SERVICES
Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessment | Land remediation | Land reclamation |
Detailed site assessment | Supervision of contractors | Preparation of Reclamation Certification Application| Vegetation management
Environmental Site Assessment (ESA)
Environmental site assessment is part of the due diligence process undertaken before buying a property or land. In essence, it is an investigation of the subject site(s) with respect to any environmental issues that it may have because of its past or present use, or because of the past or present use of its surrounding properties.
Environmental issues or concerns generally pertain to contamination of soil or groundwater with Contaminants of Potential Concern (COPCs) such as petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, salts, acids, bases, oxidants, etc., all of which may present a risk to human health or the environment. Presence of asbestos, lead paint, radon gas or mould in the old buildings is also identified by an ESA. Most lenders require an environmental site assessment for commercial and industrial properties. Getting an ESA can help avoid any unpleasant and costly surprises later!
Assessment Phases
Phase I Environmental Site Assessment
Phase I ESA is a qualitative and non-intrusive investigation of the site intended to determine the likelihood of potential contamination on the site. It is required for transactional due diligence and financing purposes. Based on the Canadian Standards Association’s Standard Z768-01 (reaffirmed 2012) and the Alberta Environmental Site Assessment Standard (2016), the scope of work for a Phase I ESA consists of:
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Review of publicly available current and historical records for the site and surrounding properties;
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Review of physical settings – soil, hydrogeological and geological;
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Visual inspection of the site, and perimeter viewing of the surrounding properties;
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Interview of personnel knowledgeable of the current and/or historical use of the site and surrounding properties; and
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Preparation of a report summarizing the findings.
Phase II Environmental Site Assessment
If a Phase I ESA determines that areas of potential environmental concerns (APECs) and contaminants of potential concerns (COPCs) are present on the subject site or on adjacent sites which may affect the environmental condition of the property, a Phase II ESA becomes mandatory. A Phase II ESA involves intrusive investigation and delineation of APECs for contaminants. This means that all the impacted media including soil, groundwater, sediment, and surface water is fully characterized for the type, extent, degree, and approximate volume of contamination through testing and analysis. The procedure and format for Phase II ESA is followed from the CSA Standard Z769-00. A Phase II ESA may be required for a variety of reasons including remedial planning, transactional due diligence, litigation, or regulatory approvals.
Phase III Environmental Site Assessment
Phase III ESA is remediation and/or exposure control. After horizontal and vertical delineation of contaminants on the site and adjacent sites, the contamination is managed through remediation, exposure control, or a combination of both. Remediation can either be the excavation and disposal of contaminated media or the use of other remediation technologies (like microbial treatment) to reduce the level of contamination. Exposure of receptors to contaminants is controlled by restricting exposure pathways, and mitigating human and ecological risks by ensuring that the level of contaminants is maintained within an acceptable level.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Phase I ESA – All real estate purchases are a big investment of money. It is therefore advisable to know the true value of the property you are going to invest in. Getting a Phase I ESA done is the first step in the right direction. There are very many examples demonstrating that carefully done Phase I ESAs saved millions of dollars for the clients.
Phase II ESA - A more detailed assessment of the property, Phase II ESA provides the benefit of scientific analysis.
Phase III ESA - Clean-up and redevelopment of a contaminated site restores its productive use, reduces environmental and human health hazards, increases its money-value, and creates new business opportunity for its owners.
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
Soil survey | Soil & water sample collection | Soil mapping | Laboratory data interpretation |
Soil classification (Canadian and US) | Pre-disturbance assessment | Aerial photo and remote sensing data interpretation | Land use planning, alternative land use planning | Watershed management | Interpretative grouping of soils as per reclamation suitability, forest land capability
What is ‘Soil’ and ‘Soil Survey’?
Many a time, ‘Soil’ and ‘Land’ are used interchangeably, but they are two very different terms. Land is the solid part of the earth not covered by water while soil is a thin covering over the land that consists of a mixture of minerals, organic material, living organisms, air and water, and is capable of supporting plant growth.
In Canada, whenever new development projects – residential, commercial or industrial - are designed, the land is surveyed (examined, classified, mapped and evaluated) to determine its suitability for the intended purpose. As soil has its own typical characteristics, it is surveyed separately.
