ASTM E1903-19
Phase II Environmental Site Assessment San Diego, CA
Soil, groundwater and soil-vapor sampling that confirms or rules out contamination flagged during a Phase I.
When a Phase I identifies recognized environmental conditions, a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment tests the property to determine whether contamination is actually present and, if so, its type and general extent.
Phase II investigations follow the ASTM E1903 framework and are scoped to the specific concerns raised — such as former dry cleaners, gas stations, underground storage tanks, or historical agricultural pesticide use.
ESA Inspections provides phase ii environmental site assessment services in San Diego and throughout Southern California — San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Imperial, Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties.
What's included
- ✓Sampling and analysis plan tailored to identified RECs
- ✓Soil borings and subsurface soil sampling
- ✓Groundwater monitoring well installation and sampling
- ✓Soil-vapor sampling for vapor intrusion evaluation
- ✓Geophysical surveys to locate USTs and buried utilities
- ✓Certified laboratory analysis compared to regulatory screening levels
Who needs it
- Buyers and lenders with RECs identified in a Phase I
- Owners of former fuel stations, dry cleaners and auto shops
- Developers of sites with suspected fill or agricultural residues
- Parties negotiating price or indemnity based on findings
Typical timeline
Typically 3–6 weeks depending on scope, drilling permits and laboratory turnaround.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Phase II cost?
Cost depends on the number of borings, media sampled and lab analyses. We provide a fixed-scope proposal after reviewing the Phase I.
What happens if contamination is found?
Results are compared to regulatory screening levels. If levels are exceeded, further delineation or a Phase III remediation plan may be recommended and regulators may need to be notified.
Is a Phase I required before Phase II?
Not always, but a current Phase I usually provides the basis for a focused scope and helps avoid sampling that does not address the property's actual concerns.
How is the sampling scope determined?
The scope is based on identified concerns, historical operations, likely contaminants, subsurface conditions, property access and the decisions the results must support.
Will drilling damage the property?
Sampling points are kept as limited as practical. Work areas are coordinated in advance, utilities are cleared, and boreholes are completed and restored using appropriate methods.
How are samples analyzed?
Samples are documented under chain of custody and sent to a certified environmental laboratory using methods selected for the suspected contaminants.
Does any detection require cleanup?
No. Results must be evaluated by concentration, location, exposure pathway, property use and applicable regulatory criteria.
Can the work be completed during escrow?
Often yes, provided the owner grants access and the schedule allows for utility clearance, fieldwork, laboratory turnaround and reporting.
A focused investigation built around the Phase I findings
A Phase II scope should answer specific questions raised by the Phase I. A former dry cleaner may call for soil-vapor and chlorinated-solvent analysis, while a former service station may require soil and groundwater sampling for petroleum compounds. Former agricultural land may be evaluated for persistent pesticides, herbicides and metals.
Before fieldwork, the investigation considers property access, subsurface utilities, geology, groundwater depth and the location of potential source areas. This focused approach avoids unnecessary sampling while collecting enough defensible data to evaluate each recognized environmental condition.
- ✓Conceptual site model
- ✓Utility clearance and sampling plan
- ✓Target analytes and laboratory methods
- ✓Quality-control samples and documentation
Soil, groundwater and soil-vapor testing
Field methods depend on the suspected release and how contaminants could move. Direct-push borings can collect soil and groundwater samples, monitoring wells can evaluate groundwater conditions over time, and soil-vapor probes can assess volatile compounds beneath a building or development footprint.
Samples are handled under chain-of-custody procedures and analyzed by a certified laboratory. Results are reviewed against appropriate regulatory screening levels, land use and exposure assumptions—not simply labeled pass or fail based on one generic number.
Using the results in a property decision
The report explains the work performed, analytical results, limitations and professional conclusions. It can help a transaction team estimate environmental risk, negotiate further access, adjust price or terms, evaluate insurance, or decide whether additional delineation is warranted.
A detection does not automatically mean extensive cleanup is required. The concentration, location, affected media, potential receptors and regulatory setting all matter. ESA Inspections presents the findings in practical terms and identifies the next decision point.
Service areas
Environmental services
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