Phase II Environmental Site Assessment

ARM performs many environmental services for commercial and industrial properties, usually for the purpose of redeveloping or improving the property. These services are often required to assess the environmental hazard that a property poses before a prospective buyer financially commits to the purchase of a property. A Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) may be required when a Phase I ESA indicates a need for further investigation of the hazardous materials on the site. We also do environmental assessments under the National Environments Policy Act (NEPA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which may include soil and groundwater sampling.

Phase I ESA

An environmental investigation typically begins with a Phase I ESA, which is a non-invasive inspection of the property. The Phase I consists primarily of a site inspection, interviews with persons familiar with the property, a review of regulatory records, and a historical review of the property and surrounding properties.

Phase II ESA

The results of the Phase I ESA determine if a Phase II ESA is needed. A Phase II ESA is a more thorough investigation of the property that primarily consists of collecting and analyzing samples of various materials, including air, soil, soil vapor, and groundwater. These samples are tested for the presence of various materials, including petroleum products, heavy metals, asbestos, mold and many other organic chemicals.

The specific samples that need to be analyzed in the Phase II ESA are also based on the Phase I ESA results and the previous uses of the property. They typically include soil and water samples from the surface, but it may also be necessary to take subsurface samples from a particular depth below ground. These requirements can greatly affect the time and cost of performing a Phase II ESA.

Procedures

The specific procedures included in a Phase II ESA typically include hand auger borings for collecting samples at a shallow depth, while deeper sampling requires boring with a drill rig. Sampling groundwater may require the installation of wells, depending on the required depth of the sample. Geophysical and soil gas surveys are also common procedures in a Phase II ESA. ARM owns and operates a variety of specialized equipment for performing these procedures. 

ARM Environmental Services holds many certifications related to the performance of Phase II ESAs. Our field technicians are also certified in various aspects of environmental services, including 40-hour OSHA-compliant HAZWOPER training. Contact us today for further information on how we can help you with your Phase II ESA needs.