Site evaluation is generally a multi-step process that requires one to several years to complete. The first step involves a Preliminary Assessment (PA). PA's generally entail the collection of data about the ownership, operation, history, waste sources, geology, hydrology, and environment of a potentially hazardous abandoned waste site. It involves the collection of data about the human and environmental targets surrounding the site. These data are collected from a variety of sources, including government agencies, academic and library sources, maps, aerial photographs, first-person interviews, and internet sources. The PA is designed to distinguish, based on limited data, between sites that pose little or no threat to human health and the environment and sites that may pose a threat and require further investigation.

Site Inspections

If the information from the PA suggests that a more detailed investigation of the site is warranted, then the site proceeds to the second step in the evaluation process. A Site Inspection typically involves the same kinds of data as for the Preliminary Assessment. In addition, the SI generates new sample data through the collection and analysis of environmental samples from the waste site and its surroundings. The intention is to identify and characterize the waste sources at the site and to determine if wastes attributable to those sources are impacting human and environmental targets surrounding the site.