CAN/CSA-Z769-00 (R2023)

Update #2 was published as notification that this is now a National Standard of Canada. Preface This is the first edition of CSA Standard Z769, Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (phase IIESA).  This voluntary Standard has been developed to assist Clients and Assessors to plan, implement, and interpret the results of Phase II ESAs. ASTM Standard E 1528, Standard Guide for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase II Environmental Site Assessment Process, was an important source for this CSA Standard. Information and concepts from the Technical Committee members, other stakeholders, and other published sources have also been incorporated in an attempt to account for the substantial regulatory differences between the US and Canada. It is worth noting that in the US, the ESA standards-setting process was intended to permit a User to satisfy one of the requirements to qualify for the "innocent landowner defence" against liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability ACT (CERCLA). In Canada, the development of guidelines and standards has been influenced by a Client's need to make informed decisions concerning potentially contaminated sites. This Standard was prepared by the Technical Committee on Environmental Auditing and Related Investigations under the jurisdiction of the Strategic Steering Committee on the Environment and has been formally approved by the Technical Committee. This Standard will be submitted to the Standards Council of Canada for approval as a National Standard of Canada. Scope 1.1 Purpose This Standard establishes the principles and practices that are applicable to a Phase II ESA. It is intended to provide a consistent framework and minimum requirements for conducting Phase II ESAs that can accommodate broader regulatory and liability requirements, as well as address pertinent site-specific requirements. This framework involves developing a sampling plan, preparing for and undertaking an investigation for sampling and measuring, and interpreting and reporting on the information gathered. This Standard is intended as a follow-up to CSA Standard Z768. 1.2 Limitations This Standard does not provide detailed, prescriptive methodologies for conducting Phase II ESAs under specific conditions (eg, sampling protocols). This Standard addresses neither the methodology for Phase I ESAs nor the selection or implementation of any remediation activities, as both of these activities are beyond the scope of a Phase II ESA. Brief discussions of Phase I ESAs and the activities that can follow a Phase II ESA are presented in Appendix A. This Standard does not attempt to provide direction for the decision-making process that follows a Phase II ESA. These business decisions are based on case-specific details that cannot be generalized for the purposes of this Standard. Decisions of this nature are best addressed on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with the appropriate environmental, legal, and business counsel.