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.