Environmental Database Audits – 9 Facts You Should Know

An effective leak detection and repair (LDAR) program isn’t just a way of maintaining EPA compliance, but can save your organization a lot of money and unnecessary administrative time. One of Montrose’ most common services for our clients involves the set up and administration of their LDAR programs. A core component of these programs is a comprehensive audit of collected environmental data.

What does this mean for you and your program? I’ll attempt to shed some light on some program specifics and general knowledge that may be useful as you navigate your LDAR program requirements by sharing some questions and answers that I commonly receive from our clients and interested parties.

Database Audits: Some FAQs and Important Information

1. What are database audits and what does this entail?
   Simply put, this is a review of an LDAR program using their database. This is typically what is done during a 3rd party audit with the elimination of the field portion. This would solely focus on the data aspect of the audit.
2. What clients most typically require this support?
   From a broad perspective, this would be any manager of an LDAR program. From a responsibility/job title aspect some of our common front line customer job titles are Environmental Manager, Environmental Specialist, and LDAR Coordinator, to name just a few. But rest assured, if you have any LDAR program responsibilities, Montrose can assist you from start to finish.
3. Is there an average cost for this sort of project? What can I expect to spend?
   While the cost of each project is subjective and dependent on exact service offerings, I can say that at a high level the billing rate would be approximately $190/hour with Data Analyst hours of roughly $140/ hour. Based on my years of experience, an appropriate deep dive into a database typically takes 2-3 days depending on the size of the database and program.
4. Is our work affected by or prescribed by any State or Federal regulations?
   Most definitely. Local, State, and Federal regulations are the primary driving forces behind compliance, and our familiarity with these regulations and rules give you the peace of mind and advantage of knowing that when you’re working with Montrose, we’re familiar with any and all regulations and guidelines that you need to be concerned with.
5. Are you the only third party service provider offering this capability?
   Simple answer – No. There are some consulting firms who offer select components of this service, but from a comprehensive level, there aren’t many who have the expertise and capability to execute such an offering, and at a high level of accuracy and availability.
6. What is the main benefit our clients gain from using Montrose for their audits and compliance reviews?
   We’re proud to offer compliance clarity. We can look into how a program is performing, and we can identify any gaps before an inspector or agency finds them.
7. How long do database audits typically take?
   While there is no set timeframe, we’ve found that an audit typically takes 2-3 days depending on the size of the database.
8. Why do our clients choose us over the competition for their database audits?
   Montrose has decades of knowledge of LDAR and the industry at all levels. We work with these types of databases on a daily basis – we understand how they work and how to properly (and correctly) audit them.
9. Where do most of our database audit clients typically reside?
   Across the United States and where you’d expect to find them – sites where LDAR programs are administered and managed (refineries, processing facilities, etc).

For more information
Your LDAR program is unique, and our depth and breadth of experience allows us to provide answers suitable to your individual needs. For additional information on our LDAR services and our database audits in particular, please visit our LDAR homepage or contact us directly.