SEA, Ltd. can evaluate prospective sites for environmental feasibility (e.g., Environmental Impact Statements, Wetland Delineations, Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments), obtain all necessary environmental permits for site development, prepare documentation and permit applications for facility operation, provide monitoring services, and assist, as needed, with compliance to applicable USEPA, OSHA, and other governmental environmental regulations.
Phase I Environmental
Site Assessment
Stokes Environmental
Associates, Ltd. performs environmental assessments of real estate to identify
and record existing, potential, or suspect conditions that may impose
environmental liabilities to, or restrict the use of the subject property.
Site assessments are often requested by investors as part of their
feasibility study or due diligence by banks prior to lending on a property, as
well as by property owners and tenants for routine management purposes.
The need for site assessments arose from the federal Superfund laws which
exert strict, joint and several, retroactive and virtually perpetual liability
for environmental contamination. Additionally,
the environmental professional conducting the assessment is able to evaluate the
potential for wetlands, endangered species, Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas,
asbestos, lead-based paint, and radon.
A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) provides a thorough analysis of the environmental history and conditions of property. The Phase I ESA includes:
Stokes Environmental
Associates conducts environmental reconnaissance, including detailed on-site
inspections, review of environmental practices, conduct of appropriate
interviews, identification of wastestreams and regulated substances, evaluation
of neighboring environmental practices, asbestos, fill material, PCBs, Radon,
above ground and underground storage tanks, and other potential contaminant
sources.
Our
review characterizes environmental concerns associated with the general
location, zoning, prior permits and inspections, and current and prior uses.
We identify and describe pertinent characteristics of soils and topography, surface water and ground water characteristics, wetlands and Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas, and other attributes of the surrounding environment to evaluate land use constraints or other environmental conditions which could affect the proposed project.
SEA reviews aerial photographs, ownership data, local municipal data, maps, diagrams, available prior investigations or historical reports, and other records to identify historic land use and environmental conditions in the site vicinity.
Environmental
database reviews, including federal, state, and local agency data identify known
or potential contaminant sources at or near the site.
The Phase I ESA is intended to
identify environmental liabilities at the site and includes a summary of
findings and recommendations.
Environmental Site Assessment - Transaction Screen Process
The Transaction Screen Process, as well as the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, provides a standard commercial and customary method in the United States of America for conducting an environmental site assessment of a parcel of commercial real estate with respect to the range of contaminants within the scope of the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and petroleum products. As such, this method is intended to permit a user to satisfy one of the requirements to qualify for the innocent landowner defense to CERCLA liability: that is, the investigations that constitute "all appropriate inquiry into the previous ownership and uses of the property consistent with good commercial or customary practice." An evaluation of business environmental risk associated with a parcel of commercial real estate may necessitate investigation beyond that identified in this practice.
The Transaction Screen Process is an abbreviated
preliminary environmental review of a site, which includes a site visit but does
not include the detailed analysis and background investigation included in a
Phase I Environmental Site Assessment.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE AUDIT SERVICES
Environmental Compliance Audits
are performed for general business management and transactional purposes.
The Environmental Compliance Audit is a confidential review of a site’s
operations and conditions with a comparison to regulatory requirements.
The Compliance Audit enables a company to minimize its risk of
non-compliance with government regulations.
The Compliance Audit also
demonstrates a company’s commitment to sound environmental management and
safety, with benefits to public relations and employee moral.
The Environmental Compliance Audit includes a review of the following elements:
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manufacturing or industrial practices, |
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equipment and material storage, |
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environmental permits and test results, |
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the presence and extent of waste streams, spills, leaks and other discharges at the site, |
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compliance with record keeping and reporting requirements, |
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historical and adjacent property uses, |
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government agency databases and records, |
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appropriate interviews, |
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thorough on-site inspection, and |
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appropriate testing or
analysis. |
A confidential report is
provided to the client, including findings and recommendations.
Underground Storage Tank (UST) Removal Closure, Upgrading Remediation, and Regulatory Compliance
Stokes
Environmental Associates' services
include soil and groundwater characterization of the extent and severity of
leaking fuels and oils, assessment of risks to surrounding occupants and water
supplies, evaluation of appropriate remediation, and oversight and monitoring of
corrective actions.
Communication Towers
Construction of communications towers, including radio, television, cellular and microwave, in the United States has been growing at an exponential rate, increasing at an estimated 6 to 8 percent annually. According to the Federal Communication Commission's 2000 Antenna Structure Registry, the number of lighted towers greater than 199 feet above ground level (AGL) currently number over 45,000 and the total number of towers over 74,000. By 2003, all television stations must be digital, adding potentially 1,000 new towers exceeding 1,000 feet AGL. (United States Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Services, Washington, DC, September 2000.)
