WSP Contaminated Lands and Geo-sciences SOQ

Environmental Site Assessments WSP personnel have been conducting environmental site assessments (ESAs) since the inception of this type of site assessment, both regionally and nationally. ESAs are per formed in accordance with the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) stan dards and the All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) rule issued by the USEPA. A Phase I ESA is typically the first phase in de termining a site’s condition, defining the prop erty’s environmental status, and identifying any environmental concerns based on the historical or current use of the property. One of the main objectives of the Phase I ESA is to evaluate the site for evidence of Recognized Environmen tal Conditions (REC), which may lead to future liability and pose an environmental concern for the site’s development. Based on the Phase I ESA findings, a phased environmental site inves tigation (ESI) may be required to characterize potential contamination in the areas of concern identified during the ESA, typically by sampling and analysis. Phase II and Phase III investigation strategies are developed based on the results of a Phase I ESA, and can be used to evaluate the possible effects of a known release or to evaluate for a possible release.

We develop a site-specific sampling approach that considers the conceptual site model, sam pling objectives, constituents of concern, environ mental setting, number and locations of borings and samples, and target sample depths. Constit uents or chemicals of concern are selected based on a review of the commercial or industrial pro cesses (and typical materials and wastes associat ed with those processes), waste disposal records, observations recorded during site inspections, and owner/operator knowledge. WSP often utilizes ArcGIS desktop application as its GIS software to integrate planimetric information with site-specific data collected during environ mental investigations. Environmental data collect ed during the investigation phase of the project is collected and compiled within a centralized database (Access). The Access database provides continuity across the project timeline with seamless integration into GIS. Using GIS provides an opportunity for WSP to integrate historical, socio-economic and environmental data into a project that can be managed from site assessment through cleanup and redevelopment. Based upon our prior experience providing environmental services to various state agencies, we understand this task is also fundamental to the success of project permitting.

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