Important Aspects In The Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAS)

By Della Monroe


A new development is always an exciting prospect and one which people devote large amounts of money and energy to. Whether the development is a factory or processing plant, the project is always of a substantial magnitude and so it requires extensive assessment and planning before construction can commence. Part of this preliminary activity is the environmental assessment, or Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAS), which are conducted to determine whether an area is suitable for the development and what risks exist in it.

People may not always realize how important this environmental assessment is. The attitude that the natural environment does not matter or that pollution does not make any difference to it is not acceptable these days, since present governments and society are more aware of the environment and how it operates. An environmental assessment is therefore important.

The overarching philosophy of developers should therefore be that the environment should be protected and conserved. The public and the authorities will not tolerate the approach that environmental questions can be ignored or that pollution is something that people should simply live with. In extreme cases, opposition to a development can actually lead to official sanction and termination, or at least the intervention of the authorities.

An ESAS incorporates several aspects of the environment that indicate its safety and suitability in terms of the development and human health. They are all important and they should all be given attention in deciding whether the area is suitable for the project.

The vegetation in the site area is one of these aspects. Plants are of interest to the assessors for two reasons. Firstly, they may be an alien species. Secondly, they may be vectors of environmental toxins or infections.

Another aspect to be examined is the plant matter. This examination may revolve around two factors - whether the plants are desirable, and secondly whether they are healthy.

The water in the site area is an important indicator of the chemicals present there. Water stores many different chemicals, and poisons are no exception to this. Where the water is poisoned, plants and animals are also poisoned by using it.

Then there is the soil. The soil may seem uninvolved in trouble such as toxins or diseases, but it is equally pollutable. Soil is polluted by toxins in water (such as rain) and the dead bodies of animals and decaying plants. Once soil is poisoned, it has the potential to poison anything else. Farming is not possible in such areas.

The ESAS is too important for developers to ignore or to leave aside. These aspects of the natural environment are all essential in the assessment and should all be taken into account.




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