Monday, August 31, 2015

An Elementally 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.

ESAs Phase 1 are conventional reports carried out to reveal the histories of proposed sites. This is a useful record for the construction industry arrived at from critically valuable processes. Instances differ when one is needed with a lot emerging where a site is concerned. This assessment, in various formats, has origins around the seventies. It was used then to identify risks involved in development of sites exposed to diverse toxic substances. These studies assisted developers in exposing costs to be incurred in establishing safety for specific usage and in cleaning up such exposures.

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 a phase one ESA is critical in several commercial transactions. A major requirement is that it forms part of a permit application. There is also a desire to understand clearly a property history. It is part of a requirement to protect interests of a buyer when a new entity or individual buys a commercial property.

Environmental Site Assessments, Phase 1 feature as a base for evaluating property in loan application processes. The reason is such a report gives a clear understanding of true value of properties. Discretional usage permits for land, as a change of use requires an ESA. Whenever a particular site has queries regarding toxic histories, government agencies call for an ESA.

First stages of obtaining ESA Phase one involving hiring trained and qualified environmental experts. Standards such as ASTM and AAI describe specific needs of an assessment. Other essential parts and requirements come from directives issued by federal, state and local regulatory agencies from time to time. Experts visit sites to review prevailing conditions and to form historical understanding of such sites.

Visiting neighboring sites comes next for establishing what risks a site metes out and what risks it faces from them. Interviews and discussions with people holding relevant information about a particular site follow. Such people include neighbors, their employees, previous owners, and government agents. Requisite agencies are called on next to peruse files recording, among others, water quality and soil contamination.

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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