Location of towers to reduce environmental impacts,
affects on historical structures, visibility and other concerns is a goal of
most tower developers. Stokes Environmental Associates, Ltd., with experience assessing hundreds of tower
sites, provides all investigations needed to meet environmental regulatory
requirements, such
as NEPA Environmental Assessments, Visual Impact Assessments, Phase I, II, and
III Environmental Site Assessments, Avian Mortality Potential Determination, balloon
tests, photo simulation, wetland delineations, mitigation, permits, and other
necessary environmental compliance tasks.
NEPA Compliance
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 mandated assessment of specified developments. This was the governments first attempt to evaluate planned activities which may affect environmental quality. The assessments were initially required for all Federal projects, including those on Federal land, with Federal funding, or by a Federal agency. Under NEPA (1969) there are four basic steps in the environmental assessment process. Firstly, NEPA Pre-Assessments are used by governmental agencies to determine potential impact of a project. If a potential effect or disturbance of the natural environmental is expected, after examining basic criteria about the project, an environmental assessment or more extensive environmental impact report will be required by the jurisdictional agency reviewing the project approval. Stokes Environmental Associates, Ltd. assists public and private clients by preparing the documents necessary to comply with NEPA.
Threatened
and Endangered Species
The
orchid, Isotria medeoloides (Pursh) Raf., commonly referred to as
the small whorled pogonia, is currently listed as a threatened plant
species by the federal government.
In the revised edition of the Small Whorled Pogonia Recovery Plan, the Us
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recognized two regions of Virginia as the
general locales for several historical, as well as extant, colony sites for I.
medeoloides.
One of these regions is generally centered between the York and James
Rivers, northwest of Williamsburg, Virginia.
Plants
of I. medeoliodes are small, perennial herbaceous plants with pale green
stems and a single whorl of leaves at the top of the stem.
They are commonly found in association with the large whorled pogonia (Isotria
verticillata) and Indian cucumber (Medeola virginiana).
The large whorled pogonia is recognized by the purplish coloration of its
thick lower stem, while Indian cucumber is characterized by a thin, tough, hairy
stem with several whorls of leaves.
There is no clear correlation between known habitats of I. medeoloides and specific soil types, such as hydric soils. Colonies in northern Virginia are generally found in areas of open, mixed hardwoods (usually Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree), Quercus alba (white oak), and Fagus grandifolia (beech) with species of Acer (maple), Cornus (dogwood), and Ilex (holly) in the understory). The small whorled pogonia is often found in areas with decomposing tree trunks and limbs, where the humus is thick. Most colonies of the orchid are found along moist, gentle slopes with little herbaceous cover, but deep leaf litter and humus from rotting logs. Most colonies have been located along drainage draws facing north to east and leading up slope from the floodplains of major streams.
Federal
regulations protect this plant from disturbances typically associated with land
development and other projects. Surveys may be required in areas where the
plant is suspected to occur, prior to completion of federal or state permits, or
issuance of government funding for the projects.
Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans
Storm water runoff is part of a natural hydrologic process. However, human activities, particularly urbanization, can alter natural drainage patterns and add pollutants to rainwater and snowmelt that runs off the earth's surface and enters our Nation's rivers, lakes, streams, and coastal waters. A number of recent studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), State water pollution control authorities, and various universities have shown that storm water runoff is a major source of (1) water pollution, (2) declines in fisheries, (3) restrictions on swimming, and these conditions limit our ability to enjoy or use many of the other benefits that the Nation's waters provide.
In order to reduce pollutants in storm water, federal, state, and local governments have promulgated storm water management regulations and programs. These programs have a common goal to improve water quality by reducing the pollutants contained in storm water discharges. Meeting this goal is a difficult challenge for many reasons. For example, the original source of the pollutants transported in storm water can be diffuse or spread out over a wide area. So, small oil and grease spills at hundreds of different facilities within a single city can collectively represent a major pollution problem. In addition, the nature of storm water is such that the amount of pollutants that enter receiving waters will vary in accordance with the frequency, intensity and duration of rainfall and the nature of local drainage patterns. Considering the wide variety of types of industries in the US and the wide range of materials and chemical compounds that are used as part of different industrial activities, a site-specific pollution prevention plan tailored for each facility is considered the most effective, flexible, and economically practical approach to achieve effective storm water management.
The Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SPPP) approach required by EPA gives facilities flexibility to establish a site-specific storm water management program to meet Best Available Technology/Best Control Technology (BAT/BCT) standards required by the Clean Water Act instead of imposing numerical requirements must be fully implemented to meet these standards.
According to EPA general permit requirements, a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SPPP) shall be developed for each facility covered by a stormwater permit. Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans shall be prepared in accordance with good engineering practices. The plan shall identify potential sources of pollution which may reasonably be expected to affect the quality of storm water discharges associated with industrial activity from the facility. In addition, the plan shall describe and ensure the implementation of practices which are to be used to reduce the pollutants in storm water discharges associated with industrial activity at the facility and to assure compliance with the terms and conditions of this permit. Facilities must implement the provisions of the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan in order to comply with applicable Federal and State regulations.