Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
hydrokinetic energy facility. Construction activities would also be unlikely to acti-
vate geological hazards. Surface disturbance, heavy equipment traffic, and changes
to surface runoff patterns during construction of onshore facilities could cause soil
erosion. Impacts of soil erosion could include soil nutrient loss and reduce water
quality in nearby surface water bodies.
Visual Resources
Viewers onshore and offshore would observe an increase in vessel traffic transporting
hydrokinetic energy devices, components, and works to the site. The activity during
installation would also be noticed. Wave, tidal, and in-river facilities are generally
low-profile structures and, although visible, may not be as objectionable as larger,
more visible structures. The overall effect on visual resources is also related to exist-
ing uses (especially land-based residential uses) that would have a view of the hydro-
kinetic energy farm areas and will require site-specific assessment. Construction of
the dam at a barrage site would change the character of the water basin and could
create visual concerns for nearby residents or recreational users. Possible sources of
visual impacts during construction of onshore facilities include ground disturbance,
construction of highly visible facilities, vegetation removal, road construction, and
increased traffic. Increased truck and vessel traffic and human activity at the port
facility supporting project construction would also be visible, although it is antici-
pated this would only be a short-term impact.
Paleontological Resources
For offshore projects, trenching, dredging, and placement of hydrokinetic energy
devices and associated components could impact paleontological resources. For
onshore projects, impacts on paleontological resources could occur directly from
the construction activities and increased accessibility to fossil locations. Potential
impacts include the following:
•
Complete destruction of the resource if present in areas undergoing surface
disturbance or excavation
•
Unauthorized removal of paleontological resources or vandalism to the site
as a result of increased human access to previously inaccessible areas, if
significant paleontological resources are present
Transportation
Traffic at the port would increase as wave or tidal energy devices and components are
delivered prior to assembly transport to the project site. Vessel traffic will increase
during the construction phase. The same effect would occur with river in-stream
projects although, because they are generally much smaller installations, the impacts
on transportation would be less significant. Short-term increases in the use of local
roadways would occur during the onshore construction period. Barrage projects
would be relatively large projects and would likely require more labor for construc-
tion. This would cause an increase in traffic on local roads and potentially could
disrupt local traffic use.
