When Do I Need An Environmental Consultant in Melbourne?

There are several different reasons as to why you might need an environmental consultant in Melbourne. At Alpha Environmental, we specialise in environmental consultancy and can lend our professional knowledge and services to help you – whether you’ve just purchased property and need an environmental site assessment performed or need your garden soil tested. Regardless, it’s important to know when you’ll need an environmental consultant – so in today’s blog, we’re going to be highlighting several reasons why you might be needing one.

Purchasing new land – Environmental site assessments

Whenever you purchase new land and are planning to build on it – you will need the services of an environmental consultant. If you’re looking to build for commercial purposes, then it’s highly recommended that you opt for an environmental site assessment. Environmental site assessments are highly comprehensive and meticulous research and remedy assessments that are split into three phases.

Phase I is purely research-based and sees the consultant going through records, permits, maps, emergency services information, aerial photography, tax records and essentially any legal document that is associated with the land. A physical site visit is also conducted. Both of these are to determine the chances of any type of contamination in the land or the building as you do not want to start building on land that may be hazardous and cause issues in the future.

Phase II is not necessary unless the consultant has found evidence of possible contamination during the first phase. This phase deals entirely with testing to determine whether or not there is actually any form of contamination. This includes soil, groundwater, drums and geophysical testing. If any tangible evidence of contamination is found, then the third and final ESA phase will be recommended.

Phase III ESA’s deal entirely with remedying the site and removing all – or as much as possible – traces of contamination. This phase can take anywhere between one week to over a year – depending on the severity of the contamination.

Asbestos presence

Asbestos was widely used in Australia for several decades – so it’s not uncommon for there to still be asbestos found in some buildings. Environmental consultants can safely and effectively remove all traces of asbestos in homes and office buildings. Asbestos contamination can lead to serious health issues such as Mesothelioma – which is the type of cancer that asbestos causes.

Australia has the second largest number of Mesothelioma caused deaths in the world. Even though the dangers of asbestos were known from the 1920s, the proof was ignored and buried so that the substance could still be used and profited from. If you suspect that there may be asbestos in your building, then you are urged to get in touch with an environmental consultant in Melbourne as soon as possible.

Groundwater contamination

Groundwater makes up 20% of the world’s freshwater reserves and is replenished by rainfall. Groundwater runs below the surface of the earth and ends up in lakes and rivers. Unfortunately, groundwater is largely at risk of contamination from outside sources such as waste dumps, garbage and general forms of pollution.

Having your groundwater site tested regularly may seem like a waste but is actually an important process considering groundwater is essentially drinking water. Not only that, but marine life benefit from clean groundwater as well and contaminated groundwater could lead to negative health effects for both humans and marine life alike.

Plants not growing?

Contaminated soil can spell serious trouble for agriculture and will kill or negatively affect anything you try to plant. Contamination generally occurs from man-made chemicals and can range from heavy metals to pesticides. Whether you’re on a large farm or a suburban home – soil contamination could affect you.

If you’re someone who profits from your garden for a living, then you’ll absolutely want to ensure your soil isn’t contaminated. If it is, our consultants will be able to help you remedy the situation and bring your soil back to full health.

Do you require an environmental consultant in Melbourne?

Whatever your profession, you’ll probably require the services of an environmental consultant at some point. Ensuring your home or work site isn’t contaminated is an important assessment to undertake and will end up benefitting you more knowing that you won’t have any hidden environmental surprises down the track.

Alpha Environmental is a premium environmental agency that specialises in environmental site assessments, asbestos, groundwater and soil testing services. Our expert consultants are passionate and fully qualified to handle all of your environmental needs.

If you’d like to get in touch with one of our environmental consultants in Melbourne, then please give us a call on 1300 039 181. You may also contact us via the enquiry form found on our website.