Appendix 5. Geotechnical Engineering Report [As Published] · 132007.2399

 

Geo-environmental studies are commissioned to gain
information about environmental conditions on and
beneath the surface of a site. The more comprehensive
the study, the more reliable the assessment is likely to be.
But remember, any such assessment is to a greater or
lesser extent based on professional opinions about
conditions that cannot be seen or tested. Accordingly, no
matter how much data is accumulated, risks created by
unanticipated conditions will always remain. Have
realistic expectations. Work with your Geo-
environmental consultant to manage known and
unknown risks. Part of that process should already have
been accomplished, through the risk allocation
provisions you and your Geo-environmental professional
discussed and included in your contract's general terms
and conditions. This document is intended to explain
some of the concepts that may be included in your
agreement, and to pass along information and
suggestions to help you manage your risk.

Beware of Change; Keep Your Geo-
environmental Professional Advised
The design of a Geo-environmental study considers a
variety of factors that are subject to change. Changes
can undermine the applicability of a report's findings,
conclusions, and recommendations. Advise your Geo-
environmental professional about any changes you
become aware of them. Geo-environmental
professionals cannot accept responsibility or liability for
problems that occur because a report fails to consider
conditions that did not exist when the study was
designed. Ask your Geo-environmental professional
about the types of changes you should be particularly
alert to. Some of the most common include:
e modification of the proposed development or
ownership group,
«sale or other property transfer,
replacement of or additions to the financing entity,
amendment of existing regulations or introduction of
new ones, or
changes in the use or condition of adjacent property

Should you become aware of any change, do not rely on
an existing Geo-environmental report. Advise your
Geo-environmental professional immediately; follow the
professional's advice.

Recognize the Impact of Time

A Geo-environmental professional's _ findings,
recommendations, and conclusions cannot remain valid
indefinitely. The more time that passes, the more likely
it is that important latent changes may occur. Do not rely
on a Geo-environmental report if too much time has
elapsed since it was completed. Ask your environmental
professional to define “too much time." In the case of
Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), for
example, more than 180 days after submission is
generally considered "too much."

Prepare To Deal with Unanticipated
Conditions

The findings. recommendations, and conclusions of a
Phase I ESA report typically are based on a review of
historical information, interviews, a site “walkover,” and
other forms of noninvasive research. When site
subsurface conditions are not sampled in any way, the
risk of unanticipated conditions is higher than it would
otherwise be.

While borings, installation of monitoring wells, and
similar invasive test methods can help reduce the risk of
unanticipated conditions, do not overvalue the
effectiveness of testing. Testing provides information
about actual conditions only at the precise locations
where samples are taken, and only when they are taken.
Your Geo-environmental professional has applied that
specific information to develop a general opinion about
environmental conditions. Actual conditions in areas
not sampled may differ (sometimes sharply) from those
predicted in a report. For example, a site may contain
an unregistered underground storage tank that shows no
surface trace of its existence. Even conditions in areas
that were tested can change, sometimes suddenly, due to
any number of events, not the least of which include
occurrences at adjacent sites. Recognize, too, that even
some conditions in tested areas may go undiscovered,
because. the tests or analytical methods used were
designed to detect only those conditions assumed to
exist.

Manage your risks by retaining your Geo-environmental
professional to work with you as the project proceeds.
Establish a contingency fund or other means to enable
your Geo-environmental professional to respond rapidly,
jn order to limit the impact of unforeseen conditions. To
help prevent any misunderstanding, identify those
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GAP - Form No.34
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