Preface
This is the first edition of CSA Standard Z768, Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (Phase I ESA). This Standard has been developed to assist clients and assessors to plan, implement, and interpret the results of Phase I ESAs.
ASTM Standard E 1527, Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase 1, Environmental Site Assessment Process, was an important source for this CSA Standard. As well, information and concepts from Technical Committee members, stakeholders, and other published sources have been incorporated in an attempt to account for the substantial regulatory differences between the U.S. and Canada. It is worth noting that, in the U.S., the ESA standard-setting process was intended to permit a user to satisfy one of the requirements to qualify for the Innocent Landowner Defense to liability under the Comprehensive, Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). In Canada, the development of guidelines and standards has been influenced by Clients' needs to make informed decisions concerning potentially contaminated sites.
This Standard was prepared by the Technical Committee on Environmental Site Assessment under the jurisdiction of the Standards Steering Committee on the Environment.
Scope
1.1 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.
1.2 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 E). This Standard does not involve the selection or implementation of any measuring, sampling, analytical, or remediation activities. Such activities may be included in Phase II and/or Phase III ESAs. A discussion of Phase II and III ESAs is presented for information in Appendices A and B.
1.3 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.
