Services

Commonly referred to as an ESA, or Phase I ESA, a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is conducted as part of a real estate transaction to identify Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs). A REC is defined as the “presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products in, on, or at the subject property due to a release to the environment; 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 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”.

Phase I ESAs are prepared in compliance with ASTM standard E 1527-13. The most current standard published by ASTM is E 1527-21; however, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not approved this standard as of November 2022. Compliance with the ASTM standard can be used to satisfy the requirements of CERCLA’s (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act) innocent land owner defense under All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI).

The purpose of a Phase I ESA is to establish, using readily attainable sources of information, whether there is or may have been, present or past use, storage, disposal, generation or application of hazardous substances or petroleum products on or near the subject property, and if so, whether it has significant potential to impair site conditions and/or require mitigation. A Phase I ESA addresses potential soil and groundwater contamination, and the potential for impacted soil vapor to pose a threat to onsite and offsite tenants.

The scope of work for a Phase I ESA typically consists of a historical review of the property; a review of available federal, state and/or local public records of the subject property and properties in the vicinity; interviews with people familiar with the property, and if necessary, regulatory agency staff familiar with the property and surrounding area; and, reconnaissance of the property and surrounding area.

If a Phase I ESA identifies RECs, a Phase II Site Assessment may be conducted to confirm whether the RECs pose an actual threat to human health or the environment. The scope of work for a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment typically consists of the collection and analysis of soil, groundwater, soil vapor and/or indoor air samples.

The ECA Group specializes in subsurface investigations that evaluate contaminant impacts to soil, soil vapor and groundwater, as well as conducting follow-up indoor air quality assessments.

We provide a broad range of remediation services that includes efficient turnkey soil vapor extraction, dual-phase extraction (multi-phase) and sub-slab depressurization systems. We work directly with our design vendors to provide the Client with the most cost-effective and efficient system for their specific contaminant concerns. We are a team of professionals that specializes in in-situ biological groundwater treatment of chlorinated solvents and metals using specialized substrate and bacteria species. The choice of remedial systems is dependent on several criteria including the type of contaminants targeted, the application method, site hydrogeology, and other site conditions such as the presence of structures and underground utilities. The company has designed, implemented and closed several sites utilizing oxidant technology Klozur Persulfate, hydrogen peroxide and ozone injection.

Remedial Applications offered include but not limited to:

• Soil vapor extraction
• Dual-phase extraction
• Persulfate/Sodium Hydroxide Injection
• Hydrogen Peroxide and Ozone Injection
• Reductive dechlorination (in-situ biological remediation)

Perform aquifer pump tests to evaluate groundwater production for both private and commercial clients. Advanced data analysis for evaluating primary aquifer matrix data and quality.

• Transmissivity/conductivity calculations
• Hydro-stratigraphic information
• Evaluate three-dimensional degree and extent of contaminant in subsurface

What is the goal of a Watershed Management Plan?

A watershed management plan helps to control pollution of the water and other natural resources in the watershed by identifying the different kinds of pollution present in the watershed and how those pollutants are transported, and recommending ways to reduce or eliminate those pollution sources.

The ECA Group has worked on projects requiring a watershed plan to address soil erosion runoff concerns. Areas of experience include but not limited to:

• Watershed Construction Management
• Land usage and zoning establishments, research riparian and EDR files for historical aerial maps and other available historical aerial photos of drainage patterns.
• Calculating 100-year flow from a creek drainage area.
• Compilation of hydrogeologic data would be used to assess future drainage improvements on a property.

The ECA Group has a State contractor’s license. Its primary use is to allow us to hire and supervise the activities of subcontractors. The ECA Group uses subcontractors for the construction of remediation systems, the removal and disposal of ASTs and USTs, and for drilling activities. Our contractor’s license also allows us to serve as the general contractor for site investigations, installation of remediation systems and other activities required by our clients. Therefore, we can offer turnkey project services.

The per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water.

The New Regulation Proposed by the EPA, will limit PFOA and PFOS to maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) of 4 parts per trillion and regulate the combined amount. PFAS mixture has a Hazard Index of less than 1.0. However, because the EPA has indicated that PFOA and PFOS are potentially carcinogenic, a maximum contaminant level goal of 0 parts per trillion have been established.

Certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have sufficient vapor pressures to be designated as vapor-forming chemicals and; thus, be a concern for vapor intrusion into the indoor air of residences and buildings overlying a contaminated soil or groundwater source. Multiple PFAS species, both neutral (e.g., fluorotelomer alcohols) and ionic (e.g., perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids), were found in the groundwater, soil, soil gas, and sub-slab soil gas. With the presence of PFAS in these matrices, a vapor intrusion pathway has been established. This initial research effort provides regulators with scientific evidence that will help them decide whether VI should be evaluated at the hundreds of sites where PFAS are reasonably expected to have been released to the subsurface.

Multiple health effects associated with PFAS exposure have been identified and are supported by different scientific studies. When looking for possible human-health effects of chemical compounds, it is important to understand that they are hard to study, especially with thousands of variations in PFAS chemicals. Concerns about the public health impact of PFAS have arisen for the following reasons:

• Widespread occurrence. Studies find PFAS in the blood and urine of people, and scientists want to know if they cause health problems.
• Numerous exposures. PFAS are used in hundreds of products globally, with many opportunities for human exposure.
• Growing numbers. PFAS are a group of nearly 15,000 synthetic chemicals, according to a chemicals database, CompTox, maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Persistent. PFAS remain in the environment for an unknown amount of time.
• Bioaccumulation. People may encounter different PFAS chemicals in various ways. Over time, people may take in more of the chemicals than they excrete, a process that leads to bioaccumulation in bodies.

Residuals in Drinking Water

Serious concerns with drinking water sources, whether local creeks, lakes, rivers or water-supply wells the uncertainty of PFAS accumulation in drinking water something that must be addressed now in order to protect our invaluable water resources.

PFAS Expertise

We at The ECA Group have gained extensive experience in PFAS knowledge and sampling protocol. We have the ability to provide clients with practical solutions for the sampling and mitigation of PFAS impacts at your property/site. Our field personnel are professionally trained on the knowledge of PFAS its effects to the environment and sampling requirements.

Discrete Private Water-Supply, City Water Sampling Services

Our experienced PFAS field personnel can sample your private water-supply well or City water connection and have it analyzed by a State certified laboratory. This process would give you the assurance that the water you are drinking is safe for you and your family and is PFAS free.

The ECA Group can provide assessment and strategies/solutions for air quality management.