Phase II Subsurface Investigation
When the Phase I flags it, the Phase II answers it.
Phase II is the sampling layer of due diligence. Soil. Groundwater. Soil vapor. Indoor air. Brenda has scoped Phase II investigations across the Intermountain West for over twenty years and writes each report so the answers are unambiguous.
Overview
What it is.
A Phase II Subsurface Investigation is the empirical answer to a Phase I’s question. Where the Phase I identifies the possibility of contamination through records and reconnaissance, the Phase II tests for it directly by collecting and analyzing physical samples from the property.
Every Phase II SAGE runs is engineered around the specific recognized environmental conditions flagged in the Phase I (or in a separate site-specific concern memo). No off-the-shelf sampling grids. No guess-and-check.
At a glance
Engagement type, turnaround, deliverable, coverage.
- Engagement type
- Project
- Typical turnaround
- Variablecontractor-dependent
- Sampling methods
- 6
- States of coverage
- 4
Common analytes: VOCs, SVOCs, metals (RCRA-8, PP-13), TPH, PAHs, pesticides, PCBs, chlorinated solvents. Coverage: Idaho, Northern Utah, Eastern Oregon, Western Montana.
Why scope varies
Phase II is not a single test.
It is a category of investigations that change depending on what the Phase I found, what the property was historically used for, and what the regulatory program governing the site requires.
A former dry-cleaner site looks nothing like a fueling station, an agricultural chemical storage building, an old rail spur, a metal-finishing operation, or a historic mining parcel. Sampling methods, analyte lists, lab panels, and even the lab itself can differ.
SAGE designs the Phase II to actually answer the Phase I’s question. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Sampling methods
Six methods we scope based on what the data needs to answer.
The right tool depends on the conceptual site model, the regulatory program, and the contaminants in play.
Soil sampling
Hand auger, direct-push (Geoprobe-style), or hollow-stem auger drilling per depth and lithology. Discrete or composite per the data-quality objective.
Groundwater sampling
Temporary well points, monitoring wells, or direct-push grab samples depending on whether long-term monitoring is anticipated.
Soil vapor sampling
Sub-slab or near-source vapor probes when vapor intrusion is a credible pathway. Common for chlorinated-solvent and certain petroleum sites.
Surface water & sediment
Where receiving water bodies or stormwater pathways are part of the conceptual site model.
Indoor air sampling
Limited scope. Typically when sub-slab vapor exceeds screening levels and an occupied building sits over the source.
Geophysical surveys
When buried tanks, drums, or other subsurface features need to be located before sampling.
Deliverables
What you receive.
The deliverable is a Phase II report an attorney, lender, or buyer can act on. Every sample mapped. Every result tabulated against the applicable regulatory screening level. Every conclusion tied back to the data that supports it.
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Sampling Plan & QAPP
Sampling Plan and Quality Assurance Project Plan that govern the data-collection effort.
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Conceptual site model
Suspected sources, transport pathways, and receptors documented up front.
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Field documentation
Boring logs, monitoring well construction records, sampling logs, chain-of-custody documentation.
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Licensed lab results
Analytical results for the agreed analyte list from a licensed laboratory.
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Screening-level data tables
Each result compared to applicable state or federal screening levels.
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Conclusions & next steps
No-further-action when the data supports it. Phase III planning when it does not.
Who needs one
Six scenarios where a Phase II earns its place in the diligence packet.
Buyers with a flagged Phase I
Phase I identified an REC and the lender, counsel, or buyer wants the question answered before closing.
Sellers wanting clean closure
Sellers who would rather price the deal off known sampling data than off the buyer’s worst-case assumptions.
Lenders requiring Phase II
Lenders who specifically required Phase II sampling as a closing condition based on Phase I findings.
Owners of historically used properties
Owners with historic industrial, agricultural, or fueling uses who want a documented baseline before redevelopment.
Brownfield redevelopers
Developers with brownfield sites where state voluntary cleanup or DEQ engagement is anticipated.
Contamination-incident responders
Property owners who recently discovered a release or a regulatory order requiring sampling to characterize.
How scope and fee are set
The most variable engagement we run, built off three inputs.
- The recognized environmental conditions identified in the Phase I (or equivalent concern memo).
- The property’s physical characteristics. Lithology, depth to groundwater, building footprint, drilling-rig accessibility.
- The regulatory program governing the site. Voluntary cleanup, DEQ-led, EPA-led, or pre-acquisition-only.
Tell us what you know on the request form. We’ll come back with a scope memo describing exactly what we’d sample, how, and why.
Related
Before, after, and around a Phase II.
Have a Phase I REC to investigate?
Send the Phase I and the property details. We’ll scope the Phase II to the specific recognized environmental conditions, not a generic sampling grid.