Environmental Site Assessments
Environmental Site Assessments (ESA) are necessary in determining the environmental condition of your site. ESAs are generally required to support bank financing, property transaction, change of property use, etc. All ESAs are completed according to ASTM standards and by a qualified professional (i.e., Professional Engineer).
Transaction Screen Assessment (ASTM E1528-14)
Transaction Screen Assessment (TSA) is a limited environmental due diligence report and often a pre-cursor to the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment. The TSA is not as extensive as a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment due to the limited scope of work. It is recommended a TSA be done when involving low risk properties such as an apartment building. The goal of the TSA is to identify potential environmental concerns (PEC). PEC is defined as the possible presence of any hazardous substances or petroleum products on a property under conditions that indicate the possibility of an existing release, a past release, or a threat of a future release of any hazardous substances or petroleum products into structures on the property or into the ground, ground water, or surface water of the property. The scope of work for TSA reports will include:
Historical Research (using one or more of the following dating back to 1940 or first development):
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Sanborn maps (i.e. Fire Insurance Maps)
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Aerial photographs
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City directories
Site Visit & Interview:
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Site reconnaissance by experienced technician
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Catalog presence of hazardous materials (i.e., underground storage tanks (USTs), hazardous waste, etc.
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Owners/Occupants and Consultant's Environmental Questionnaire
Phase 1 (ASTM E1527-13)
Phase I ESAs involves a review of records and research as listed below. Review and research of historical and current property operations can indicate if there is a recognized environmental condition (REC). REC is defined as the possible past or present release of any hazardous substances or petroleum products that has or may have occurred in connection with the property.
Historical Research:
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Topographic maps
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Sanborn maps (i.e. Fire Insurance Maps)
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Aerial photographs
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City directories
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Building permits
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Property title information
Regulatory Research:
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Fire departments
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State Environmental Agencies (i.e., Environmental Heath Departments, Air Pollution Control Districts, etc.)
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Federal Environmental Agencies
Site Visit & Interview:
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Site reconnaissance by experienced technician
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Catalog presence of hazardous materials (i.e., underground storage tanks (USTs), hazardous waste, etc.
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Interview tenants & owners
Phase 2 (ASTM E1903-11)
Phase II ESAs identifies the presence or absence of contamination by hazardous materials or petroleum products based upon previous assessment completed (i.e., Phase I) and thus, testings completed are site specific. Some of the tests to identify potential contamination are as follows:
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Geophysical testing for underground storage tanks (USTs) utilizing ground penetrating radar (GPR)
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Soil borings
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Subsurface (soil, soil vapor, groundwater) sampling & chemical analysis onsite and offsite
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Vapor encroachment study