Phase III Environmental Site Assessment

The key components of a Phase III ESA are:

• Detailed delineation of identified constituents of concern in soil, sediment, or groundwater. Test pits, boreholes and monitoring wells are used to obtain representative samples for detailed laboratory analysis.
• Calculation of the volume of impacted soil and/or groundwater.
• Investigation to determine pathways of movement or migration of contaminants through soil and groundwater and the preparation of "fate and transport" and "risk assessment" models. These are designed to determine how long it will take and in what concentration a contaminant will reach a receptor.
• Notification of the appropriate regulatory body as required. Early involvement of provincial regulators can facilitate transition into remedial action and hasten closure for a contaminated site.
• Determination of site specific remedial goals (e.g. generic values or site specific values generated through a quantitative risk assessment).
• The volume of impacted material requiring treatment may be reduced by applying a Quantative Human Health and/or Ecological Risk Assessment to establish site-specific clean-up criteria when applicable.
• Development of feasible remedial options (including time frame and costs) for consultation and approval by the client and submission of the Environmental site remediation to the regulator. The options must include consideration of physical/chemical limitations, construction requirements, environmental as well as health and safety implications, regulatory approval and public perception.