Environmental Remediation
Redeveloping industrial properties comes with unique challenges, and a thorough Brownfield Assessment is critical for success. In 2025, A3 Environmental Consultants (A3E) conducted a detailed Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) for the 24.7-acre St. Charles Brownfield Site in Kane County, Illinois. This assessment, performed in accordance with ASTM E1527-21 and the USEPA All Appropriate
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
Public utility provider(s) in Northern Illinois rely on A3 Environmental Consultants (A3E) to manage their Underground Storage Tank (UST) removal and closures. In addition, A3E provides UST Compliance Audits to keep our clients on the right side of the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM). Our clients work hard to avoid regulatory compliance issues
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Consulting, Environmental Remediation
Discovering a leaking underground storage tank (UST) on your property is like finding out your basement has a swimming pool you didn’t order—and it’s full of gasoline. Whether you’re preparing to buy, sell, or simply manage a site, a UST is rarely a welcome surprise. Regulators are strict, buyers get nervous, and cleanup costs can
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
The following is a guide for regular people regarding CCDD – which stands for Clean Construction Demolition Debris. In this primer, we’re going to take a beat to cover background information you’ll need to keep in mind while reading. I’m making the assumption that you, the reader, is not an engineer or environmental consultant but is in an industry that is touched by these regulations.
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
The Illinois MAC value table sets the Maximum Allowable Concentration (MAC) limits that decide whether soil qualifies as clean fill (CCDD). MAC refers to the maximum allowable levels of contamination in clean fill. CCDD stands for Clean Construction Demolition Debris and is a body of laws from the IEPA (Illinois EPA) that regulate clean fill
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
When most people hear the phrase Environmental Remediation, they picture white-suited consultants scrubbing away spills with oversized toothbrushes or magically restoring soil overnight. The reality is far less cinematic and far more complex. Contamination doesn’t just disappear—it lingers, shifts, and reshapes the way we use land for decades, even centuries. At A3 Environmental Consultants, we
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
What is a brownfield? It’s not a fancy eco-buzzword—it’s an abandoned piece of real estate that once held a gas station, a factory, or even a strip mall. Instead of thriving, these properties sit empty for years, fenced off and avoided, because they’re weighed down by one ugly truth: real or suspected contamination. Brownfields are
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
Introduction Hello again to the elected officials of the City of Blue Island. You may remember me from my time at the podium of your December 17th 2024 board meeting. I’m Tim Allen, in Business Development for A3 Environmental Consultants, a woman owned environmental consultancy in Lisle, Illinois. We’ve been working in Chicagoland for 24
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
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 with the 126th Air Refueling Wing, the 182nd Airlift Wing, and the 183rd Wing. In the spring of 2023, A3 Environmental Consultants
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
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 groundwater sampling and tap water testing at the hangars on the northwest side of Chicago O’Hare
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
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 the other areas of critical need for healthy communities, including education, safe housing and
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
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 the other areas of critical need for healthy communities, including education, safe housing and
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
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 the other areas of critical need for healthy communities, including education, safe housing and
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Remediation
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 the early 1960’s, People’s Gas, the subsequent owner, closed the plant. ComEd, an Exelon company, purchased a 5.5 acre parcel, one of several which the MGP site was
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
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 began operations all across the state. However, to date, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), has yet to establish a good database of these facilities. The
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
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
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 because of corrosion and overfilling. Early Action and Stage I Investigations took place from June to September
- 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. 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 (UST), one
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
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
This free CCDD resource for engineers gives Illinois civil engineers the maps, forms, and compliance help they need to move soil offsite. A Free CCDD Resource for Engineers in Illinois Every civil engineer at some time or another needs to move soil offsite. The question is always where to move it and what does it
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
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
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
The Sangamo Electric Dump/Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge (the Refuge) is located five miles west of Marion in Williamson County, Illinois. The Refuge includes about 43,500 acres of land. The area is a wildlife refuge and is also in use for recreation, agriculture, and industrial purposes. Prior to and during World War II, the U.S.
- Published in Project Profiles, 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
A Soil Management Plan tells contractors exactly how to handle and dispose of the soil they excavate on a development site — and getting it wrong is expensive. Before we dig into the details, a quick scene-setter. Architects are interested in designing beautiful buildings. Engineers are interested in making sure the architect’s beautiful buildings will
- Published in Environmental Remediation
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
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. A3E works hard to have friendly relationships with fellow
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
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 of Sawyer Auto Service Center. They had purchased it during the real estate market crash in
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Environmental Due Diligence, Project Profiles
In 2019 A3 Environmental Consultants won their first of two consecutive bids for routine groundwater sampling at the Thornton Quarry, in Thornton Illinois for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC). The MWRD is responsible for all the water runoff and storm sewer outflow for their management area. They built an enormous public
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
Oxford Bank & Trust refinanced a large strip mall in Mundelein Illinois for a closely held real estate company. During the Phase I ESA a dry cleaning facility which was still an active tenant at the strip mall was suspected to have leaked chlorinated solvents, including tetrachloroethylene or PCE. A Phase II ESA was performed
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
CBRE is a worldwide real estate services company headquartered in Dallas Texas with satellite offices in Oakbrook Illinois. CBRE is in the business of property management, sales and due diligence for property transactions. As such they employ many professionals who work hard to illuminate risks being taking by buyers and sellers of commercial real estate.
