Background
A natural gas and electric utility client intended to acquire an undeveloped lot in Lake County, Indiana for a future substation site. Prior to purchasing the property, an ASTM-standard Phase I and a limited groundwater investigation were required to identify any environmental concerns. To meet project deadlines, all work needed to be completed on a very fast track.
Phase I ESA Project Work
To allow for this transaction to proceed, AGES performed a Phase I and limited groundwater investigation of an undeveloped lot that was being purchased by a utility company as a future substation site. The scope of the project included:
1.) Conducting a site visit;
2.) Interviews with the property owner, adjacent property owner, and local fire chief;
3.) Review of topographic and aerial photos, EDR database results, and local newspapers;
4.) Completing a limited groundwater investigation and collecting multiple soil samples at depth to evaluate subsurface environmental concerns.
All work was performed under an extremely aggressive schedule. Based on preliminary information gathered, AGES determined that the adjacent property to the site was an abandoned Brownfield facility listed on the State of Indiana Hazardous Waste Sites List. The facility was a former petroleum bulk storage facility that had reported spills and petroleum stained soil. AGES collected soil and groundwater samples adjacent to the site and found no evidence of subsurface environmental concerns. Based on the results of this project, the client opted to proceed with acquisition of the property.
Special Features
By coupling a standard Phase I ESA with a limited site investigation, AGES was able to define the extent of environmental issues. This allowed the client to proceed with the transaction on schedule.
