ASBOG ASBOG - Association of State Boards of Geology Environmental Site Assessment and Remediation Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) per ASTM E1527-21 is best described as:
- A subsurface investigation involving soil and groundwater sampling
- A non-intrusive records review and site inspection to identify Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs) (Correct answer)
- A full quantitative risk assessment for human health
- A remediation feasibility study
Correct answer: A non-intrusive records review and site inspection to identify Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs)
A Phase I ESA involves reviewing historical records, aerial photographs, regulatory databases, and conducting a site walk to identify RECs without any intrusive sampling.
Question 2: What does 'REC' stand for in ASTM Phase I Environmental Site Assessment terminology?
- Regulatory Environmental Condition
- Required Environmental Compliance
- Remediated Environmental Contamination
- Recognized Environmental Condition (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Recognized Environmental Condition
A Recognized Environmental Condition (REC) is the presence or likely presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products due to any release to the environment on a property.
Question 3: Under CERCLA (Superfund), which parties can be held liable for hazardous substance cleanup costs?
- Only the party who originally deposited the waste
- Only the current property owner
- All Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs), including past owners, operators, generators, and transporters (Correct answer)
- Only the US EPA and state environmental agencies
Correct answer: All Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs), including past owners, operators, generators, and transporters
CERCLA imposes strict, joint and several liability on all PRPs, meaning any single PRP can be held responsible for the entire cleanup cost regardless of their proportional contribution.
Question 4: The primary purpose of a soil vapor survey in environmental site characterization is to:
- Measure in-situ soil permeability
- Detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) migrating from contaminated subsurface zones (Correct answer)
- Determine soil bearing capacity for foundation design
- Measure soil pH profiles at depth
Correct answer: Detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) migrating from contaminated subsurface zones
Soil vapor surveys detect VOCs volatilizing from contaminated soil or groundwater, enabling delineation of contamination zones without extensive and costly soil coring.
Question 5: The 'pump-and-treat' groundwater remediation method involves:
- Injecting clean water to flush contaminants toward extraction wells
- Extracting contaminated groundwater, treating it at the surface, and discharging or reinjecting the treated water (Correct answer)
- Pumping grout or slurry to create subsurface barriers
- Pumping nutrients to stimulate in-situ biodegradation
Correct answer: Extracting contaminated groundwater, treating it at the surface, and discharging or reinjecting the treated water
Pump-and-treat systems use extraction wells to pull contaminated groundwater to the surface where it is treated by technologies such as air stripping or activated carbon before discharge or reinjection.
Question 6: A DNAPL differs from an LNAPL primarily because it:
- Dissolves readily in groundwater
- Is denser than water and sinks through the aquifer to accumulate on low-permeability layers (Correct answer)
- Floats on the water table surface
- Evaporates rapidly from shallow soils
Correct answer: Is denser than water and sinks through the aquifer to accumulate on low-permeability layers
Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLs) such as TCE and PCE have specific gravities greater than water, causing them to migrate downward through aquifers until they encounter a confining layer.
ASBOG ASBOG - Association of State Boards of Geology Environmental Site Assessment and Remediation Questions and Answers 1
A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) per ASTM E1527-21 is best described as: