Environmental Due Diligence
In October 2024, A3 Environmental Consultants completed a wetland delineation study as part of the Meadowlands Drainage Study in Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois. The site, a 17-acre parcel with a 5.7-acre man-made stormwater pond and a fallow farm field, required a detailed evaluation to assess potential wetlands and their regulatory status. The site was bordered
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
A 3rd party environmental review is an independent, expert re-examination of a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) that a commercial lender did not commission. When a borrower walks in with an ASTM E1527-21 Phase 1 ESA from a consultant the bank has never worked with, a 3rd party environmental review tells the lender whether
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or as we call them, drones, are finding their way into engineering applications, and drones in environmental consulting are part of that trend. The price to fly (use) these machines is coming down and ideas about how they can be incorporated into the work we do is rising. At A3 Environmental
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
College of DuPage is a public community college with its main campus in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The college also owns and operates satellite campuses in Addison, Carol Stream, Naperville and Westmont. With more than 20,000 students, the College of DuPage is the second largest provider of undergraduate education in Illinois, after University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Asbestos Containing Materials Survey Before starting any demolition, rehabilitation, or renovation of
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
In May of 2024, Taylor Closen, a project manager at A3 Environmental Consultants, managed and oversaw the removal of the fuel tanks and the contaminated soil from the site over the course of seven days. This project was not just a routine removal but involved meticulous planning and execution to ensure safety and compliance with
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
This leaking underground storage tank closure project at Midway Airport began with an open LUST incident that the IEPA had not closed. The Illinois Air National Guard (IL ANG) is a reserve component of the U.S. Air Force and a state militia unit under the jurisdiction of the Illinois governor. Its 3000 employees are stationed
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
This project profile documents an ongoing airport environmental assessment program, a Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment (PESA) program, A3 Environmental Consultants performs for a major international airline. A PESA is the corridor- and facility-scale equivalent of a Phase 1 ESA — if you’re new to the process, start with what a Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment is
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence
The largest airline in the world, consisting of over 100,000 employees, who is the leading United States carrier for flights across both the Atlantic and Pacific, offering direct flights to international destinations contracted A3E in 2024 to perform PFAS sampling (groundwater and tap water testing) at the hangars on the northwest side of Chicago O’Hare
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
About Our Standard Terms and Conditions These are the standard terms and conditions for A3 Environmental Consultants services, including work performed under industry standards such as ASTM E1527-21 for Phase I ESAs. The information below represents a EULA, End User License Agreement regarding A3 Environmental Consultants services. You can download this as a PDF document
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
This brownfield community involvement project profile covers the Focal Point Community Campus in Chicago. In 2012, what began as the site for a new Saint Anthony Hospital to replace its 121-year old facility and continue providing services and employment to the west and southwest sides of Chicago, evolved to a vision for greater access to
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
This brownfield grant writing project profile covers how A3E helped secure USEPA brownfield grant funding for the Focal Point Community Campus in Chicago. In 2012, what began as the site for a new Saint Anthony Hospital to replace its 121-year old facility and continue providing services and employment to the west and southwest sides of
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
This air monitoring project profile covers the four months of perimeter and personnel air monitoring A3E performed, starting September 2023, at a former manufactured gas plant in Chicago. In 1868 Chicago Gas Light and Coke Company built a Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP Plant) to produce coal gas at 1180 N. Crosby Street, Chicago, Illinois. In
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
CRE Professionals can close more deals by building a warm relationship with A3 Environmental Consultants. A good environmental consultant helps a CRE professional close deals that would otherwise have blown up at the first sign of a bad environmental report. Whether you sit on the buy side or the sell side, the five moves below
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
After the promulgation of the Clean Construction or Demolition Debris (CCDD) rulemaking on August 24, 2006 (modified on August 27, 2012) by the Illinois Pollution Control Board, CCDD facilities in Illinois began operations all across the state. However, to date, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), has yet to establish a good database of these
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
Wetland Delineation Cost: What You Will Pay in 2026 A wetland delineation cost starts at approximately $3,500 for a standard project in Illinois and can range up to $8,000 or more depending on site size, complexity, and permitting requirements. The total wetland delineation cost breaks down into four components: a wetland screen ($1,000), field survey
- Published in Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence
If you have a vacant property which you’d like to purchase and you need to make absolutely certain your project won’t be blocked because of a wetland, you will need to submit a jurisdictional determination request. Essentially this is a letter you will receive back from the US Army Corp of Engineers and / or
- Published in Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence
Upland vs wetland: is that part of the property a wetland or upland? Field work is how you find out for certain. In the universe of services termed “environmental due diligence” one of these services is determining if a property has a wetland. There are different levels of due diligence needed to answer important questions
- Published in Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence
A wetland delineation report is the “deliverable”, the thing you receive, when you purchase a wetland delineation. This work is performed during the due diligence process which happens in advance of purchasing a commercial property. Not every project is the same. Not every client needs the same level of inspection done on their property. Because of
- Published in Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence
A full wetland delineation is a known quantity. It’s an established report whose contents and format are done the same way by everyone who perform wetland delineations professionally. There are drawbacks to a full wetland delineation. They take time to schedule and complete. They are the most involved and therefore the most expensive option available.
