Targus was retained to perform an environmental site assessment (Phase I ESA and additional non-ASTM services) of a mixed-use office and warehouse building encompassing approximately 10 acres on a wharf partially overlying Boston Harbor. The property was located in the renowned Boston Seaport District. The former industrial building was built in the 1920s and substantially renovated for office occupancy in the 2000s.
Much of downtown Boston and the surrounding coastal area were constructed on tidal flats that were filled with uncontrolled debris, during or prior to the 1700s. Land at the particular location of the subject property was reportedly filled in the 1880s/1890s. Typical original urban fill in the area has been found to consist of 15-20 feet of dredge debris, soil, brick, wood, ash (both building burn debris and coal ash), cement, and other construction materials. The ubiquitous nature of the historic fill in the immediate vicinity of the subject property is recognized by regulatory agencies and is excluded from the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP) regulations for active regulatory action.
At the time of Targus’ assessment, the subject property was identified on the regulatory database due to a 20-gallon diesel fuel leak and a later 100-gallon release of the same material onto the adjoining roadway. Both releases had been reduced to natural background levels by the time of the issuance of Targus’ report and were considered to be historical recognized environmental conditions based on incident type, mitigation of the releases, and a Permanent Solutions Statement recorded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).
