SKA Consulting, L.P. was retained by a private developer to perform environmental due diligence of an approximately 101-acre undeveloped property located in Houston, Harris County, Texas.  The property was located in the Pierce Junction Oil Field which is an area of historical petroleum exploration and production (E&P) activities dating back to the 1920s.

As part of the environmental due diligence studies, SKA conducted a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) and a Supplemental (subsurface) Site Investigation.  The Phase I ESA included the review of previous environmental study reports, historical aerial photographs, and oil and gas records from the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC).  The Phase I ESA identified seven historical oil wells, eight reserve pits, two tank batteries, and a concrete pump jack pad on the property.  As such, Supplemental (subsurface) Site Investigations consisting of site reconnaissance, geophysical studies, and subsurface soil investigations were conducted to determine if the historical petroleum E&P activities had adversely affected soil and/or groundwater on the property.   A secondary objective was to positively locate the historical well casings on the property to aid in future site development plans (site conceptual model) for the Client.

The site investigations identified two areas of concern (AOCs) on the property with organic constituent impacts to the shallow soils above their respective Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP) Tier I Residential Protective Concentration Levels (PCLs).  Furthermore, positive identification was made on all seven of the historic well casings for future survey and development plans.

Based on the site investigations performed by SKA, the Client was provided with a comprehensive report with sufficient data to make a timely and informed decision on property acquisition.