Environmental Consulting Chicago

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Environmental Group Services Limited

Environmental Group Services, Ltd (EGSL) is a company dedicated to solving environmental and industrial hygiene problems. Since 1986 we’ve been serving government, municipal and corporate customers with our knowledge, experience and effectiveness in dealing with even the most challenging environmental and waste management issues. Our team of highly skilled and experienced professionals has designed and is implementing one of the most innovative and successful methods of soil and ground water remediation technologies ever to be utilized in the environmental industry - commonly referred to as Steam Enhanced Vapor Extraction (SEVE).
According to our philosophy, utilizing the most advanced technology combined with our organizational experience is only part of the solution. Providing clear communication and accountability is just as critical. That’s why we maintain an open line of dialogue, feedback and documentation throughout the course of the job in order to provide the most responsive and efficient service the industry has to offer.
Our services consist of, but are not limited to, property remediation, underground storage tank removal, asbestos management, environmental sampling, lead services, environmental and hazardous operation training. With EGSL you will find professional partner who solve problems and make sure they stay solved.

Free Environmental Report Review

The free environmental report review is something that we do with all our existing customers, its how we obtain business referrals. That is why we do not charge for any report reviews no matter how large. We guarantee your privacy if you send us reports. We can normally turn a review around within 12 - 24 hours. When you submit the report for review, either in person, by mail, fax or email, we will immediately contact you to ask you what your intentions for the property is. Whether you are trying to sell the property, buy the property, develop or lease the property. Once we know your intentions we can tailor our recommendations accordingly. So call us now for a free report review. Cell: 312.296.5953 Jason Weedon

If you have a phase I report that is older than 2006 a new ASTM standard has come out that banks require in order to fully assess the environmental concerns at any given subject property.

Pricing for Reports in the Environmental Industry in Chicago

Phase I Environmental Site Assessments range from $1,500-$3,000 depending on the location, size and nature of the subject property. Site assessments normally take a day or so to complete in the field and then 2 to 3 weeks to write up. Some phase I's are carried out much faster if a commercial lender is in the need of the information more quickly for a closing or environmental contingency.

Phase II Subsurface Soil Investigations typically range at the low end for a very simple and small site at around $3,000-$4,500. Phase II subsurface soil investigations can however, cost alot more up to $40,000 for a large site such as a 12-24 acre steel foundry, with many environmental concerns that need to be investigated. The good news is that the data from a phase II can be used in later remediation projects with the IEPA, such as obtaining a No Further Remediation letter from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program (LUST) or the Voluntary Site Remediation Program (SRP).

There are more complex reporting and site investigations that take place, as mentioned in previous posts. Remediation of a site can cost anywhere from $25,000- $200,000 to obtain a no further remediation letter from the IEPA SRP or LUST program. However if active remediation is needed to be done costs can go much higher than that. Active remediation would be injecting bacteria into the soil to digest leaking oil or other organic chemicals, or chemicals can be injected into the ground to stabilize lead to stop it leaching into the subsurface groundwater aquifers that people drink from.

Costs to cleanup sites that require active remediation can take anywhere from 3-months to 3 years and can cost anywhere from $150,000 to $3,000,000 and up depending on the nature of contamination, soil type and size of contaminated area.

Call Jason for a free report review. 312.296.5953

Environmental Group Services Limited

Just to let you know, I work for a company called Environmental Group Services Limited, (EGSL). We have been around for over 25 years at this point. I have been in the industry here in Chicago for just over eight years. By now I have a pretty good handle on things and can answer pretty much any question when it comes to contaminated property, and developing a strategy to minimize the impact on the property owner or purchaser of land. As a licensed Realtor I also have a pretty good handle on real estate transactions and how they tie into environmental due diligence and how environmental issues can affect the financing of deals.

We work alot with banks and other lenders to reassure and protect them of environmental liability.

We also work a lot with sellers of property, especially when a seller has not been able to sell their land due to contamination.

Alot of property owners think that we are the EPA when we show up to their sites. If a client has an accountant, that is more similar to our relationship, the IEPA is our IRS, we are the environmental equivalent of accountants, with a bit more humor.

From Green to Brown and Back

Having to deal with environmental issues at your property is not all doom and gloom, and the IEPA and other agencies are really not your enemy. Agencies like the IEPA have set up great programs from which to navigate the uncertainties of environmental risk, during the normal course of any real estate due diligence process.

