ESA | UST | ASBESTOS | LEAD | IAQ | ENGINEERING | CONSTRUCTION | LIAISON
DEFINITION: An environmental site
assessment (ESA) is an investigation conducted on real
property to assess and quantify,
environmental conditions related to air, water
or land pollution. This assessment includes gathering
information on licenses, permits, and past pollution
records as well as conducting historical site use
evaluations, inspections for stored hazardous or
toxic substances, and testing any suspect material
identified.
If you are considering
the sale or purchase of an industrial or commercial
property, financing
a property purchase,
or if you are responsible for a loan portfolio that
includes active commercial or industrial facilities,
it is important
that you identify all potential risks by having an
environmental site assessment conducted before
the property is transferred.
ESAs serve as a critical
tool in identifying environmental damage that may have
occurred
on a property prior to
your ownership. Under federal CERCLA laws, all
participants involved in a facility or property
transfer may be
held liable for remediation costs due to numerous
environmental damages, regardless of fault.
The CERCLA statute has
been interpreted to extend liability beyond new
owners, past owners, and lending institutions to
include
building inspectors, appraisers, lending officers,
real estate
brokers, attorneys, and environmental analysts.
Liability risks associated with property transfer
are also
subject to a myriad of state and federal regulations.
SOURCE OF PROFESSIONAL
SERVICE:
CES, Inc., is an environmental
consulting firm that has performed numerous environmental
site assessments,
and
has earned a reputation for responding to clients'
needs in a timely and professional manner. CES
is a highly
recognized environmental site assessor, and conducts
ESAs in accordance with the guidelines approved
by the American Standard for Testing and Materials
(ASTM).
CES
delivers concise and standardized reports in
order to assure accuracy in reporting and consistency
in the product
delivered to the clients.
AVAILABLE SERVICES:
CES provides the full
compliment of Environmental Site Assessments: Phase
I, Phase II, and the
Phase I Plus.
A Phase I ESA is a preliminary site assessment
that identifies potential environmental problems
on your
site. In the
course of a Phase I ESA, property titles, aerial
photographs, topographical maps, and other
historical documents
are reviewed. A site walkthrough is conducted
to note any
possible problem areas, and personnel are interviewed
about potential environmental concerns. In
a Phase I ESA, CES investigates fourteen major
factors
that define
the property:
- General
Construction
- Construction
Material Engineers Building Construction & Renovation
Health & Safety Specialist
- Geology aid Hydrology
- Industrial Hygiene Issues
- Solid WasteIResource
Recovery
- Asbestos/Lead
- Decommissioning & Demolition
Of Structures Underground Storage Tanks
- Install/Removal
Energy Factors
- Environmental Engineering
- Remediation
- Site Maintenance
If an unusual condition is found
in one or more of these areas, additional investigation
is recommended
and a Phase II ESA is conducted. A phase II ESA involves
additional site visits for collecting environmental
samples, analysis of samples and a detailed risk assessment
in addition to those in Phase I. A Phase II provides
conclusive recommendations for remedial action.
CES,
Inc. has adopted a Phase I Plus Environmental Site
Assessment. In the Phase I Plus ESA, environmental
samples are, collected of any suspect materials conditions
noted on site during the initial site visit. These
samples include asbestos, lead in water or paint,
radon, PCBs and indoor air quality measures. The
Phase I Plus
saves our client the cost of returning to the site
for additional testing. As with Phase II ESA, the
Phase I Plus results provide you with a definitive
statement
of your property's environmental condition, and recommendations
on any necessary remedial action. |
