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The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database
Houston Geological Society Bulletin
Abstract
Abstract: Forensic Investigation is Not Just an ASTM
Phase
I or II
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Quest Consulting, Inc.
The terms, “Phase
I and II”, have been used since the 1980s to
describe environmental site assessment processes or
environmental investigations used to determine if constituents of
concern exist at a site. The definitions of these processes and
investigations were not necessarily consistent from one use to
another. In some cases, the term “
Phase
II environmental site
assessment” was used to describe an investigation to determine if
any constituents of concern existed at a site. In other cases, the
term “
Phase
II” was used to describe an investigation that identified
not only the nature of any contamination but also its extent. In
the 1990s, ASTM, through its E50 Committee on Environmental
Assessment, developed the Standard Guide for Environmental
Site Assessments for
Phase
I and II, Environmental Site
Assessments.
The term “Phase
II” has also been used by state environmental
agencies as well as the United States Environmental Protection
Agency to describe a variety of environmental site assessments.
Generally, unlike the ASTM Standard Guide, the various
environmental agencies in their guidance documents provide specific procedures that must be followed in conducting an
acceptable
Phase
II.
However, the goals of an Environmental Forensic Investigation are
frequently different from the goals of a Phase
II. The goal or goals
of an Environmental Forensic Investigation will not necessarily
focus on the condition of the site. Rather the goal or goals will be
specific to the case and the needs of the client. Frequently, the goal
of a forensic investigation is to identify with reasonable scientific
certainty the source or sources of constituents of concern found at
a site or to estimate when a release may have occurred.
The environmental professional must have a clear understanding of the objective of the environmental forensic investigation. This must be integrated into the design of the investigation. The environmental professional must also consider:
- Historic and current operations on the subject site and surrounding sites that could impact the subject site
- The following information about historic and current
operations:
- Raw materials
- Intermediate products
- By-products
- Final products
- Wastes
- Chemical and physical characteristics of each
- Environmental transportation and fate of each
- Standard industry practices that existed at the time
- Site and surrounding geology, hydrogeology, and hydrology
- Chemical fingerprint of constituents of interest
In summary, a standard approach is frequently not the best approach in designing an effective Environmental Forensic Investigation. In fact, using a standard approach may lead to the wrong conclusion.