Environmental Forensics

Understand the key elements in conducting an environmental site assessment on contaminated property.

Owner's liability for contaminated sites can be very serious. Both from the regulatory side and from the public liability side. This liability can possibly run through to a financial institute that has REO property, underwriters, secondary purchasers, legal counsel as well as the perpetrators. A cost-effective and well-organized approach by a qualified and experienced environmental expert to the regulatory compliant characterization of a contaminated site can help in effectively stopping or controlling ongoing civil, criminal, and/or regulatory liability. It can also assist in controlling the cleanup cost as much as possible, with the ultimate goal of placing the property back into a useable condition. All too often, a negligent tenant or building occupant will ignore environmental regulations resulting in illegal releases of harmful chemicals into the environment, which can create exposure concerns and owner liability. Determining the type of chemicals released, characterizing the damage done to the property and surrounding properties, determine exposure issues and risk assessment(s), properly documenting the source of the contamination, developing an effective remediation strategy can be challenging. This material will provide some key information that can help attendees understand the basics for assembling an effective team of experts to conduct the contamination identification and evaluation, conduct the site reconnaissance, develop an effective sampling plan along with an effective and regulatory compliant remediation plan.

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to define the minimum process involved in characterizing a contaminated release site and the importance of establishing a site-specific scope of work.
• You will be able to explain to an owner the importance of an investigation of a contaminated site in order to immediately control any off or onsite exposure issues, control owner liability, and establish a general plan.
• You will be able to identify the necessity of establishing a site-specific sampling plan that will be most beneficial in effectively characterizing the site contamination.
• You will be able to recognize examples of situations that would require a detailed forensic evaluation.