Environmental Diligence Home Builders Must Follow Before Building Your Home
To protect yourself from potential environmental repercussions, liabilities, and obligations, it’s crucial to conduct sample due diligence.
When home-owning-hopefuls are preparing to build their dream homes, their focus typically pertains to paint colors, countertop materials, and light fixtures, among other details. However, there is one thing that many are not aware of: environmental diligence.
Not all building land is created equal. To protect yourself from potential environmental repercussions, liabilities, and obligations, it’s crucial to conduct sample due diligence.
What Is Environmental Diligence?
When a parcel of land is purchased, one should perform an assessment of any known, potential, or contingent environmental problems, concerns, liabilities (i.e., current or future), and requirements. This is what’s known as environmental due diligence.
When a developer purchases acreage to later be divided into smaller parcels for building and resale, they may be purchased in “as is” status. This means that the responsibility of the environmental due diligence process can be conducted at a later time. When completed, the purchaser often renegotiates the sale if concerns are founded.
With guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), assessments are traditionally conducted by representatives from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) in accordance with the Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) standard to identify recognizable environmental conditions (RECs).
Potential Environmental Concerns on Building Sites
Soil Contamination
Soil contains naturally occurring minerals, water, and organic material; however, humans have either unknowingly or intentionally added, poured, or buried material that has contaminated that rich earth. Such contamination can harm humans, animals, and plants.
Examples of soil contamination include oil or petroleum (e.g., from roadways or driveways washing into adjacent grassy areas), pesticides (i.e., used to keep pests away from growing gardens or farmlands), industrial waste, and local garbage disposal.
Groundwater Contamination
If the land on which you plan to build is located in an area not serviced by your city, you may be forced to use a well for water. Notably, most of the world’s freshwater comes from underground, which is where the city likely sources its water as well. Just like soil, water can become contaminated by either natural or human activities.
Significant contamination can render your groundwater unusable for drinking, livestock, or cooking, which are vital for survival. Moreover, it becomes quite costly to purchase non-contaminated water for every household use.
Historical Use of the Property
Dangers to Your Brand New Home (and Steps to Remedy Them)
Lead
Radon
Mold and Mildew
Conclusion
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