Fisher & Arnold Environmental conducted a full investigation of a former battery manufacturing plant that had been unoccupied for approximately 10 years. F&A represented a prospective developer, who would propose to purchase the site and develop a reuse of the property. F&A completed a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, utilizing ASTM E-1527-00.

As a result of oversight and site visits, the following issues were identified, along with the noted recommendations. Some level of current regulatory environmental liability limitation be secured, based on the following noted conditions:

As a result of the former battery plant's business closure activities, excavation of a significant amount of the surface soils along the southern property boundary was performed to remove lead-oxide contamination. The excavation was presumed to have alleviated the contamination problem, but the potential for missed areas due the large extent of the contamination was deemed to present a potential environmental risk.

State reports noted the presence of an underground storage vault for discharged plant wastewater. Interviews and record reviews were unable to locate where the location of the vault was, or if any subsurface releases occurred due to vault failure.

The EPA recommended further site investigation of this property after a site visit in late 1994.

F&A also recommended that any remaining hazardous waste be disposed of according to local regulations if future use of the warehouse was planned.

Based upon recommendations, seven soil borings were performed in areas selected by F&A as possible areas of environmental impacts, in which five of the borings were located in the former soil removal area along the southern property boundary. Ten soil samples were collected from the seven borings. All five of the existing site ground water monitoring wells were sampled.

As a result of accurate data interpretation, no further environmental information was recommended to be collected for this property. As an additional recommendation, F&A proposed that state officials should be asked to concur with these findings to further clarify the environmental setting of the site for the client.

Pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-212-224, the Environmental Commissioner and Fisher & Arnold's client entered into a Voluntary Agreement that ultimately limited the client's liability in the property, and thus allowed a critical property to be developed and returned to local tax rolls.