Tuesday, September 1, 2015

A Brief Introduction To Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment

By Daphne Bowen


On many construction or demolition projects, conducting environmental assessments on a site has become common. Its purpose includes identifying any potentially hazardous material or to confirm whether abatement is needed or not. Most contractors have professionals whose training involves conducting such assessments. Their findings ultimately appear in Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment reports.

Phase 1 ESAs are common reports performed in order to learn about a proposed sites history. It forms a useful document within the construction industry that results from valuable exercises. Instances vary where one is required and quite a lot emerges about a site from it. This kind of assessment has origins in the seventies. Its purpose then involved identifying risks arising from developing construction sites that had suffered exposure to toxic chemicals. Such studies helped developers reveal costs for cleaning up and ascertaining sites were fit for particular usage.

As time come to pass, Phase one of ESA became standard reports needed in diverse commercial transactions where property was concerned. Information analysed from such accounts involve tests carried out on land. It covers examination of physical and structural developments on a projects property. Interviewing neighbors, government officers and property owners is part of the process. These interviews bring out a certain sites history.

Obtaining an ESA Phase One is crucial in a number of commercial transactions. Being an essential part of application for permits is a critical requirement. It quenches a thirst to understand the history of a property clearly. It forms a foundation for protecting buyers as new entities or individuals go about purchasing commercial property.

A phase one ESA forms part of an evaluation procedure during loan application on a property since it helps establish a better understanding of the true value of a property. Permits for discretionary land use, like application for change of use, call for an ESA. Regulatory agencies often instruct ESA be done whenever toxic histories of certain sites comes into question.

To initiate the process of getting an Environmental Assessment Phase One, hire qualified and proficiently trained environmental professionals. They operate under standards such as ASTM or AAI in their assessments. Note also that federal, your state or local governments regulatory agencies will have other essential directives to satisfy in such an assessment. Your experts will visit your site to review current conditions and form an understanding of the sites history.

Visits to neighboring sites feature for risk evaluation to those properties and risks from them. Discussions and interviews with people who possess relevant knowledge regarding a site then follow. These include employees, neighbors, government agents and previous owners. Visits to requisite agencies follow for discovery of files about soil contamination and water quality, among others.

Environmental site assessments have diverse variations with Phase One being the most common. In this regard, professional firms proficient in offering such services abound in each State. What is called for is careful research to identify those a client deems fit for their project. Research online with specific industry forum concentration helps to pick candidates for vetting. Vetting should cover expertise, training, education, experience and costs for an assessment. Local, State and Federal licensing is another critical area to ascertain since assessment, at a point, will involve their regulating agencies.




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