Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
analysis could be contradictory, thus calling the whole process
into question.
r Expending all resources and time on affected environment investi-
gations and not leaving adequate time or resources for the critical
impact prediction and alternative comparison steps in the environ-
mental analysis process.
Once all necessary precautions have been exercised and the appropriate
stakeholders consulted, the designing of the affected environment data col-
lection program can commence. In most cases, the investigations address
environmental resources commonly monitored and there are standard meth-
ods and protocols that should be followed. The members of the interdisciplin-
ary environmental impact analysis team with expertise in the environmental
resource under investigation should be familiar with the standard techniques
and apply them to the design of the affected environment investigation.
A primary, affected environment data-collection challenge presented to
the team is to collect the information that is needed at the required level of
detail. The combination of issues, potential impacts, and specific environ-
mental resources involved is infinite, so there is no standard affected envi-
ronment investigation template. Every investigation is unique and must be
designed by the environmental analysis team to efficiently meet only the
specific needs of the overall environmental analysis. Summarized below are
affected environment investigations from different environmental impact
analyses that illustrate different approaches based on different issues and
site-specific conditions. A common thread to these case studies is a phased
approach, beginning broadly and then narrowing in on areas of uncertainty
or greatest potential impact. In each case, this approach was successful in
maximizing efficiency and collecting only useful information.
5.2.4 Estuarine Wastewater Discharge-Affected
Environment Investigation Case Study
The town of Scituate, Massachusetts, is a community south of Boston that
derives its identity from coastal resources. It is bordered on the east by
Massachusetts Bay beaches and the southern border of the town is the North
River, a major tidal river with numerous tributaries and adjacent broad salt
marshes (Figure 5.1). These resources support extensive recreation and com-
mercial activity including fishing, lobstering, clamming, boating, and
swimming, and these activities have increased the town's popularity and
stimulated construction of new homes and conversion of summer “camps”
to full-time residences. During the 1970s and 1980s, the popularity and con-
versions had a downside as the on-lot wastewater systems (i.e., cesspools and
septic tanks) adequate for the camps and low density development were not
capable of handling the domestic sanitary waste generated from the higher
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