Under the (repealed) Environment Protection Act 1970, environmental audits were a one-size-fits-all assessment process that sometimes involved unnecessarily detailed investigation and excessive costs. Subordinate to the new Environment Protection Act 2017, a more flexible process has been established. Hence, the introduction of the Preliminary Risk Screen Assessment (PRSA).

The benefits of the PRSA are:

• rapid, low-cost based on desktop study and site inspection, which may include sampling
• determining whether a (detailed) environmental audit is necessary;
• ability to recommend the scope for an environmental audit. 

The PRSAs look for possible land contamination and relate to a site’s existing or proposed future use. 

It should be noted that PRSAs don’t replace environmental audits. Environmental auditors conduct PRSAs to find out whether there’s a need for more detailed assessment.

Edge Group completed relevant site investigations in 2018 at several sites within urban Melbourne and Rural Victoria for DELWP and Council clients. You can learn more about this project and what was involved here.

Details on our service offerings regarding the new Act can be accessed here.