CSA Z769-00 Reaffirmed in 2023 — The Phase 2 ESA Standard

The version history

Z769-00 is the first edition of the Phase 2 standard, published in March 2000. It has carried two updates since — Update No. 2 in 2002 and Update No. 3 in 2018 — and has been reaffirmed more than once, most recently in 2023. Updates amend parts of the text; reaffirmation confirms the whole remains current.

A report should cite it in full: CAN/CSA-Z769-00 (R2023).

What the standard requires

Where a Phase 1 identifies a reason to suspect contamination, the Phase 2 confirms whether it is actually present. The standard sets out a framework: develop a sampling plan, carry out the investigation, then interpret and report. That means boreholes, monitoring wells, soil and groundwater sampling, and laboratory analysis against the applicable criteria.

What it deliberately does not do

Two limits are worth knowing before comparing quotes. The standard does not prescribe detailed sampling protocols for every situation — professional judgment sets the programme for the site. And it does not govern remediation. A Phase 2 tells you what is there; cleaning it up is separate work under separate criteria.

This is why two Phase 2 proposals for the same property can differ substantially in price. The variable is usually the number of boreholes and analytical parameters, not the standard being followed.

Ontario's parallel track

As with Phase 1, an Ontario Phase 2 supporting a Record of Site Condition follows O. Reg. 153/04 rather than the CSA standard alone. If a filing may be required, establish that before the field programme is designed — the sampling requirements differ.