Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment in Florida
Find out if it is actually there.
A Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment confirms whether contamination identified during a Phase 1 is actually present, through drilling, sampling, and laboratory analysis performed to ASTM E1903. Most properties never need one. When one does, we schedule the drilling ourselves, so the same firm that completed the Phase 1 can mobilize for sampling within days.
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When a Phase 2 is warranted
A Phase 1 identifies recognized environmental conditions, meaning evidence that a release may have occurred. Common triggers in Florida include former or current underground storage tanks, dry cleaning operations, automotive and industrial use, agricultural chemical application, and an adjacent property with a documented release. The Phase 1 recommendation says what should be investigated and why.
What we analyze for
Analysis is driven by site history. Petroleum hydrocarbons on former fuel sites, chlorinated solvents where dry cleaning or degreasing occurred, heavy metals on industrial parcels, pesticides and herbicides on former agricultural land. Testing for everything is expensive and rarely informative. Testing for what the history indicates is the discipline.
If contamination is confirmed
A confirmed release usually moves the property into the FDEP regulatory process, under Rule 62-770 for petroleum contamination or Rule 62-780 for non-petroleum. That means site assessment, and potentially remediation and monitoring, on a defined regulatory track. We handle that work as well, so the transition does not require finding a new firm mid-process. See FDEP site assessment.
Phase 2 ESA FAQ
How much does a Phase 2 ESA cost?
Considerably more than a Phase 1, and the range is wide because scope drives it: the number of borings, whether monitoring wells are installed, and how many analytes the laboratory runs. A focused investigation around a single former tank is a different job from a multi-acre industrial parcel. The Phase 1 recommendation is what lets us scope it properly.
How long does a Phase 2 take?
Field work is typically one to three days. Laboratory turnaround is usually one to two weeks depending on the analytes, and standard turnaround can often be expedited if a closing depends on it. The report follows once results are in and interpreted. Plan on several weeks end to end unless you tell us the deadline.
Does a Phase 2 kill a deal?
Not usually. It replaces an unknown with a number, and a quantified problem can be priced, escrowed, or allocated between the parties. Deals more often collapse from uncertainty than from findings. What a Phase 2 gives both sides is a defined liability rather than an open question.
Do you drill the borings yourselves?
Yes. Our crews drill most Phase 2 borings, and when a site needs a specialty rig for tight access, soft ground, or shallow water, it drills under our supervision. That matters on a Phase 2 because the schedule is usually tied to a closing date, and we set the field date ourselves.
