RV park environmental due diligence: septic, fuel and flood risk
RV parks are mostly open land, but they bundle a small fuel stop, a wastewater system and a water supply into one property, often next to a river.
Why RV parks and campgrounds carry this risk
A typical park has a dump station, a septic field or small package treatment plant, sometimes its own well, and sometimes a propane or fuel sale. Each one is a small utility the new owner inherits.
Parks are drawn to rivers, lakes and coasts. That is good for occupancy and bad for flood exposure.
What usually turns up
Flood zone on waterfront sites
Often seriousSites along rivers and lakes are often partly in a 1% annual-chance flood zone, and some sit in a regulatory floodway where building is restricted.
Fuel tanks and a camp store
Worth checkingA camp store that once sold gas may have an old underground tank, registered or not.
Septic and dump station
Worth checkingFailing drain fields and dump stations can contaminate shallow groundwater and the park's own well. State permits for package plants come with reporting duties.
Fill and dumping on rural land
Usually minorRural parcels sometimes hold buried debris, old vehicles or burn pits from earlier owners.
What the pre-screen checks for a rv park
- FEMA flood zones and floodway lines for each pad area and building.
- Historical aerials to spot past fuel islands, dumping, and how the park grew.
- State tank lists for a fuel tank on or near the site.
- Water wells and wastewater permits on record near the parcel.
Pre-screen a property before you spend on a Phase I
A desk review of one address: past uses from historical photos and maps, federal and state environmental records, and flood risk, ready usually within the hour. $100 for one report, or $100/month for 3.
Questions to ask the seller
- Is the water from a public system or your own well, and when was it last tested?
- Is wastewater septic, a package plant or city sewer? Any permit violations?
- Did the store ever sell fuel, and where were the tanks?
- Which sites flooded in the last ten years?
When to order a full Phase I
Go to a full Phase I if there was ever onsite fuel, if the park runs its own treatment plant, or if a lender is involved. Add a septic inspection and a water test either way.