- Published in Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence
A full wetland delineation is a known quantity. It’s an established report whose contents and format are done the same way by everyone who perform wetland delineations professionally. There are drawbacks to a full wetland delineation. They take time to schedule and complete. They are the most involved and therefore the most expensive option available.
- Published in Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence
A full wetland delineation is a known quantity. It’s an established report whose contents and format are done the same way by everyone who perform wetland delineations professionally. There are drawbacks to a full wetland delineation. They take time to schedule and complete. They are the most involved and therefore the most expensive option available.
- Published in Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence
A full wetland delineation is a known quantity. It’s an established report whose contents and format are done the same way by everyone who perform wetland delineations professionally. There are drawbacks to a full wetland delineation. They take time to schedule and complete. They are the most involved and therefore the most expensive option available.
- Published in Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence
A full wetland delineation is a known quantity. It’s an established report whose contents and format are done the same way by everyone who perform wetland delineations professionally. There are drawbacks to a full wetland delineation. They take time to schedule and complete. They are the most involved and therefore the most expensive option available.
- Published in Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence
Wetland Project Background In April 2023, A3 Environmental Consultant’s joint venture with Olson Ecological Solutions (A3E+OES) conducted a wetland project for an approximately 1.2-acre parcel planned for minor development by the landowner in Section 1, Township 40 North, Range 10 East, located in Medinah, Illinois in DuPage County. The purpose of the wetland delineation was
- Published in Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence
In April 2023, a wetland survey was conducted for a 3-acre project area in the town of Wyanet, found in lovely Bureau County, Illinois, intended for cell tower construction. The land use at the time was grazing pasture with a pond and drainage ditch, a wooded area to the east, and a naturalized area to
- Published in Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
Jurisdictional vs Non-Jurisdictional Wetlands Wetlands can be considered jurisdictional if they meet certain criteria established by the government agency that has jurisdiction over them. In the United States, the primary agency responsible for wetland regulation is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which administers the Clean Water Act. It’s important to note, the USACE
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Ecological Services
In January 2023, A3 Environmental Consultants (A3E) was commissioned to perform an asbestos containing materials (ACM) survey on a residential property slated for demolition in Aurora Illinois. The survey was critical to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations pertaining to asbestos abatement and to protect public health and safety during the demolition process.
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
Demolition is a crucial process in the construction industry that involves removing a building or structure to make way for a new project. However, it’s essential to ensure that demolition projects are executed safely and efficiently, which is where the pre-demolition hazardous building materials survey comes in. The purpose of a pre-demolition hazardous building materials
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
This UST remediation project profile covers a former gas station owned by the Lake Villa School District. The Lake Villa Illinois School District purchased a property back in 2000. The site is a former gasoline station that had three underground storage tanks (UST) removed in 2009. A release was declared during removal of the USTs
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
A3 Environmental Consultant’s client is the owner of several gas stations. One of these gas stations, located in Alsip, Illinois, experienced a LUST incident (IEMA Incident #20150675, IEPA LPC #0310035069) in 2015. Following the release, approved Stage 1 and Stage 2 investigations were undertaken from 2016 to 2019. However, shortly after submission of the Stage
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
The site is a Federal Correctional Institution (FCI Pekin). A3 Environmental Consultants performed a UST Environmental Project at a facility located at 2600 South Second Street in Pekin, Illinois (the ‘Site’). On June 14-15, 2021, Earth Services, contracted by Greenwave Consultants (Greenwave) of Springfield, IL removed one (1) 1,000- gallon used oil Underground Storage Tank
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
A Wellhead Protection Area (WPA) is a type of designation made by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to safeguard underground sources of drinking water, such as aquifers, from potential contamination. The purpose of designating a WPA is to prevent or limit the migration of pollutants from the surface into the aquifers which supply
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
A Michigan Baseline Environmental Assessment is the State of Michigan’s legal tool for buying contaminated property without inheriting liability for someone else’s pollution. In Michigan, any property known to contain contamination above the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Part 201 Residential Cleanup Criteria (RCC) is defined as a “facility.” Michigan’s Natural
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
Phase 1 site assessment in 5 steps before buying commercial property: records, site visit, RECs and the report. Typical cost $2,200 to $4,000. Get a quote.
