Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessments
(ESA)

Providing Services of:

A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) follows the American Society of Testing and materials (ASTM) guidelines known as ASTM-E-1527-05 Standard for Phase One Environmental Site Assessments (ESA).

This standard is intended for Commercial Properties to identify possible environmental risks of a particular site and surrounding sites. There is also a less intrusive commercial property investigation known as a Pre Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment also known as a Transaction Screen. This Transaction Screen is known as ASTM-E-1528-06 Standard Practice for Limited Environmental Due Diligence: Transaction Screen Process. This transaction screen is less detailed than the Full Phase I ESA, and is intended to be for property transfers where there is no real concern about pollution liability – generally referred to as “low risk properties”.

Only a full Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) will satisfy the liability protection under CERCLA for “recognized environmental conditions”.

ASTM defines “recognized environmental condition” as the presence or likely presence of hazardous substances and petroleum products on a property under conditions that indicate an existing release, a past release or a material threat of a release into ground, groundwater or surface water.

Why do a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA)?

Federal, State and local laws make the current and prior property owners liable for the cost of cleaning up contaminated soils, groundwater and surface water. If you are buying – or financing – a property, you would want to know if any contamination or hazardous conditions exist on a property before the transaction since you may be paying the cost of clean-up, clean-up may not just be on your property but any other property including surface and groundwater that may have originated on your property. This is why a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is so important.

A full Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) that conforms to the appropriate level of “due diligence” as specified in ASTM-E-1527-05 includes the following:

1. Thorough database/records review of all available sources in Federal, State, County and municipal records of recognized environmental conditions.
2. Historical land use research.
3. Site inspection including surrounding properties.
4. Interview with property owner, occupants and possible neighbors.
5. Documentation questionnaire.
6. Obtaining any previous Phase 1 ESA’s, Business Plans, Permits or any other documents that may have environmental significance.
7. Photographs of property and surrounding property.
8. Geologic characteristic of property, soils, surface and groundwater (i.e. 7.5 minute topographic maps).
9. Aerial photographs and Sanborn Maps as available.
10. Other relevant documents such as tax maps, title records, zoning and land use records, building department records (as reasonably available).
11. Comprehensive report outlining findings of all above items.

The comprehensive Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) Report will indentify all known or suspected hazardous material or petroleum product releases with recommendations for sampling and analysis (referred to as Phase II) and/or remediation/clean-up (Phase III).

Often Phase II or Phase III recommendations are not possible until the previous phase has been completed. Thus a Phase II soil, groundwater or surface water sampling and analysis cannot be developed until the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) has been completed. Likewise a Phase III – clean-up remediation cannot be developed until the Phase II Testing is complete.

Some of the most unlikely items found during a Phase I ESA are (but not limited to):

1. Underground storage tank (UST) spill or leakage from gas stations or commercial fuel tanks.
2. Surface and subsurface contamination due to commercial activities as chemical production, junk yards, service stations, leaking surface contaminants
3. Stack or uncontrolled air emissions that settle on soil, drainage area, or surrounding properties.
4. Illegal dumping of waste material including chemicals, fuels, oils, asbestos, lead and radioactive materials.

The most common reasons for a Phase 1 ESA or a transaction screen include:

• Purchase or sale of a property.
• Financing of a commercial property.
• Re-Financing or second mortgage of a commercial property.
• Change in use of property such as from farmland to school/daycare/playground/park/golf course etc.
• Evidence of clandestine (illegal) dumping, spills.
• Follow-up after flood where sewerage, chemical, or fuel release is suspected.

Due to liability concerns and protection from CERCLA Liability – Transactions Screens are not used very often – and only when the involved parties clearly understand that there is only limited liability protection. As an ethical matter, Atlantic Environmental, Inc. generally recommends a Full Phase I Environmental Site Assessment according to ASTM-E-1527-05 rather than the more limited Pre-Phase 1 according to ASTM-E-1528-06.

Contact our headquarters office, further details, quotes or references, please contact Robert Sheriff directly at 1-800-344-4414.

Atlantic Environmental Inc
2 East Blackwell Street
Dover, NJ 07801
(800) 344-4414
(973) 366-4660
(973) 366-3116 Fax
info@atlenv.com

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