With programs like the voluntary site remediation program and leaking underground storage tank program the IEPA have made it easy to get your site clean.

OK... it will cost a few bucks, however if your site is contaminated its better to cost a few bucks that millions. Where once the typical protocol was a long drawn out cleanup process, often sites these days only need to be capped with concrete or clean soil for a site to be considered safe to human health and the environment.

Phase I Environmental Site Assesment

Phase I Environmental Site Assessment

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Any piece of real estate can be the subject of a Phase I ESA.

A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is a report prepared for a real estate holding which identifies potential or existing environmental contamination liabilities. The analysis, often called a Phase I ESA, typically addresses both the underlying land as well as physical improvements to the property; however, techniques applied in a Phase I ESA never include actual collection of physical samples or chemical analyses of any kind. Scrutiny of the land includes examination of potential soil contamination, groundwater quality, surface water quality and sometimes issues related to hazardous substance uptake by biota. The examination of a site may include: definition of any chemical residues within structures; identification of possible asbestos containing building materials; inventory of hazardous substances stored or used on site; assessment of mold and mildew; and evaluation of other indoor air quality parameters^[1].

Actual sampling of soil, air, groundwater and/or building materials is typically not conducted during a Phase I ESA. The Phase I ESA is generally considered the first step in the process of environmental Due Diligence. This type of study is alternatively called a Level I Environmental Site Assessment. Standards for performing a Phase I site assessment have been promulgated by the US EPA^[2] and are based in part on ASTM in Standard E1527-05.^[3] If a site is considered contaminated, a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment may be conducted, ASTM test E1903, a more detailed investigation involving chemical analysis for hazardous substances and/or petroleum hydrocarbons.

Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Actions triggering the Phase I ESA 3 Scope of the Phase I ESA 4 Preparers 5 Examples 6 International context 7 Other types of ESA 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

As early as the 1970s specific property purchasers in the USA undertook studies resembling current Phase I ESAs, to assess risks of ownership of commercial properties which had a high degree of risk from prior toxic chemical use or disposal. Many times these studies were preparatory to understanding the nature of cleanup costs if the property was being considered for redevelopment or change of land use.

Leaking underground storage tanks are one source of hazardous substance liability

In the United States of America demand increased dramatically for this type of study in the 1980s following judicial decisions related to liability of property owners to effect site cleanup. Interpreting the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), the U.S. courts have held that a buyer, lessor, or lender may be held responsible for remediation of hazardous substance residues, even if a prior owner caused the contamination; performance of a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, according to the courts’ reasoning, creates a safe harbor, known as the 'Innocent Landowner Defense' for such a new purchaser or his lenders.

In 1998 the necessity of performing a Phase I ESA was underscored by congressional action in passing the Superfund Cleanup Acceleration Act of 1998^[4]. This act requires purchasors of commercial property to perform a Phase I study meeting the specific standard of ASTM E1527: Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process.

The most recent standard is "Standards and Practices for All Appropriate Inquiries" 40 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 312^[5] which drew heavily from ASTM E1527-05 which has become known as 'All Appropriate Inquiry' (AAI). Previous guidances regarding the ASTM E1527 standard were ASTM E1527-97 and ASTM E1527-00.

Residential property purchasers need only conduct a site inspection and chain of title survey.

[edit] Actions triggering the Phase I ESA

A variety of actions^[6] can cause a Phase I study to be performed for a commercial property, the most common being:

• Purchase of real property by a person or entity not previously on title.
• Contemplation by a new lender to provide a loan on the subject real estate.
• Partnership buyout or principal redistribution of ownership.
• Application to a public agency for change of use or other discretionary land use permit.
• Existing property owner’s desire to understand toxic history of the property.
• Compulsion by a regulatory agency who suspects toxic conditions on the site.
• Divestiture of properties

[edit] Scope of the Phase I ESA

Asbestos-containing materials are not typically surveyed or sampled in a Phase I site inspection, but suspect building materials may be noted

Depending upon precise protocols utilized, there are a number of variations in the scope of a Phase I study. The tasks listed here are extremely common to almost all Phase I ESAs:

• Performance of an on-site visit to view present conditions (chemical spill residue, die-back of vegetation, etc) ; hazardous substances or petroleum products usage (presence of above ground or underground storage tanks, storage of acids, etc.); and evaluate any likely environmentally hazardous site history.
• Evaluation of risks of neighbouring properties upon the subject property
• Interview of persons knowledgeable regarding the property history (past owners, present owner, key site manager, present tenants, neighbours).
• Examine municipal or county planning files to check prior land usage and permits granted
• Conduct file searches with public agencies (State water board, fire department, county health department, etc) having oversight relative to water quality and soil contamination issues.
• Examine historic aerial photography of the vicinity.
• Examine current USGS maps to scrutinize drainage patterns and topography.
• Examine chain-of-title for Environmental Liens and/or Acivity and Land Use Limitations (AULs).

