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Straightforward requirement…

This prerequisite is very easy for most projects to achieve. It simply requires that you evaluate your site for potential contamination by performing a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA).

The Phase I ESA involves a site visit by a trained professional, who will conduct interviews and examine historical uses of the property. While this kind of assessment is not standard practice everywhere, it’s becoming more common—some commercial real estate lenders may even require it.

…But things can get complicated

Things can get significantly more complicated if the Phase I ESA finds reason to believe that the site may have been contaminated by previous uses—an especially likely scenario for projects located on or near the sites of old gas stations, laundromats and drycleaners, or industrial areas. Then your project will need to have a more intensive Phase II ESA.

An ESA can reveal contamination to be addressed during deconstruction or major renovations. The Casey Middle School in Boulder had asbestos requiring remediation.

Photo – YRG Sustainability
Unlike the Phase I ESA, the Phase II ESA involves extensive testing for several contaminants. If contaminants are found, you must remediate the site to local, state, or federal standards for unrestricted residential use—whichever standards are most stringent.

Remediation can become costly, but there are often brownfield remediation incentives available through government agencies to help defray the cost. Successful remediation efforts will also earn an additional LEED credit for SSc3: Brownfield Redevelopment.

Landfills are a deal-breaker

If at your project site is found to be contaminated by a landfill, you are ineligible to pursue the LEED for Schools certification. This is true even if you remediate the contamination—finding a new site is the only way around it.

Preliminary ESA checklist

A previous landfill site, or a site contaminated by a landfill, is not eligible for this prerequisite, and thus for LEED for Schools certification—no way, no how.

Photo – YRG Sustainability

The following checklist has been developed as a tool to guide decision-making and preliminary assessment of a site in the early phases of project development. The following is not a substitute for a Phase I ESA, but will guide your decision making process when purchasing land for a LEED for Schools project.  

  • Has the site been previously developed? If so, what are the known previous uses for the site? If the site is not previously developed, industrial contamination is unlikely. 
  • Was the site used as a landfill or dump, or is the site in close proximity to a landfill or dump? If so, the past use of the project site could eliminate the potential for LEED certification. You will need to determine if the site has contamination from the nearby landfill.
  • Do any past uses include industrial or manufacturing processes, dry cleaning or auto repair? If so, there is a higher probability of site contamination.
  • Are there any visual indications of the site’s past use like standing water, existing structures, or other site disturbances? These may be indications of contamination. Existing buildings may contain asbestos. Other site disturbances could be indicators of below ground tanks or cisterns, or dumping.
  • Additional steps that can be taken to assess a sites previous uses prior to a Phase I ESA include informal interviews of businesses or neighbors in close proximity to the site, and review of city records of previous site use, or existing site assessments.
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