Marsh and Legge Land Surveyors have been performing Phase 1 ESA’s since 1998 and has gained the reputation for generating precise, intuitive and comprehensive Phase 1 ESA reports. We have performed Phase 1 evaluations on over 25,000 acres of land in the State of Virginia. Below is a partial list of our Phase 1 clients:

• Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
  

• The Trust for Public Lands
  

• The Nature Conservancy, Virginia Chapter
  

• Virginia Institute of Marine Science
  

• Various Real Estate Firms and Developers

A Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is performed to evaluate any recognized environmental conditions on or adjacent to property being sold or purchased. The goal is to identify and recognize environmental conditions and determine the presence or likely presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products on the property under conditions that indicate there is a chance of an existing release, a past release, or a material threat of a future release of hazardous substances or petroleum products on the property or into the ground water or subsurface water of the property. The report is prepared in conformance with the guidelines provided by the ASTM Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments for Phase I Site Assessment Process E 1527-97. The assessments are not intended to focus on minor conditions that generally do not present risks to public health or environment and would not require enforcement action by regulating agencies. The investigations do not include sampling, testing or conducting detailed studies to verify any specific hazardous substance problems or specifically identifying or quantifying those problems.

A Phase 1 ESA includes onsite field reconnaissance, review of historical aerial photographs, 7.5 minute topographical quad maps, historical deed documents, and regulatory agency records. Interviews with current and past property owners and individuals with a historical perspective of the property are performed. The Phase 1 ESA is used to draw conclusions for the potential for hazardous materials or environmental concerns on the investigated property.