Contaminated land terminology and acronyms can become confusing to those not familiar with the industry.
A planning permit may refer to an environmental audit or PRSA. A consultant may recommend a PSI or DSI. A financier, planner or project manager may use the terms Phase 1 ESA or Phase 2 ESA. The terms are related, but they are not always interchangeable.
PSI (Preliminary Site Assessment)
A Preliminary Site Investigation (or Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment) is usually the starting point. It reviews the site setting, past land uses, environmental records, surrounding land uses and obvious signs of potential contamination. In simple terms, it determines whether the land should be considered “potentially contaminated”, and identifies the areas and contaminants of potential concern at your site.
DSI (Detailed Site Assessment)
A Detailed Site Investigation (or Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment) is usually the next step if the PSI identifies a potential for contamination. This is where sampling is undertaken. Depending on the site, that may include soil, groundwater, soil vapour, asbestos or landfill gas sampling.
Environmental Audit
An environmental audit is a formal process involving an EPA-appointed environmental auditor. It is often triggered by planning permit conditions or Environmental Audit Overlays, where a sensitive land is proposed.
The important part is getting the sequence right. Too little assessment can create delays later. Too much assessment can add cost before the actual trigger is understood.
Preliminary Risk Screen Assessment
A Preliminary Risk Screen Assessment is akin to a mini-audit, whereby an Environmental Auditor relies on a PSI to make a determination on whether a site is likely to be potentially contaminated and whether a full environmental audit is required for an intended use.
Atma Environmental prepares environmental site assessments for due diligence, planning, audit support and development decisions. We help clients work out what needs to be done now, what can wait, and what is not warranted based on the information available.
