Phase II Environmental Site Assessments

Catalog description

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to good commercial and customary practices in the United States of America for conducting Phase II environmental site assessments (ESA). A Phase II ESA is an evaluation process for confirming and quantifying the presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products in environmental media (i.e., soil, rock, groundwater, surface water, air, soil gas, sediment) throughout a contaminated site. A Phase II ESA typically includes a determination through field screening and chemical testing of the geological, hydrogeological, hydrological, and engineered aspects of the site that influence the presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products (e.g., migration pathways, exposure points) and the existence of receptors and mechanisms of exposure. Students are automatically enrolled in the 40-hour OSHA HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard) certification program which applies to employees who are engaged in clean-up operations that are conducted at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.Graduate students receive extensive training on mainstream quality review and assessment methods of completed Phase I ESAs in preparation to enter the workforce in upper level management positions in the environmental engineering consulting industry.Students are automatically enrolled in the 40-hour OSHA HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard) certification program which applies to employees who are engaged in clean-up operations that are conducted at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.