ENVIRONMENTAL DUE DILIGENCE
and inside the buildings are critically important to fully assess the potential environmental impacts from chemical or petroleum releases and to determine the presences or potential presence of a rec- ognized environmental condition (REC). GoogleEarth does not yet have interior views of buildings, may not view the site from the alley, and trees and other ground cover may hide visible evidence of USTs or surface staining which may only be visible during a site visit.
According to ASTM, a REC is defined as the presence or likely presence of any hazardous substances or petroleum products in, on, or at a property (1) due to any release to the environment; (2) under conditions indicative of a release to the environment; (3) under conditions that pose a material threat of a future release to the environment. A REC can be identified from historical records (i.e. a former gas station), existing site conditions (i.e. evidence of a spill from a large stained area), or database listing information (i.e. a leaking UST database listing).
Another on line research caution to those new to the environmental profes- sion of due diligence is that researching an address for spills, leaks, or releases may require some creativity and should not be limited to one address. At times, sites may have had several different addresses. The commonly known address today may not be the address used when the underground storage tank was installed at the site in 1949 for the for- mer gas station present between 1949- 1955. The site of a spill was sometimes described as the corner of 5th Street and 6th Avenue, and may not appear during an on line search for your current site address. Remember the history of a site should tell a story and the story should connect and make sense. If you request information from the Office of the State Fire Marshall for underground stor- age tanks at a highway maintenance facility using a specific address and the response is that no records were found, then dig deeper to find an alternative address, name, or facility identifica- tion number to research the informa- tion. A records search does not end at one resource or one search; adequate
research will require multiple sources and may require several searches to complete the site history and assessment of RECs for the site. Remember this is an all appropriate inquiry.
I am excited and astounded by the information available on line to perform our due diligence work and we have to always be considering new ways to incorporate technology and new infor- mation into our environmental profes- sional work. The use of Google Earth and Google Maps to provide a snapshot of the site is a valuable tool as well as on line federal and state database searches. Properties were surveyed by Section, Township, and Range, which can still be used to describe a property on a topographic map. Identifying a property by Section Township and Range may be part of the legal property description but the common address can bring us to a powerful Google Earth image. The future is in using GPS coordinates and technology with handheld instruments and powerful images. I continue to learn and investigate with caution and experi- ence to produce relevant information for the real estate community.
Alex Waheed
Rapidly advancing technology is con- tinuously changing the way our society operates, and today one of these tech- nologies is Google Earth. An everyday convenience to many for its driving directions and street view features, it is also an invaluable tool for students, par- ticularly in the field of geology. Google Earth links the classroom with the out- side world in ways that other learning tools and methods cannot.
Generally speaking, the best way to become a better geologist is to study, observe, and practice it in the real world, in the field. Geologic concepts in the real world are rarely as straightforward as the textbook or class lectures might present them. Field trips are a com- mon and effective method for exposing students to geology because they offer real-world experience, and because they allow instructors to teach students about things that cannot physically be brought into a classroom, such as glacial till, or a submarine fan. However, due to geo- graphic, financial, and time restrictions, it is not always possible for a class to visit
most types of geologic features. In such cases Google Earth fills an important gap in the educational process, bringing students closer to features than would be ordinarily possible. For example, during a class on sedimentology last semester, our instructor used Google Earth to show the class excellent examples of braided streams, tide-dominated deltas, and other concepts located far from eastern Washington where I am a student. Google Earth allowed the class to see a multitude of geologic features effi- ciently and with unparalleled ease. Even months later, when I hear or read the term barchan dunes, my first thought is of a Google Earth image our instructor showed us. Aside from helping to con- ceptualize large features, Google Earth is also useful to a student working on a specific problem.
Google Earth can be instrumental to students in lab or exercise situations. In a hydrology lab, I was tasked with mapping the groundwater contaminant plume of PERC from a former dry cleaner location. I then overlaid the
map on Google Earth to see the area and buildings affected by the contami- nant plume, giving me a better grasp on the impact of this type of pollu- tion. Google Earth is also useful for geologic mapping. The cross section feature allows one to create an accurate elevation profile of a site to help make a geologic map and accompanying cross section. Additionally, Google Earth can be overlain with geologic units to allow a student to “see” the geology below the surface and how that may or may not relate to formations on the surface. Google Earth may also help a student in determining stream sinuosity by lay- ing waypoints on a map. Instrumental for students to learn concepts or “visit” geologic features and helpful in solving problems, Google Earth is easily adapt- able, broadly applicable, user friendly, free, and packed with useful informa- tion (both quantitative and qualitative) about the Earth. It is a powerful tool, and students who get to use it are exception- ally fortunate.
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