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The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has published a
standard defining recommended elements to be included in a Phase I
assessment. No legal standard currently exists, however, for defining a
site assessment. According to the ASTM standard, the goal of the Phase I ESA
is to identify recognized site environmental conditions which may suggest
or indicate an existing release, a past release or a material threat of a
release of any hazardous substances or petroleum products into structures
on the property or into the ground, groundwater or surface water of
the property. The term includes hazardous substances or petroleum
products even under conditions in compliance with the laws.
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The purpose of a Phase I ESA is to assist the owner, purchaser or lender
to qualify for the innocent landowner defense by providing reliable, early
information on the environmental condition of the property and the possible
need for additional evaluations and investigations, referred to as a Phase II.
For reference purposes, Phase I involves non intrusive investigation methods
which are designed to identify the most common contamination sources and
conditions, while the Phase II is designed to verify the presence or absence
of the contamination and characterize the nature and extent of the
contamination using the Phase I findings. Phase II covers the actual site
mitigation and/or remediation (cleanup) based on the information derived
in the Phase II investigation.
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A Phase I ESA entails non intrusive research to identify areas of potentially
significant liability for the current or prospective owner or operator. The
conditions identified in the Phase I which suggest possible onsite
contamination are described in the Phase I ESA report and the client
is notified that further investigations may be warranted to confirm the
existence or absence of the suspected contamination. Therefore, one
of the primary purposes of the Phase I ESA is to evaluate the need for
more intrusive Phase II investigations. |
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The Phase I and Phase II findings and recommendations reflect the
professional judgments made by the assessment team based on
observations of the site and a thorough review of available agency
and other historical records.
The Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessment conducted
at this property has been performed to meet the ASTM standard. |
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Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Major Elements |
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A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is comprised of four (4) primary elements: |
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- Review of available government records and associated databases for evidence of possible environmental contamination;
- Site reconnaissance through a site walk of the property;
- Interview with current owners and/or representatives for the property as well as with various appropriate government agency representatives;
- An evaluation of the evidence obtained during the site assessment.
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The subject facility structures are evaluated for lead based paint and asbestos
related building construction and roofing materials. A review of the available
records is conducted using government data bases (EDR radius maps)
Munger Oil & Gas Well Map Review, historical tenant survey, and local agency
records and information. |
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