Evaluating Hidden Site Conditions

Answers:

1. Building projects can be affected by hidden site conditions including wetlands, archaeological finds, toxic waste, and endangered species (including vegetation). What is discovered often depends on where the building is located. For example, brownfields may be found in any post-industrial city, particularly the Northeast. Coastal or watershed areas signal wetlands. In the Southwest, Native American relics are common, though they exist in other parts of the country as well. The best way to tell what is hidden on the site is to conduct a site analysis.

2. The individuals who are held responsible if a hidden site condition arises vary, depending on who conducted the site analysis, who paid for it, and how the condition was handled. Architects are being pulled into the debate as to who is responsible more frequently. However, they can often be relied on to provide innovative site solutions. Cross-disciplinary teams, including bankers, lawyers, environmentalists, engineers, and architects, work together to salvage sites with hidden problems.

3. An ASTM phase-one site assessment consists of an evaluation of the site's history (through a search of relevant literature) and a sampling of the soil, groundwater, and site structures. If contamination is uncovered at this point, it is less expensive than if it is discovered once construction begins. When contamination is found on a construction site, stop work immediately, notify the client, and call regulatory authorities or an environmental consultant. Exposing employees to contamination can be dangerous, so advise them to stay away from the site until the condition is remedied.

4. If you look carefully on the surface you can find evidence of what's underground. On land once used by Native Americans, look for arrowhead pieces, bits of pigment that could be pottery, and small swells that could be burial mounds. If human remains are found during construction, stop work and call the coroner, an archaeological firm, or the local university's department of anthropology.

5. Under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the property must undergo at least a phase-one archaeological analysis, which involves the digging of test pits. If something valuable is found, a phase-two dig follows. Phase three is a full-blown excavation.

6. Check with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to see if there are endangered species in the region. On private land, contact local officials for building restrictions. If you need help, contact a local environmental consultant, the regional department of environmental conservation, or the Fish and Wildlife Service.