Environmental Site Assessments
ASEI provides complete Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) services needed to protect potential buyers in real estate transactions. Because time is of the essence in these realty transactions, ASEI prides itself on providing high quality service in a fraction of the time of our competitors.
There are three phases in assessing environmental pollutants:
Phase I involves the initial recognition and evaluation of potential problems. Because all properties do not require the same level of inquiry, we also offer clients a cost-efficient Transaction Screen for low-risk properties.
Phase II involves further investigation of issues raised in the Phase I and requires sampling and confirmation of these issues.
Phase III is the remediation phase. This is the phase at which removal, repair or maintenance of said materials will be accomplished.
ASEI's Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Team consists of California Registered Environmental Assessors trained in ASTM standard practices, independent research and examination of facts, and report writing in plain English. When the results of the Phase I ESA reveal the possible existence of potential and/or actual site contamination, more comprehensive investigations are performed by Registered Geologists, Certified Asbestos Consultants, California Certified Lead Inspector/Assessors, and Certified Radon Testing and Consulting Specialists.
Phase I Assessments
The purpose of the Phase I ESA is to gather sufficient information to develop an independent professional opinion about the environmental condition of the property. It is also used to identify actual or potential environmental contamination, which may impact the property value or affect the claim to an "innocent land owner" exemption, following acquisition.
ASEI completes and designs comprehensive ESAs in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard for Environmental Site Assessments.
The Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is generally used for:
- real estate transactions,
- property development
- zoning
- bank financing, refinancing, and foreclosures
- other in-house audit programs
The major components of a Phase I ESA include:
- records review
- site reconnaissance
- interviews
- written report
These factors include:
- current and former site activities
- the historical use of the site and surrounding area
- the geologic and hydrologic setting of the site
- any regionally identified concerns
ASEI’s Phase I Scope of Work always includes a review of:
- historical street directories
- aerial photographs of the site and surrounding area; and fire insurance maps (if applicable)
- interviewing current and previous tenants, owners, and personnel familiar with the site (as available)
- reviewing regulatory agency records and available databases
- on-site inspection to review present site activities and conditions
- provide an assessment of the potential presence of hazardous substances on the site
Transaction Screens
A Transaction Screen is often used at times of title transfer to satisfy a lending institution’s requirement for appropriate inquiry in lieu of a full Phase I ESA, and is defensible against CERCLA liability.
Transaction Screens permit a user to satisfy one of the requirements to qualify for the innocent landowner defense to CERCLA liability.
This includes:
- all appropriate inquires into the previous ownership
- investigation of the real property to determine the presence of a possible threatened release of hazardous substances or petroleum products on the real property.
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ASTM questionnaire
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site inspection
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a regulatory database search and interpretation
Upon request from the client, ASEI can perform a fourth step for properties requiring a greater degree of inquiry. ASEI can add a prior use report to the transaction screen in order to identify previous uses of a property that may make it "high risk" for environmental problems.
Phase II Assessments
When a Phase I assessment indicates potential contamination at a property, a Phase II assessment is initiated to evaluate the extent of the problems. During a Phase II site assessment, samples are collected of various media to confirm the presence of any contamination at the project site. A Phase II site assessment may include one or more of the following:
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surface soil and water samples
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subsurface soil borings
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groundwater monitoring
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well installation, sampling and analysis
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container (drum) sampling
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sampling of dry wells, floor drains and catch basins
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precision testing of underground storage tanks (UST)
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precision testing of aboveground storage tanks (AST)
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transformer/capacitor sampling and wipe tests for PCBs
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geophysical surveys for buried tanks and drums
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asbestos surveys
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lead-based paint testing
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radon surveys
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indoor air quality surveys
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drinking water analysis
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electromagnetic fields (EMF) surveys
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fiberglass surveys
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urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) analysis
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waste water analysis
Once the probability of an existing hazard is identified, only exhaustive testing can determine the extent of the hazard. This level of testing requires highly qualified environmental professionals to properly conduct the inspection. Depending on the type of hazard being sampled, federal, state, county, city and local requirements and certifications could be an issue.