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| You are here > Introduction > Stage 2 > Phase II ESA Stage 2: Evaluation and Planning - Technical - Phase II ESA |
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A Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is used to characterize the type and extent of contamination at a site and the assessment must be conducted under the supervision of a Qualified Person (QP). A Phase II ESA is an intrusive investigation and assessment of a property's surface and subsurface media. These may include sections within a brownfield site, the entire property itself, physical pathways to human exposure, and off-site migration. A Phase II ESA investigates and confirms the environmental condition of the 'Areas of Concern' identified through the Phase I ESA and determines the site characteristics (chemicals, contamination and concentrations) present to the extent of the investigation performed. This data is necessary to file a Record of Site Condition (RSC) and perform a Risk Assessment.
Municipalities need to understand the cost-benefit and longer-term value of having a well-conducted and comprehensive Phase II ESA that has been completed by a Qualified Person (QP) on a typical service station. Former service station sites often require a site specific Risk Assessment (RA) to determine Property Specific Standards (PSS) as cleanup criteria and comprehensive Phase II ESAs provide the information upon which to base a site specific Risk Assessment. Risk Assessments used to develop PSS for remediation or to implement Risk Management (RM) plans are based on sound science and rationale that incorporates detailed site specific information. A less comprehensive Phase II ESA may be sufficient for a municipality's needs when approving planning amendments (e.g. Official Plan, CIP, Site Plan), but may result in future project delays and additional costs when a more comprehensive study or what is often referred to as a Supplementary Phase II ESA is required. Municipalities should view a well-conducted and comprehensive Phase II ESA that addresses all site concerns and potential offsite contamination as a sound up-front investment that will pay long-term dividends.
Typical service stations often require a site specific RA to determine PSS as cleanup criteria and comprehensive Phase II ESAs provide the information upon which to base a site specific Risk Assessment. RAs used to develop PSS for remediation or to implement RM plans are based on sound science and rationale that incorporates detailed site specific information.
Municipalities under the province's source water protection initiative will be required to incorporate source water protection into their Official Plan. It is important that source water protection concerns are identified as part of the Environmental Assessment.
The cost of a Phase II ESA can be considerable with the sampling and laboratory analysis. It is often difficult to obtain funding to assist with the cost of carrying out a Phase II ESAs. Municipalities should consider creating a financial incentive for site characterization to assist in offsetting the costs of comprehensive Phase II ESAs.
Understanding the information provided in a Phase II ESA as well as the potential implications is a critical part of improving the review and approval time. Municipalities may wish to request that the developer and the QP provide an affidavit to the Municipality that explains the Phase II ESA in a very simple and plain language document.
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