804-277-4600
Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Reports
Virginia Phase 1 Environmental Group (VPEG) is your local Virginia environmental consulting, planning, and testing company.
Our staff has over 30 years’ experience completing Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments and other environmental projects for real estate transactions in Virginia. Our environmental professionals are located in Richmond, Virginia which is centrally located to make us very cost effective in completing Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessments throughout Virginia and the surrounding areas. We can typically complete a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) Report in about 2 weeks, and complete a Phase 2 ESA Report in about 3-4 weeks.
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Virginia Phase I Environmental Group specializes in the following:
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Personal Attention. Our project team has built their reputation on providing personal attention to our customers needs. We evaluate every project, discuss the users needs and goals, and tailor our work and reports to those needs and goals. Our purpose is to help guide you in making informed business decisions.
Fast Report Completion. Our Phase 1 ESA Reports can typically be completed within 2 weeks and we often do rush Phase 1 Environmental Reports in less time for real estate closings and 1099 Exchanges.
Expert Professionals. Our multidisciplinary team has many years of experience completing environmental projects with a concentration in real estate. Our project managers are all “Environmental Professionals” and meet the requirements of EPAs All Appropriate Inquiry Rule and the newest ASTM 1527-21 Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments. Our team also has extensive experience in many other areas, including geotechnical, site design, erosion control and design, stormwater management, hazardous substance management, wetlands, water exploration and use, water treatment, soil and groundwater remediation, hazardous substance and petroleum release investigations, and more. Our leadership team is licensed and certified in many areas of environmental and construction.
Quality Reports. Our Phase 1 ESA Reports are top quality! We offer some of the highest quality reports in the Phase I industry. All our ESA reports adhere to the new ASTM 1527-21 Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process. Information on the new ASTM Phase I ESA Standard.
Low Cost. Because we are a small locally owned and operated company, we can complete our work for less than our competition, while still retaining high quality.
Customer Service. We provide outstanding customer service and strive to make every client feel like we are an important part of their team.
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Our service areas for Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Reports include all of Virginia and Washington DC, including Richmond, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Arlington, Alexandria, Roanoke, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Lynchburg, Leesburg, Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Blacksburg, Danville, Petersburg, Fredericksburg, Winchester, Staunton, and Warrenton. We will also complete Phase 1 Environmental Assessments in surrounding states if needed.
For a free Phase 1 Environmental property evaluation or consultation, scope of work, and/or cost proposal, call us at 804-277-4600, email us at Info@VirginiaPhase1Environmental.com or complete the information in our Proposal Request Form.
What is a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment?
A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (also know as a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment or a Phase 1 ESA) is an inspection of a parcel of land to evaluate if it has any environmental concerns, which are known as “Recognized Environmental Conditions” (RECs). A REC can be a current or former land use such as a gas station, dry cleaner or manufacturing plant that used hazardous substances or petroleum products. A REC can also be a record of a spill, leak, or dump on the property. A Phase 1 Environmental Report provides an evaluation of the property so the purchaser or lender can make an informed business decision on whether to buy the property.
An abandoned manufacturing facility in Washington DC.
Most lenders will require a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment of these types of properties before they will loan money for their purchase.
What is a Recognized Environmental Condition?
A Recognized Environmental Condition or REC is the presence or probable presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products under conditions that may point to a potential past, current, or future threat of a leak or spill. The ASTM Standard for Phase 1 Assessments does not include small "de-minimis" conditions that are not a risk or would not be a violation if reported. The definition of a REC has been revised in the new ASTM E1527-21 Standard to make it easier and clearer to understand. The new definition of a Recognized Environmental Condition is as follows:
“(1) the presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products in, on, or at the subject property due to a release to the environment; (2) the likely presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products in, on, or at the subject property due to a release or likely release to the environment; or (3) the presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products in, on, or at the subject property under conditions that pose a material threat of a future release to the environment."
A dry cleaner in Norfolk, Virginia.
Dry cleaners are commonly considered Recognized Environmental Conditions in Phase 1 Environmental Assessment Reports. This is because dry cleaning chemicals are very mobile and persistent when released to soil and groundwater, and they have very low clean-up standards.
When is Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment Required?
Phase I ESAs are not required. But it is standard practice for lenders to require a Phase 1 ESA Report before they will approve a loan on a commercial property. It is also prudent for a purchaser to obtain a Phase 1 Report prior to purchasing the property to make sure they are not buying an unacceptable amount of liability with the property. For example, if purchasing a strip mall, it is wise to check to see if there was a former dry cleaner as one of the tenants, as spilled dry cleaning chemicals have caused many long and costly clean-ups that were required by state regulators. The Phase 1 Environmental Report will include databases that can evaluate if there was a former dry cleaner or other potential environmental concerns located on the property.
The Phase I ESA Reports are usually just completed on commercial properties, but they can be needed on residential parcels sometimes if the property is going to be rezoned to commercial, be used for a business, or if a bank or finance company requires it before they will close a loan on the property.
Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia.
Old sites like this one may have contamination from past industrial uses. A Phase I Environmental Report would include research on the history of the property to evaluate the risk of potential contamination on the property.
When is Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment Required?
An closed gas station in Washington, DC.
Gas stations are commonly considered Recognized Environmental Conditions in Phase 1 Environmental Assessment Reports. This is because the fuel is underground tanks and pipes, which can have small leaks without being detected by current leak detection methods. Older gas stations may not have the required leak detection at all or they were abandoned before the leak detection rules were required.
What is included in a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report?
A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report includes research on the history of the property, a site inspection, and interviews with knowledgeable people about the history and past use of the property. The research component includes a search of government databases to determine if the property or surrounding properties are listed as having spills, releases, storage, or use of chemicals that may potentially cause environmental liability for the property.
More Information on the Phase 1 Environmental Standard Process
The scope of work and requirements for a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment are included in the ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM)) Publication E1527-21 “Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process”.
The E1527-21 “Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process” document was published to provide a standard guide for good commercial and customary practice for completing the Phase I ESAs, to help the Environmental Professionals prepare high quality and standardized reports, to assure that implementation of the EPAs “All Appropriate Inquiry” Rule can be completed in a reasonable and practical manner, and to provide users with an industry standard as a legal guide to interpretation of the EPAs Landowner Liability Protections (LLPs) offered by the “All Appropriate Inquiry” Rule.
The E1527-21 Standard was updated in November 2021. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will typically take a year to review and approve the new ASTM E1527-21 Standard, and until then it is fine to continue to use old or the new standard. The differences between the old and new standards are minor, and mostly include clarifications for the Environmental Professionals when preparing the reports.