In most cases, the public file searches, historical research and chain-of-title examinations are outsourced to information services that specialize in such activities. Commercial enterprises that conduct such activities include Environmental Data Resources (EDR), FirstSeach Technologies, and several major title insurance businesses.

Non-Scope Items in a Phase I Environmental Site Assessments can include visual inspections or records review searches for:

• Asbestos Containing Building Materials (ACBM)
• Lead-Based Paint
• Lead in Drinking Water
• Mold
• Radon
• Wetlands
• Threatened and Endangered Species
• Earthquake Hazard
• Vapor Intrusion

[edit] Preparers

Often a multi-disciplinary approach is taken in compiling all the components of a Phase I study, since skills in chemistry, atmospheric physics, geology, microbiology and even botany are frequently required. Many of the preparers are environmental scientists who have been trained to integrate these diverse disciplines. Many states have professional registrations which are applicable to the preparers of Phase I ESAs; for example, the state of California has a registration entitled Registered Environmental Assessor.

Under ASTM E 1527-05 parameters were set forth as to who is qualified to perform Phase I ESAs. The new parameter defined an Environmental Professional as someone with 1) a current Professional Engineer's or Professional Geologist's license or registration from a state or U.S. territory with 3 years equivalent full-time experience; 2) have a Baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited institution of higher education in a discipline of engineering or science and 5 years equivalent full-time experience; or 3) have the equivalent of 10 years full-time experience.

A person not meeting one or more of those qualifications may assist in the conduct of a Phase I ESA if the individual is under the supervision or responsible charge of a person meeting the definition of an Environmental Professional when concluding such activities.

Most site assessments are conducted by private companies independent of the owner or potential purchaser of the land.

[edit] Examples

While there are a myriad of sites that have been analyzed to date within the United States, the following list will serve as examples of the subject matter:

• Auke Bay U.S. Postal Facility, Juneau, Alaska
• Esso Canada Ltd. Former Bulk Fuels Facility, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
• Dakin Building, Brisbane, California
• East Elk Grove Specific Plan, Elk Grove, California
• Mariners Marsh Park, Staten Island, New York
• Richmond State Hospital Farm Industrial Park, Wayne County, Indiana
• Sydney Steel Plant Lands, Sydney, Nova Scotia
• Weyerhauser Technology Center, Federal Way, Washington

[edit] International context

In Japan, with the passage of the 2002 Soil Contamination Countermeasures Law, there is a strong movement to conduct Phase I studies more routinely. At least one jurisdiction in Canada (Ontario) now requires the completion of a Phase I prior to the transfer of some types of industrial properties. Some parts of Europe began to conduct Phase I studies on selected properties in the 1990s, but still lack the comprehensive attention given to virtually all major real estate transactions in the USA.

[edit] Other types of ESA

Storage and handling of toxics is assessed for each site within a Phase I study.

There are several other report types that have some resemblance in name or degree of detail to the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment:

Phase II Environmental Site Assessment is an investigation which collects original samples of soil, groundwater or building materials to analyze for quantitative values of various contaminants^[7]. This investigation is normally undertaken when a Phase I ESA determines a likelihood of site contamination. The most frequent substances tested are petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, solvents, asbestos and mold.

Phase III Environmental Site Assessment is an investigation involving remediation of a site. This study normally involves assessment of alternative cleanup methods, costs and logistics. The associated reportage details the steps taken to perform site cleanup and the follow-up monitoring for residual contaminants.

Limited Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is a truncated Phase I ESA, normally omitting one or more work segments such as the site visit or certain of the file searches. When the field visit component is deleted the study is sometimes called a Transaction Screen.

Environmental Assessment has little to do with the subject of hazardous substance liability, but rather is a study preliminary to an Environmental Impact Statement, which identifies environmental impacts of a land development action and analyzes a broad set of parameters including biodiversity, environmental noise, water pollution, air pollution, traffic, geotechnical risks, visual impacts, public safety issues and also hazardous substance issues.