Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 5.12 Example of a section of a summary
table for impacts and mitigation measures
Impact
Mitigation measure(s)
Level of
significance
after
mitigation
400 acres of prime
agricultural land would be
lost from the county to
accommodate the
petrochemical plant.
The only full mitigating measure for this impact
would be to abandon the project.
SU
Additional lorry and car
traffic on the adjacent hilly
section of the motorway will
increase traffic volumes by
10-20 per cent above those
predicted on the basis of
current trends.
A lorry crawler lane on the motorway, funded by
the developer, will help to spread the volume, but
effects may be partial and short-lived.
SU
The project would block the
movement of most terrestrial
species from the hilly areas to
the east of the site to the
wetlands to the west of the
site.
A wildlife corridor should be developed and
maintained along the entire length of the existing
stream which runs through the site. The width of
the corridor should be a minimum of 75 ft. The
stream bed should be cleaned of silt and
enhanced through the construction of occasional
pools. The buffer zone should be planted with
native riparian vegetation, including sycamore
and willow.
LS
Note: SU=Significant unavoidable impact; LS=Less than significant impact.
Mitigation measures are of little or no value unless they are implemented. Hence there is
a clear link between mitigation and the monitoring of outcomes, if and when a project is
approved and moves to the construction and operational stages. Indeed, the incorporation
of a clear monitoring programme can be one of the most important mitigation measures.
Monitoring, which is discussed in Chapter 7, must include the effectiveness or otherwise
of mitigation measures. The latter must therefore be devised with monitoring in mind;
they must be clear enough to allow for the checking of effectiveness. The use of
particular mitigation measures may also draw on previous experience of relative
effectiveness, from previous monitoring activity in other relevant and comparable cases.
5.5 Summary
Impact prediction and the evaluation of the significance of impacts often constitute
a”black box” in EIA studies. Intuition, often wrapped up as expert opinion, cannot
provide a firm and defensible foundation for this important stage of the process. Various
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