The purpose of a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is to identify “recognized environmental conditions” associated with a property. A “recognized environmental condition” is defined by ASTM as “the presence or likely presence of any hazardous substances or petroleum products in, on, or at a property; (1) due to any release to the environment; (2) under conditions indicative of a release to the environment; or (3) under conditions that pose a material threat of a future release to the environment”.

A Phase II ESA is designed to provide additional information about the environmental condition of a property. Typically, Phase II ESAs include the collection and analysis of samples of environmental media such as soil and groundwater. Sampling is targeted toward areas of the site that are most likely to have been impacted by releases of hazardous substances or petroleum products during past or current operations at the property, as identified during a Phase I ESA.