Phase one ESA must be conducted by or under the supervision of an environmental professional who is qualified through specific education and experience requirements. The scope of work for the phase one environmental site assessment is limited only to determining if there is a risk for potential contamination on the property caused by current or previous activities on the property or on other properties in the area. To do so, an investigation is required in order to know what were the current or previous activities on the property or in the vicinity and if these activities are classified as those that are cause for contamination. The phase one process includes three main components: Site inspection, Record reviews and
Phase two ESA’s are tailored to site specific demands and rely on direct field based sampling and analytical techniques to identify and quantify the actual concentration in contaminates in the soil and groundwater. The course of action depends on the confirmation of contamination which may precipitate further testing. During a phase two ESA soil and ground water samples are then taken to a certified laboratory for analysis and tested for hazardous substances. To obtain soil samples, under the direction of a qualified engineer a drill crew is sent out to the site to begin the process of collecting samples. The crew will drill to the required depth, next the crew swaps out the drill auger for a soil sampler, which is then hammered into the soil under high pressure in order to extract an accurate sample. In order to create an underground three-dimensional picture any contamination this process may be repeated several times in different locations at varying depths. The samplers are then removed and the soil samples are collected by a site engineer which are then tested in a lab. After the samples are collected a monitoring well will be installed which will allow the testers to check for contamination in the ground water. The lab tests will answer two questions: are contaminants present and if so, is the concentration