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Pacific Basin Environmental Screening Levels

About the Pacific Basin Environmental Screening Levels (PBESLs)

The PBESLs provide a link between site investigations and response actions. These levels help provide guidance for any entity working on a response action to clean up or address hazards posed by the presence, or perceived presence, of contaminated soil or groundwater.

The PBESLs give numbers and levels to help guide cleanups. This gives every cleanup a baseline level of concentrations to achieve. This assists with the decision making process in terms of the type of action that needs to happen to reach the cleanup goals.

These levels are outlined in numerous documents below, and are also accessible through the easy-to-use PBESL surfer. For more information about how to use PBESL please contact Guam EPA at 300-4751/52 or contact Green Parcels.


Board Resolution

The Guam EPA Board of Directors adopted the Pacific Basic Environmental Screening Levels for use in Guam on Thursday, April 17, 2014. Read the resolution here.


Guidance Documents for PBESLs

The technical reports and updates below can be used to expedite the identification of potential environmental hazards at sites. This includes sites that may have contaminated soil or groundwater. The latest GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS can be obtained by visiting the Hawaii State Department of Health Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office website: https://health.hawaii.gov/heer/ehe-guidance-tropical-pacific-edition/

PBESL Surfer

The ESL surfer is a searchable version of the technical documents above. The surfer makes it easy to figure out what cleanup levels apply and it also includes a glossary, a summary of information on the chemical selected and an overview of options. Please note that every site is managed by the site manager and he/she has the ability to determine final clean-up numbers based on site specific conditions. Guam utilizes the highly vulnerable aquifer as part of the criteria used on the Surfer. The surfer is a Microsoft Excel document.


More helpful tools to use the PBESLs

Accessibility Toolbar