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Consulting, Environmental Remediation
This project profile documents an industrial Phase II ESA A3 Environmental Consultants performed on a former steel fabrication plant in Hammond, Indiana. New to the process? Start with what a Phase II ESA is and what a Phase 2 ESA costs. A steel fabrication business that has been in business for over 100 years contracted A3 Environmental Consultants to perform a
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
A3E CADD Services provide complete figure sets for all clients requiring UST removal and excavation sampling. When we identify tanks in the ground that have been damaged or forgotten, action needs to be taken the ensure the safety of the public for the generations to come. Part of this process is to convey to the
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
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 time of the Phase I ESA, several soil borings were advanced to determine if the former gas station adversely impacted the property.
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
Public utility provider(s) in Northern Illinois rely on A3 Environmental Consultants (A3E) to track waste streams, both hazardous and non-hazardous in their systems. A3E performs sample collection and analytical data reviews to determine the correct method for disposal of the material, which includes incineration, grouting in place, or final disposal at a Subtitle D landfill.
- Published in Project Profiles, Environmental Consulting, Environmental Remediation
This CPS Soil Management Plan project profile shows how A3E handles excavated soil for the City of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), which builds and renovates playgrounds, athletic fields, facilities, parking lots and ADA compliance every year. By way of these facility improvement projects, CPS contracts with a host of subcontractors such as construction companies and
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
This post is a continuing examination of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) program. In it, I seek to answer the question; “If IEPA is concerned about open LUST incidents, why do 38 year old open LUST incidents exist?” If you didn’t come here with any context, you should start
- Published in Environmental Remediation
I’ve been thinking about collecting what I’ve learned about the Illinois Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) incidents through the eyes of business development. I have a fresh set of eyes. I’ve never called on LUST projects before and I’m learning new things every day. Bad Juju I’ve only heard bad things about the LUST program
- Published in Environmental Remediation
In October 2017, A3E was contracted to remove a 1,000-gallon fuel oil UST from an apartment building in Evanston, IL. A release was identified and reported to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. 20-Day/45-Day Reports A3E submitted the required 20-day and 45-day Reports to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). Early action activities included the removal
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
There are currently over five thousand open incidents recorded in the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s (IEPA) Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) database. These open incidents reflect Illinois as being in the three worst states in the union for known leaking tanks. There are many reasons for this as I will explain in a moment, but
- Published in Environmental Remediation
You’ve received a letter from us telling you your facility is in the “Red Tag” database at the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM). You may be on this list for several reasons. The most common are because you have a tank that failed its tank tightness test. Other popular reasons to be in
- Published in Environmental Remediation
These CCDD project profiles show how A3 Environmental Consultants provides Clean Construction Demolition Debris (CCDD) services as a less expensive alternative for disposing of soil from construction projects. We wrote extensively about how to understand Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) regulations in this article: Understanding CCDD, A Guide for Regular People. The following paragraphs are
- Published in Environmental Remediation, Project Profiles
The Illinois LUST program may cover your cleanup if you own a commercial property that currently has, or previously had, a leaking underground storage tank (LUST). Something about your situation is changing. Maybe you’re selling it, maybe your refinancing or maybe you just got a “nastygram” from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) telling you
- Published in Environmental Remediation
You recently had a “New Release” for your Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) opened a database record on your incident. This happens when the Office of the State Fire Marshal calls in what’s known as a “release” of petroleum. Finding Your Leaking Underground Storage Tank in the IEPA
- Published in Environmental Remediation
You received a letter from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) recently and from A3 Environmental Consultants regarding an open Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) issue associated with your property. IEPA is stepping up enforcement for issues like these. We’d like show you your database record and how to read it, then pitch possible solutions
- Published in Environmental Remediation
It may come as a surprise, but you are listed on the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s (IEPA) Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) database as the responsible party for a tank that leaked. You received a letter from the IEPA or maybe from A3 Environmental Consultants and now you’d like to know what’s going on and
- Published in Environmental Remediation
You may have received a letter from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) or from A3 Environmental Consultants saying “NFR Not Recorded”. It means you never recorded the “No Further Remediation” (NFR) letter for a leaking underground storage tank that was on your property in the past. Most people’s reaction is shock mixed with a
- Published in Environmental Remediation
Commercial Real Estate developers are notoriously impatient. The following story is about a Site Remediation Program (SRP) nightmare we are currently working through. Buying a Contaminated Property in Chicago, Illinois We were contacted by a commercial real estate developer who had purchased a former plating facility in a great location to build their next development.
- Published in Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Remediation
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