Keystone Environmental - FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Environmental Services Including: Engineering, Consulting, Protection, Site Assessment and Forestry. Serving Canada and United States.

1) What is a ‘contaminated’ site?

The definition of a ‘contaminated’ site may differ depending on the jurisdiction in which you live. In British Columbia, a contaminated site is defined in the Environmental Management Act as, “an area of the land in which the soil or any groundwater lying beneath it, or the water or the underlying sediment, contains a hazardous waste, or another prescribed substance in quantities or concentrations exceeding prescribed risk based or numerical criteria or standards or conditions”.

2) How do I find out if my property is a contaminated site?

The first step in determining whether a property is a contaminated site is the completion of a Stage 1, Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI 1) (sometimes referred to as a Phase One Environmental Site Assessment). In a PSI 1, Keystone Environmental compiles available historical information pertinent to your property and the immediate surrounding area, with information gathered during a site visit. Completion of the PSI 1 results in a conclusion as to the potential for your property to be contaminated.

The fee for a KEYSTONE ENVIRONMENTAL™ PSI 1 at a typical site is $ 1700.00 excluding GST. This fee may vary for larger, more complex sites. If you have any questions please call and ask to speak with one of our Stage 1 specialists. (604) 430-0671

3) If my property is ‘potentially’ contaminated, what is the next step?

If your property is deemed a ‘potentially’ contaminated site, the next step would be to determine whether the property is indeed contaminated or not. The type of investigation conducted to make this assessment is termed a Stage 2, Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI 2). During a PSI 2, Keystone Environmental prepares an appropriate sampling plan for the collection of environmental samples. The plan focuses on areas suspected to be contaminated, and the laboratory analytical results are compared against applicable regulatory criteria/standards. If results exceed the applicable criteria/standards your property is deemed a ‘contaminated site’.

Fees for KEYSTONE ENVIRONMENTAL™ PSI 2 investigations vary depending on the complexity and number of issues that require investigation. A typical simple PSI 2 investigation of soil and groundwater could range between $5,000 and $10,000. If you have any questions, require a budget or a second opinion on a budget prepared by others, our site investigation specialists would be happy to discuss them with you. Please call (604) 430-0671.

4) If my property is determined to be contaminated and I need to clean it up, what happens next?

The third step in the site investigation process is termed a Detailed Site Investigation (DSI). The goal of a DSI is to determine the nature and extent of contamination for each media of concern (i.e., soil, groundwater). Sampling locations are selected based on the results of the PSI 2 and the physical conditions at the site. This phase of sampling may require multiple sampling events as there is a lag time of approximately one week for sample results to be returned from the analytical laboratories. Once the nature and extent of contamination has been determined, your consultant should be able to provide you with a cost estimate for ‘remediation’. Depending on the situation, a risk assessment approach may be recommended in conjunction with, or instead of, remediation.

Fees for KEYSTONE ENVIRONMENTAL™ DSI investigations vary widely depending on the complexity and number of issues requiring delineation. Delineation of soil and groundwater contamination at a simple site could be as little as $5,000. Please call and ask to speak with one of our site investigation specialists if you have any questions (604) 430-0671.

5) What is remediation?

Remediation refers to the process of cleaning up contamination at a property to regulatory acceptable levels. Keystone Environmental is a leader in the provision of remediation services for a wide variety of clients and land-uses. There are a large number of remedial approaches available (e.g., natural attenuation, excavation, bioremediation, etc.) and the selection of an appropriate method can mean the difference between spending several thousand to spending tens of thousands of dollars.

Let Keystone Environmental’s remediation specialists assist you with the selection of an appropriate remediation method for your site. If you have any questions, require a budget or a second opinion, we would be happy to discuss them with you. Please call (604) 430-0671.

6) What is risk assessment?

Risk assessment is simply the process of determining whether contaminants are likely to cause harm to people or the environment. If there are contaminants, receptors, and exposure pathways, then there is the potential for risk. However, when the exposure circumstances are reviewed in detail along with the known toxicity of the contaminants, the actual risk is often determined to be within acceptable limits (i.e., less than the threshold levels set by regulatory authorities). Through the implementation of risk assessment and associated techniques, Keystone Environmental frequently saves clients thousands of dollars and in some cases have saved clients millions of dollars.

If you have any questions about risk assessment or how it might be implemented at your property, please call and ask to speak with one of our risk assessment specialists (604) 430-0671. We would be happy to discuss your issues and concerns.