ENVIRONMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENT (PHASE I)

The main objective of an Environmental Site Assessment (Phase I), certifiable under Bill 72, is to verify the risk for potential or real contamination of the property under investigation. The assessment procedure is in compliance with CSA standard Z768-01 (C2006) « Environmental Site Assessment, phase I », 2001.

This approach includes a site inspection, an exhaustive evaluation of the lot’s history, an interview with resource people, and access to information requests to government and municipal authorities. This allows determining whether passed activities had an environmental impact on the site’s environment. 

ENVIRONMENTAL SITE CHARACTERIZATION (PHASE II)

An Environmental Site Characterization (Phase II), certifiable under Bill 72, is realized when a contaminant is observed on site or when the Environmental Site Assessment (Phase I) has revealed a potential risk of contamination in the soil, in the groundwater, or in the air. The characterization procedure is in compliance with CSA standard Z769-00 (C2008) « Environmental Site Assessment, phase II », 2000.

This step consists in sampling soil, groundwater and/or gas emissions in order to evaluate the potential for contamination at the place of the property under investigation, and verifying the contamination plume, if need be.

ENVIRONMENTAL SITE REMEDIATION (PHASE III)

Following the Environmental Site Characterization phase (Phase II) and having determined the contamination plume at the place of the property under investigation, it is necessary to carry out an Environmental Site Remediation (Phase III), certifiable under Bill 72, until applicable criteria for concentrations are met. The remediation procedure is in compliance with the « Politique de protection des sols et de réhabilitation des terrains contaminés » and/or the « Règlement sur la protection et la réhabilitation des terrains » of the MSDEP.

There are various approaches used in the restoration of soils, ground water and/or air emissions of a contaminated property:

• Excavation and management (LES, LET, processing center or incinerator).
• Ex situ chemical and/or biological treatment (biopile, adsorption by activated carbon).
• In situ chemical and/or biological treatment (bioremediation, chemical oxidation, air sparging, bioventing, etc.).

ENVIRONMENTAL SITE MONITORING

The Environmental Site Monitoring allows substantiating environmental data obtained from a previous Environmental Site Characterization phase (Phase II). It also allows responding to the requirements of a remediation plan or of a certificate of approval emitted by the MSDEP in the context of an Environmental Site Remediation project (Phase III).

UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK DISMANTLING

The Environmental Supervision of Underground Storage Tank (UST) Dismantling or of any other tank type and associated pipes, certifiable under Bill 72, is done when an infrastructure stocked with potentially contaminated products is dismantled. The supervision procedure is in compliance with the « Lignes directrices lors de l’enlèvement de réservoirs souterrains ayant contenu des produits pétroliers », 1994, MSDEP.

This step includes the environmental supervision, in collaboration with an approved auditor in certain cases, and the dismantling of petroleum infrastructures. It is also required to conduct an environmental characterization of soils and/or ground water and/or air emissions following dismantling operations, in order to evaluate potential contamination on the infrastructure’s edges, and to determine the contamination plume, if necessary.

BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION

Biological Characterization, also referred to as characterization of dry and wet environments, is in accordance with the description drawn-up in the document « Identification et délimitation des écosystèmes aquatiques, humides et riverains »  and in agreement with the « Politique de protection des rives, du littoral et des plaines inondables » of the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks (MSDEP).
Characterization of wet environments aims at defining the presence of an aquatic, wet and/or riparian ecosystem at the place of a property. The various wet environments are the following: lakes and streams, ponds, swamps, marshes and peats. LCL Environment also does the characterization of the biological environment: vegetation, habitats, benthos and other invertebrates, ichtyofauna, amphibians and reptiles, avifauna, mammals, uncommon, threatened or vulnerable faunistic species of the continental environment, biodiversity, migrations, distribution and communities.

RISK ASSESSMENT

The assessment of toxicological and ecotoxicological risks allows estimating the potential impact of a chemical, physical or biological agent on the populations of an ecosystem or on a human population, under specific conditions. This approach, mainly developed for the purpose of contaminated ground management, can also be integrated to environmental impact assessments or to occupational hygiene studies, always in the context of sustainable development.

OTHER SERVICES

LCL Environment also offers, through its partners, other environmental services such as:

• Certificate of Approval and Remediation Plan from the MSDEP;
• Services by an approved expert of the MSDEP for projects certifiable under Bill 72 ; and
• Mildew / Asbestos;
• Environmental Compliance Auditing; and
• Property Condition Assessment (PCA).