Environmental Services
Phase I Environmental Site Assessment:
Phase I Assessment: Affordable in-depth environmental site assessments in compliance with current ASTM standards that will satisfy CERCLA liability and FDIC requirements
Prior to the acquisition of a building or land it is critical to identify any potential environmental concerns that may exist. Financial institutions frequently require that a Phase I Environmental Assessment be conducted to accomplish this task. This assessment will provide you with information to assist in making an informed business decision. Overlooking this concern can cost you substantial future environmental expenditures, even if you did not create or contribute to the contamination.
The scope of work for a Phase I Environmental Assessment may vary based on requirements from the financial institution or corporation. Five State Land Services, Inc. will prepare a specific scope of work to meet these requirements. The intention of a Phase I Environmental Assessment is only to identify potential environmental concerns. Sampling to determine if an environmental problem exists would be part of a Phase II Site Assessment. A typical Phase I Environmental Assessment includes the following elements conducted in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials:
Data Collection & Review - Prior to initiating the assessment, Five State will request any pertinent data regarding the facility or property including; present and prior operations, environmental permits, previous reports, and any other environmental related information. If this information is not available prior to initiating the site visit, it will be reviewed as part of the site visit.
Regulatory Review - We will conduct a record and agency review of any federal, state, county and local hazardous material database to gather information regarding the usage, treatment, transportation, and/or disposal of hazardous substances in the vicinity of the subject property. Records analized include the following:
- -City offices (fire, building, and planning)
- -County Offices (Health Department/Fire Department records of underground storage tanks to determin releases, spills and violations)
- -State and Federal published lists and databases of NPL Sites, CERCLIS sites, LUST sites, UST locations, landfills, and hazardous waste generation/disposal locations within prescribed reseach radii of a site location.
- - Review of private records of property managers, owners and tenants, such as title reports, appraisals, previous environmental investigations, inventories of stored materials, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), manifests and permits for waste disposal, and stormwater management and spill prevention plans.
The goal of this regulatory review is to identify contaminated or potentially contaminated sites close to the subject property.
Historical Map and Photgraph Analysis - Five State Land Services, Inc. will also conduct an aerial photo review to analyze the site's activities over a period of time to identify previous buildings, past operations, storage areas, tanks, drums, etc. A search for all available historic topographic maps is also done to determine terrain / feature changes of the property and adjoining tracts.
Other Documents - Based on the situation, many other documents are also examined to provide the most comprehensive evaluation available. These include:
- - Cross-referenced street directories
- - Sanborn Fire Insurance maps
- - Information from local historical societies
- - Geological/ hydrogeological information
- - Soil maps
- - Prior geotechnical/environmental reports
Site Visit - A site visit of the subject and any adjacent sites will be conducted to identify visible hazardous substances that may be causing contamination including but not limited to the following:
- storage/use of chemicals or signs of improper practices;
- signs of previous environmental investigations, architectural features indicative of adverse site usage;
- stained or malodorous soil or surface water, or distressed vegetation
We will also interview individuals who are familiar with the site and past and present operations. As stated above, no samples will be collected as this is beyond the scope of a Phase I ESA.
Geology & Hydrogeology - Five State will use general geological, hydrogeological, and topographical information as well as any site specific data contained in geotechnical investigations, site plans, and prior environmental reports, in order to evaluate the likely path of ground water and direction of potential contamination.
Report - At the completion of all tasks, we will prepare a final report presenting our findings and opinions of the subject site. These reports are comprehensive and informative. Deadlines are met based on our approach to working 7 days a week
Real Estate Transactions Screen:
Many financial institutions include an environmental risk management strategy for all loan processing and servicing activities. These regulations will establish a standard procedure for evaluating the environmental condition of real property with regard to releases of hazardous substances and petroleum products in the context of a real estate transaction. This evaluation process is commonly referred to as "Environmental Due Diligence." Most of these regulations incorporate by reference the standard developed by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), E-1528 - 96, Environmental Site Assessment: Transaction Screen Process. This process is basically a limited Phase I Assessment and serves to evaluate the environmental condition of real property by using a transaction screen questionnaire developed by ASTM. If potential problems are encountered, Five State Land Services, Inc. will assist in determining the potential magnitude and extent of contamination with the ultimate goal of evaluating the financial impact these problems may have on market or collateral value of the property.
Our Transaction Screens involve the following actions:
Data Collection & Review - As in our Phase I Assessments, Five State will request any pertinent data available regarding the facility or property including; present and prior operations, environmental permits, previous reports, and any other environmental related information.
Regulatory Review - We will conduct a record and agency review of the federal, state, county and local hazardous material databases to gather information regarding the usage, treatment, transportation, and/or disposal of hazardous substances in the vicinity of the subject property. Records analyzed include the following:
- - County Offices (Health Department/Fire Department records of underground storage tanks to determine releases, spills and violations)
- - State and Federal published lists and databases of NPL Sites, CERCLIS sites, LUST sites, UST locations, landfills, and hazardous waste generation/disposal locations within prescribed research radii of a site location.
- - Review of private records of property managers, owners and tenants, such as title reports, appraisals, previous environmental investigations, inventories of stored materials, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), manifests and permits for waste disposal, and storm water management and spill prevention plans.
The goal of this regulatory review is to identify contaminated or potentially contaminated sites close to the subject property.
Site Visit - A site visit of the subject and any adjacent sites will be conducted to identify visible hazardous substances that may be causing contamination including but not limited to the following:
- - Storage/use of chemicals or signs of improper practices;
- - Signs of previous environmental investigations, architectural features indicative of adverse site usage;
- - Stained or malodorous soil or surface water, or distressed vegetation
We will also interview individuals who are familiar with the site and past and present operations.
Report - At the completion of all tasks, we will prepare a comprehensive report detailing our findings and opinions of the subject site.
