Environmental Site Assessment
Phase 1, 2 & 3
Envirotech Engineering is one of Calgary’s own local environmental consulting firms that has been undertaking Phase I or 1 Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) since 2001. Assessments have been undertaken in the commercial, industrial, real estate (residential and commercial), aviation, electric power generation, agricultural, municipal, provincial, and federal landscapes
Phase 1 ESA is an integral and necessary assessment service and are typically undertaken for, but not limited to:
- Acquisition of Bank Financing
- Collecting Due Diligence Data for Real Estate Acquisition, Divestiture, or Development
- Assessment of Risk Liability
- Often Required to Support City/Municipal Development Permit Applications
Envirotech Engineering has extensive experience in conducting Phase 1 ESAs and is on the approved vendor list for many of the largest financial institutions in Canada.
Why Phase 1 ESA?
The purpose of a Phase 1 ESA is to identify areas of potential environmental concern (APEC) on and surrounding a property by looking at both current and historical information. Phase 1 ESAs aim to uncover any historical or current contamination risks that could impact the property’s value, legal standing, future use, or potential health risk to occupants. By conducting a Phase 1 ESA, buyers, lenders, and developers can make informed decisions, mitigate risks, and ensure compliance with environmental regulations. It serves as a critical step in due diligence for real estate transactions, protecting stakeholders from unforeseen cleanup costs and legal liabilities. A Phase 1 ESA safeguards investments by ensuring environmental due diligence is met, mitigating potential financial and regulatory risks. If you were to purchase a property without undertaking a Phase 1 ESA, you could end up owning environmental liability that far exceeds the value of the Property.
Results from your Phase 1 ESA
Phase 1 ESA reports are always compiled at the completion of each assessment detailing the findings, conclusion and recommendations of the project. Depending on the findings of our assessment, typical recommendations can include hazardous building assessments, Phase 2 ESAs, Phase 2 or no action at all. Phase 2 ESA here. Phase 1 ESA is a desk study with no physical sampling of soil/groundwater/air/vapour, if a Phase 1 ESA recommends a Phase 2 ESA, the Phase 2 ESA can include soil/groundwater/vapour/air sampling.
Envirotech Engineering has been completing Phase 1 ESAs across the Province of Alberta with a focus on Calgary, Edmonton, Central and Southern Alberta. A Phase 1 ESA should be carried out by a qualified professional who has specific qualifications and experience to carry out the work. The assessor shall be familiar with applicable federal, provincial, territorial, and local legislation and published guidelines used to evaluate the actual or potential presence of contamination on a property.
Scope of Work for a Phase 1 ESA
A typical Phase 1 ESA includes the following:
- Record Reviews – Review of records are undertaken to establish former owners/businesses that occupied the site as well as current and historical land use activities on the Property. This information will allow us to understand what kinds of operations have occurred at the site in the past. From this information, it may be possible to identify potential areas of contamination or environmental liability at the site, which may not be visually obvious today. This information will aid in determining the potential for environmental liability at the Property and will assist in directing focused site inspection efforts (if required). The document review process may identify other sources of information that may require or warrant additional review.
- Site Inspections – The site inspection is generally undertaken to confirm/refute site conditions suspected through the document review process and to highlight “contaminant indicators” such as stained soils, stressed vegetation, solid waste/debris and any other common indicators of environmental impairment related to the building and/or property. An Envirotech Phase 1 ESA Site Visit Checklist will be completed at the Property during the course of the site visit which will review all pertinent areas of concern. This information will aid in determining the potential for environmental liability at the Property and will assist in directing the interview efforts with regard to the Property. The site inspection process may identify other buildings, site infrastructure and property that may require or warrant additional site inspection efforts.
- Interviews – The interview process is undertaken to corroborate or augment information and data collected during the document review and site inspection process. During the course of this task, on-site personnel (and/or other yet-to-be determined contacts) will be interviewed to determine normal practices at the Property with respect to the operation of the facility. The preliminary findings of the document review and the site inspection field checklist will also be utilized to assist in guiding the questions presented in the interview process. The interview process may identify areas of the Property that may require or warrant additional document review and/or site inspection efforts.
- Reporting – A report will be compiled which details the findings and conclusions of the Phase 1 ESA. Phase 1 ESA will detail the assessment’s findings, conclusions, and recommendation.
Typical Timeline & Cost of a Phase 1 ESA
Generally, a Phase 1 ESA takes 3 to 4 weeks to complete, and this timeline is restricted by third-party information requests that can take up to three (3) weeks to receive from the time it is requested. Typically, a one (1) land title Phase 1 ESA can cost between $2,700 to $3,500+ depending on the size and location of the assessment site. Where there are multiple land titles and/or large plots of land the cost of the Phase 1 ESA will increase.
Standards and Requirements of a Phase 1 ESA
Phase 1 ESAs are conducted in accordance with the following requirements: (i) the Canadian Standards Association (“CSA”) Standard Z768-01 – Phase 1 Environmental Assessments (Reaffirmed 2022) and (ii) the Alberta Environment and Parks (“AEP”) Alberta Environmental Site Assessment Standard (March 2016). All financial institutes require a Phase 1 ESAs to be completed in accordance with the CSA Standard.
What is a Phase II ESA?
If you suspect potential contamination on your property, or if you are undertaking a construction or development project requiring the off-site movement of soil, or if your Phase I ESA has indicated the presence of potential contamination, chances are that you will require a Phase II ESA. A Phase II ESA is an intrusive site assessment with the primary purpose of defining the presence or absence of contamination on a property.
What is a Phase III ESA?
A Phase III ESA is the same as the Phase II ESA; however, the primary purpose of these assessments is the vertical and horizontal delineation of contaminants for the purpose of remediation or risk management planning. Envirotech has significant experience conducting Phase II and Phase III ESAs. Our Phase II and Phase III ESAs may include some, or all, of the following components:
- Buried Utility Locates and Baseline Property Surveys;
- Prime Contractor Management and Site Safety Programs;
- Subcontracting Intrusive Sampling Equipment and Manpower;
- Installing Groundwater Monitoring Wells;
- Collecting of Soil, Groundwater, Surface Water, Sediment and/or Vapour Samples;
- Laboratory Analysis;
- Post Assessment Surveying and Groundwater Monitoring;
- Assessment Criteria Selection & Data Interpretation; and
- Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) Record of Site Condition Reporting.
Our Phase II and III ESAs are completed in accordance with industry accepted standards and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) document entitled CAN/CSA-Z769-00 (R2023) Phase II Environmental Site Assessment. Our sampling protocols adhere to the relevant sections of the AEP Tier 1 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines, the AEP Tier 2 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines, other provincial reference criteria, or where appropriate, the federal Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) Guidelines.
An EPA Record of Site Condition report form and submission is required for all Phase II and III ESAs in Alberta. The public record submission is disclosed in accordance with Section 35 of the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, Disclosure of Information Regulation, and Ministerial Order 23/2004.
Storage Tank Assessment & Removal
Non-complaint, poorly managed and aging storage tanks have an increased probability of leaking causing significant environmental and cost liabilities to your Property. If you have underground storage tanks (USTs) or aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) that meet any of these criteria, then prompt removal of the tankage is recommended. All USTs and ASTs must be removed, replaced and upgraded in compliance with federal and provincial standards and regulations. All storage tank decommissioning programs in Alberta are completed in accordance with Subsections 4.3.16 and 4.3.17 of the National Fire Code, 2019 Alberta Edition and guidance provided by the Alberta Safety Codes Council Authority (ASCA)
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Envirotech has significant experience conducting UST and AST removals, assessments and remediation on commercial and industrial sites in Canada. Our services typically include all of the following components:
- Removal Notification to Local Fire Department
- Subcontracting Tank Removal with Canadian Petroleum Contractors Association (CPCA) Certified Tank Removers
- Tank Decommissioning in Compliance with Fire Code and ASCA (Alberta)
- Soil (and Groundwater) Sampling Program
- ASCA Reporting (Closure or Upgrade)
- Environmental Release Reporting
- UST / AST Removal Report
Should soil or groundwater contamination be encountered during a tank removal, the local fire authority and Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (EPA) are required to be notified in accordance with Article 4.1.6.4 of the Alberta Fire Code and Section 110 of the Alberta Environmental Protection & Enhancement Act, respectively.
An AEP Record of Site Condition report form and submission is also required for all storage tank removals in Alberta. The public record submission is disclosed in accordance with Section 35 of the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, Disclosure of Information Regulation, and Ministerial Order 23/2004.ƒ
Land Development Planning
Prior to construction projects, land developers and land planners have to navigate, and satisfy, a complex web of municipal permits, development conditions and requirements. Many of these conditions and requirements now relate to environmental issues. Land developers are now considering the early integration of an environmental consultant into their development and construction management team as both a time and cost saving measure for their projects.
Envirotech offers a team of highly qualified individuals with development and construction knowledge, technical environmental backgrounds, and directly applicable project management experience, to effectively assist land developers and land planners in the areas of:
- Site Contamination Statements;
- Record of Site Condition Submittals;
- Development and Building Permits;
- Environmental Cost Liability Assessments;
- Project Planning and Scheduling;
- Municipal Variances or Environmental Setbacks;
- PS 3260 Contaminated Site Accounting & Reporting;
- Land Use Re-designations;
- Radon Management Systems; and
- Environmental Planning.
Environmental Monitoring Programs
Envirotech has extensive experience and expertise in undertaking soil, groundwater, soil vapour, and indoor monitoring programs and in support of EPEA Approvals and site-specific Risk Management Plans.
Envirotech’s environmental monitoring programs are tailored to be used in conjunction with Alberta’s existing regulatory framework as outlined in EPEA and relevant regulations, standards and guidelines such as EPA Tier 1 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines, the EPA Tier 2 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines (as amended), and individual EPEA Approvals. The following types of monitoring programs are routinely undertaken:
- Baseline Soil Monitoring Program;
- Operational Soil Monitoring Programs;
- Soil Management Programs;
- Groundwater Monitoring Programs;
- Soil Vapour Monitoring Programs; and
- Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Programs (Radon, PERC, Hydrocarbons, etc.)
Industrial facilities in Alberta may have environmental monitoring program requirements in their Alberta Environment and Protected Area (EPA) Approvals issued under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA). The Approval requirements for soil and groundwater monitoring programs are specified in the EPA Soil Monitoring Directive (2009), in the EPEA Activities Designation Regulation, and through Licences or Approvals under the Alberta Water Act. Other sites (such as commercial and industrial sites which do not fall under the Activities Designation Regulation) may require continuing environmental monitoring programs in accordance with Risk Management Plans submitted through Alberta Environment and Protected Area (EPA)