Site Assessments

Environmental Site Assessments

Phase I, II, and III ESAs

ATOKA professionals are certified, registered and licensed in multiple disciplines to provide you the qualified and experienced assistance needed for every phase of your assessment, characterization and remediation projects.

ATOKA provides the highest quality Phase I, II and III Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) services on industrial, commercial, residential and mixed use sites for clients across the US. 

Phase I
Anyone who is purchasing or leasing a commercial, industrial or other property is wise to conduct a Phase I ESA on the property to document the environmental conditions on the site prior to purchase and qualify for the CERCLA (Superfund) liability protections.

Most lenders require a Phase I as a loan condition, and we work with lenders to provide prompt and thorough service, typically in less than two weeks.

The goal of the Phase I ESA is to identify “the presence or likely presence of any hazardous substances or petroleum products on a property…” Our Phase I ESA consists of an investigation into current and past land uses at the site, a computerized search of national, state and local regulatory and historical records, a visual inspection of the site and a report to the client. With our focus on being environmentally conscious, most reports are provided in an electronic PDF format.

Phase II and III
The decision to pursue Phase II and Phase III actions, however, is generally made by the client, and is normally based on recommendations by the consultant conducting the Phase I Assessment. There is no requirement that testing or remediation be conducted—or that agencies be informed—on the conditions of a property identified in a Phase I. We work for you, and all our ESA’s are completed according to applicable ASTM, Phase I ESA E 1527-05, E 1527-13 & EPA’s “All Appropriate Inquires” (AAI) rule, and are for your use only.

If site characterization is needed, we take samples in suspected contamination areas and have them analyzed by a lab to determine the type of substances present. Once we have the analyses back from the lab, we give you a report on those results and talk about the options for the site, including how much cleanup work we think will be needed and how we can help you with it. If there is a significant amount of contamination, sometimes the best choice is to discontinue the project and elect not to purchase the property. You’ve spent your money wisely, however, because you had the best information available to make an informed decision about the property, possibly saving yourself untold costs and liabilities down the road.

In some cases, you may still want the property and want the site remediated. In that case, we move into the Phase III Remediation stage. Whether you require the current owner to do the cleanup or elect to do it yourself, ATOKA can help. We will develop an approved remediation plan and design for the site, and then provide the project management and oversight to get the job done correctly and as cost effectively as possible. We can provide turnkey services for the entire remediation project or work with you and your contractors to get the job done right.

EA/EIS (NEPA)
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) guidelines are some of the most misunderstood regulations in environmental compliance today.  In essence NEPA is a guideline enforced by other federal laws, such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, which ultimately require that an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be conducted for projects that have the potential to significantly impact federal lands or that utilize federal funds  (SEPA is the state equivalent).

ATOKA has conducted extensive environmental studies for private corporations, utility companies and individuals on private and public lands, and in cooperation with the US Forest Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, and others.  One recent project included about 500 miles of utility rights-of-way located in 16 counties of two states and three National Forests.

Biological Site Characterizations 
are conducted to determine the vegetation and wildlife present, and can be used for a variety of purposes, such as determining potential effects on fish and wildlife, sensitive plants, recreation and scenic integrity.

Offices in Hot Springs, AR and Little Rock, AR

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