Soil survey describes the characteristics of the soils in a given area, classifies the soils according to a standard system, plots the boundaries of the soils on a map, stores soil property information in an organized database, and makes predictions about the suitability and limitations of the soils for multiple uses as well as their likely response to management systems.
Soil information and maps generated through soil survey are very crucial for the success of any development project in any sector of the economy whether it is construction, engineering, forestry, agriculture, environment, or natural resource management. Some of the project-names where soil survey information contributes significantly are: Pre-Disturbance Assessment (PDA), Baseline Studies, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Watershed Management, Traditional & Precision Agriculture, Land Use Planning, Forest Management Planning, Land Reclamation Planning, etc.
Currently, soils in Canada are classified according to the Canadian System of Soil Classification (1998), which includes ten different soil orders.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Soils information has been used in the decision-making for hundreds of years. There continues to be a need for soil information for regulatory requirements surrounding industrial & commercial developments, and agricultural projects.
NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
AGRICULTURAL SERVICES
Soil and plant research (agronomy, fertility, pollution) | Soil and plant sample collection & analyses |
Data collection and statistical evaluation | Writing review/research papers
Importance of Soil Information and Research for a Farmer
A farmer can implement efficient water, fertilizer, and amendment related strategies only if he has accurate soil information such as a soil map, soil characteristics and soil nutrient status. Most of the time, farmers know about their soils, but that knowledge can be qualitative because:
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The existing green zone soil maps in Alberta are small-scale, which show the general land and soil characteristics, but cannot explain inter-field or intra-field soil variability.
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Every year, the crop plants have a heavy draw on nutrients and water. How much nutrients the crop plants have removed, and how much fertilizers are required, can only be established by accurate soil testing, analysis, and interpretation. Accurate soil testing, in turn, depends upon precise soil mapping and sampling.
What is currently being done?
A farmer needs large scale soil map and accurate soil testing information to be successful in his crop quality and quantity related objectives. To fill the gap between information available and information required, various agricultural companies have developed different sensors and softwares to map soil variability on the individual farm. However, technically these sensors capture only certain properties at a time (e.g., electrical conductivity, moisture, or colour, etc.), and the rest of the information is extrapolated, which means:
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Soil samples from the right locations and at the right time are still necessary to fully understand soil variability and to facilitate better decision making both for traditional and precision agriculture.
Relationship between soil and crop?
Even when the right-scale soil map and other soil information is available, it is not always certain as to how the soil will respond to a particular crop. Research needs to be undertaken in the lab, greenhouse and/or field to understand this response. Only after statistical analysis of the acquired data can a specific trend is established, which in turn, helps plan the farming strategy. For this type of information and advice, farmers are generally dependent on the government, universities, or private agronomic companies.
Who can help?
To meet the needs of a farmer regarding proper soil information, two types of experts are vital – a soil surveyor and a soil researcher. They have the education, training and skills regarding soil survey, soil chemistry, soil fertility, soil salinity, soil pollution and practical crop production, along with soil sampling, mapping, classification, interpretation of laboratory soil data, statistical analysis, and reporting. They design and implement soil survey programs, as well as soil and plant experiments to generate accurate maps and soil information for the farmer.
KEY TAKEAWAY
A right-scale soil map, accurate soil test results, precise nutrient requirements, and a proper understanding of soil-plant relationships help farmers in achieving their sustainable crop production goals.
TESTIMONIALS
"A friend of mine in the construction industry suggested Sanjay’s name for Phase I Environmental Site Assessment. After talking to Sanjay and learning more about his finished projects, I immediately felt comfortable and awarded the contract to him for a piece of land I was interested in buying and building my own production facility. Sanjay not only did a thorough job but also provided details and the report in a timely manner. The quality of the report, and above all, the transparency throughout was phenomenal. I strongly recommend Sanjay for his competencies for Phase I ESA."
Dr. Rajan Gupta, Founder – NanoSpeed Diagnostics Inc.
"Sanjay is a true professional and very knowledgeable in matters related to the environment. We have dealt with him on a Phase I ESA study for a land parcel and have also consulted him on our other possible acquisition opportunities. He is a straight shooter and gives you the information as is. We would love to continue working with him in the future."
Lagan Mital, Alberta World Ventures Inc.