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
An environmental lien is a legal claim against a property for damages or other environmental harm caused by the owner or previous owner of the property. Environmental liens can be placed on a property by a government agency, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or by a private party who has suffered damages as
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is ranked 201 in Fortune Magazine’s 500 largest US Businesses. Headquartered in Glenview Illinois, ITW is a manufacturer of thousands of different items from Zip Ties to Hobart Mixers. In the course of doing business, ITW was interested in purchasing the former Chase Brass & Copper building which also formerly held
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
This project profile documents a preliminary site investigation from 2022 — an IDOT PSI A3 Environmental Consultants performed at the Vandalia Maintenance Yard. A PSI is the corridor- and facility-scale equivalent of a Phase 2 ESA — if you’re new to the process, start with what a Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI) is and how it
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
A baseline environmental assessment is the Michigan legal process that lets you buy and reuse contaminated property without inheriting liability for the pollution. In the State of Michigan, the state legislature created this process to accommodate the continued use of contaminated property, called the Baseline Environmental Assessment (BEA). For the Michigan-specific eligibility and Due Care
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
A client with 65 years history providing heavy construction equipment rental from 109 facilities located across all 50 states contacted A3 Environmental Consultants seeking help with their purchase of a 24 acre industrial site. They had historic a Phase I ESA and a Phase II ESA showing contamination on the site indicative of heavy automotive
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
This CADD project profile shows A3E’s drafting and GIS work producing CCDD site figures. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third largest school district in the United States and is entrusted with educating the children of Chicago Illinois. With a total of 658 schools servicing over 400,000 students, CPS aims to provide a safe, healthy
Busey Bank is headquartered in Champaign Illinois and has lending operations across the midwest and Florida. With a history dating back to 1868, Busey Bank currently has 1400 employees serving 47 locations and is a major business lender in their three state footprint. Due Diligence Figures A3E CADD Services provides due diligence figure packages for
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
Surprise contamination is the worst kind an engineer can find on a project site, because by the time a backhoe turns it up, it has already blown the budget and wrecked the timeline. Engineers ask us all the time which type of impact is the most dangerous to discover. The honest answer is not petroleum,
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence
A Chicagoland environmental company performed a Phase I ESA as part of a refinancing program for an apartment complex in Chicago Illinois. In the process they identified two underground storage tanks (UST) which were used to serve fuel oil to the HVAC system in years past. That meant an underground oil tank removal. A3E works
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
This brownfield redevelopment project profile covers a former auto service and dry cleaner site in DeKalb. In 2017 Wendler Engineering Services contacted A3 Environmental Consultants requesting to have their Site Remediation Project (SRP) site closed out so they could sell the property. The site was located in downtown DeKalb, Illinois and was the former location
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
A3 Environmental Consultants received a phone call from a landlord and current owner of a warehouse industrial facility. He was very interested in marketing the property for sale and was hamstrung by a Phase I ESA he had purchased where the consultant had identified two Recognized Environmental Conditions (REC) he personally disagreed with. This warehouse
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
Essential Utilities is a utility company that has stakes in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana and Virginia The company provides drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure and services. Aqua America is Essential Utilities water services arm. Aqua America called A3E OES which is a joint venture between A3 Environmental Consultants and
- Published in Project Profiles, Ecological Services, Environmental Due Diligence
In November of 2021, Integrity Investment Funds (IIF), RFO Holdings, LLC, contacted A3 Environmental (A3E) to perform a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) at an abandoned plastic manufacturing plant (an industrial property) located in Rantoul, Illinois (Subject Property). IIF indicated the property was to go to auction in the Spring of 2022 and A3E
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence
This gas station UST removal project at Rand River Auto in Streamwood, Illinois was completed through the Illinois Site Remediation Program (SRP). In 2018, A3 Environmental Consultants was contracted to review a Phase I ESA which was completed twenty years earlier. The Phase I ESA identified the property as a former gas station. At the
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
Chaffee Housing Trust is a non-profit low income housing developer in Colorado. They called A3E to provide a Phase I ESA and all the details to be compliant with the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements for Environmental Justice. Known as 24 CFR Part 58 these environmental review procedures are part of the grant process
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Consulting, Environmental Due Diligence
This project profile documents a Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment (PESA) A3 Environmental Consultants performed for a sewer improvement corridor in Maywood, Illinois. A PESA is the corridor-scale equivalent of a Phase 1 ESA — if you’re new to the process, start with what a Preliminary Environmental Site Assessment is and how it leads to a
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles