scope:

Purpose

This Standard establishes the principles and practices that are applicable to a Phase I ESA. The purpose of a Phase I ESA is to identify actual and potential site contamination. This involves the evaluation and reporting of existing information collected through Records Review, Site Visit, and Interviews. Phase I ESAs may assist in reducing uncertainty about potential environmental liabilities and may be a basis for further investigation of the property. Phase I ESAs may be used to make informed decisions about property transactions, identify certain baseline environmental conditions, assist in meeting regulatory requirements, and as an initial step in site remediation.

Limitations

This Standard does not apply to Environmental Auditing or Environmental Management Systems which are addressed in separate CSA Standards (refer to Foreword and Appendix sampling, analytical, or remediation activities. Such activities may be included in Phase II and/or Phase II ESAs. A discussion of Phase II and III ESAs is presented for information in Appendices A and B.

Terminology

In this Standard, use of the word "shall" indicates a mandatory requirement of this Standard; the word "should" indicates a recommendation but is not mandatory.