For Ontario property owners, including individuals and companies, environmental due diligence is one of the most critical, key consideration, especially as the provincial government increases its stringent policies and regulations for Ontario environmental site assessments, as outlined under the Environmental Protection Act, O. Reg. 153/04: Records of Site Condition.
Keeping Costs Down Without Jeopardizing Your Due Diligence
- A report released by Nielsen Environmental Field School demonstrates that budget restriction is the most significant factor in limiting proper site characterization. It makes sense – environmental risk management can be costly, but it pays off to protect yourself from all sorts of liability and future responsibility for environmental issues.
[Recommended Reading: How Much Does an Environmental Site Assessment Cost?]
A constrained budget can jeopardize your due diligence when it comes to environmental site assessments, causing the following steps to be overlooked, left behind or lose priority:
- Proper tests for the right Contaminants of Concern in key locations (a key component of Phase II Environmental Site Assessments)
- Full analysis of water and soil
- Complete delineation of contaminant plume (to aid in remediation estimates)
The Importance of Conducting Proper Site Characterization
Conducting the proper site characterization is essential because it allows you to:
- Choose the most suitable remedial approach
- Speeds up site closure
- Saves time and money
Why Hire An Environmental Consultant?
To navigate the Phase II Ontario Environmental Site Assessment easily and effectively, consider hiring an environmental consultant to help you understand the step-by-step process, that way you can diligently manage your environmental liability in challenging economic times without cutting corners on site characterization. You can refer to the basic process outlined below to get a better sense of what it entails.
Three Essential Components For Ontario Environmental Site Assessments:
- Use foresight to anticipate what your unique site will require in coming years:
For instance, will you be selling the property or changing the land use? We recommend planing and setting aside funds for this in advance before it becomes an emergency. Your environmental consultant may be able to help you break up a project over multiple years if necessary. - Consider using an iterative approach to your site data collection process that includes on-site testing: This characterization method can provide detailed site data regarding contaminants of concern, geology, and hydrogeology at a much lower cost than traditional laboratory testing.
- Ask your environmental consulate for a graphical interactive interface with collected site data:
Often, seeing a site map that includes geological and hydrogeological site features and lab data superimposed allows for better, more rapid conclusions to be made. This saves time and money – and on a limited budget for environmental site work, it can make a huge difference in the success of the project.
[Recommended Reading: How to Find an Environmental Engineering Firm in Ontario]
Need more assistance on gathering these three essential components for your site assessment? Do you require more information on how to keep costs down? Give us a call at (800) 267-4797 or send us an email!
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