Environmental assessment for wastewater reclamation and reuse projects

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 473-486
Author(s):  
Nick Kontos ◽  
Takashi Asano
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
The United States ◽  
Wastewater Reclamation ◽  
National Environmental Policy Act ◽  
Wastewater Reclamation And Reuse ◽  
National Environmental ◽  
Specific Project

The purpose of an environmental review and assessment is to incorporate environmental considerations into the planning process. Prior to the selection of a specific project alternative, a thorough and unbiased analysis of the environmental impacts of every reasonable project alternative should be made. It is intended that environmental concerns be considered on an equal basis with engineering feasibility, economics, and social considerations in wastewater reclamation and reuse. This paper discusses the “procedural” and “substantive” provisions of environmental law in the United States; National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and more specifically the law in California; California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The procedural aspects require the preparation of an environmental document such as an environmental impact statement (EIS) or an environmental impact report (EIR) and the substantive provisions require mitigation of harmful environmental impacts. Suggested outlines of the content of an EIS and an EIR are provided. Specific impacts associated with wastewater reclamation projects such as groundwater impacts and growth inducing impacts are discussed. This paper is intended to be a useful tool for the planning of any wastewater reclamation and reuse project. Two examples are given for this purpose.

A SNAPSHOT OF GERMANY'S EIA APPROACH IN LIGHT OF THE UNITED STATES ARCHETYPE

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (04) ◽  
pp. 1250022 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHANN KÖPPEL ◽  
GESA GEIßLER ◽  
JENNIFER HELFRICH ◽  
JESSICA REISERT
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Role Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Status ◽  
National Environmental Policy Act ◽  
25Th Anniversary ◽  
20Th Anniversary ◽  
National Environmental

November 2010 marked the 25th anniversary of the EU Environmental Impact Assessment Directive and the 20th anniversary of its implementation in Germany via the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (EIAA) in 1990. Reflecting back to the original role model for these pieces of legisiation, the 1969 US National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) can bring some interesting differences to light. Four decades of experience from the more mature US EIA system may hold some important lessons for Germany's younger EIAA. While an outright comparison is impossible at this present time, this article aims to contribute a comparative perspective to show the current status of the original US model, NEPA, and the differences in development and practice to Germany's younger EIAA.

scholarly journals Environmental Impact Assessment: A Comparative Analysis of the Federal Response in Canada and the United States

1969 ◽  
pp. 377
Author(s):  
Sandra K. McCallum
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
The United States ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
National Environmental Policy Act ◽  
Federal Response ◽  
Legislative Measures

This article examines the planning tool known as environmental impact assess ment. This tool is decision-making model which attempts to integrate en vironmental considerations into each stage of the planning process together with the traditional concerns of economics and technology in order to identify secon dary and cumulative impacts and to weigh environmental effects. The success of an assessment process depends on the capability of the chosen institutional arrangements to achieve the desired goal. The proposed federal procedure is ex amined and several weaknesses identified. One is the absence of legislative measures to support the process. The United States National Environmental Policy Act provides model. This statute is discussed with view to ascertaining whether like legislation in Canada would produce like result. The conclusion reached is that differences between Parliamentary and Congressional systems suggest that in Canada more appropriate course would be to adopt legislative measures which strengthen and improve the existing functions of government. Such course would better serve the goal of environmental impact assessment than attempts to transplant concepts which are ill fitted and insensitive to the parliamentary system.

Educated Guesses: Health Risk Assessment in Environmental Impact Statements

1990 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-427
Author(s):  
Pamela D. Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
National Environmental Policy Act ◽  
The Public ◽  
Environmental Impact Statements ◽  
National Environmental ◽  
Scientific Tool ◽  
Predicted Risk

Environmental pollution threatens public health. The search for solutions has advanced the frontiers of science and law. Efforts to protect the environment and public health begin with describing potential adverse consequences of human activities and characterizing the predicted risk. The National Environmental Policy Act requires the preparation of environmental impact statements to describe the effects of proposed federal projects and provide information for agency decisionmakers and the public.Risks to public health are particularly difficult to quantify because of uncertainty about the relation between exposure to environmental contamination and disease. Risk assessment is the current scientific tool to present estimates of risk. The methodology has created controversy, however, when underlying assumptions and uncertainties are not clearly presented. Critics caution that the methodology is vulnerable to bias. This Note evaluates the use of risk assessment in the environmental impact statement process and offers recommendations to ensure informed decisions.

scholarly journals Beyond Public Particpation: The disjuncture between South Africa's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Law and Sustainable Development

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
T Murombo
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
The Public ◽  
Legal Provisions

One of the key strategies for achieving sustainable development is the use of the process of evaluating the potential environmental impacts of development activities. The procedure of environmental impact assessment (EIA) implements the principle of integration which lies at the core of the concept of sustainable development by providing a process through which potential social, economic and environmental impacts of activities are scrutinised and planned for. Sustainable development may not be achieved without sustained and legally mandated efforts to ensure that development planning is participatory. The processes of public participation play a crucial role in ensuring the integration of the socio-economic impacts of a project into the environmental decision-making processes. Public participation is not the only process, nor does the process always ensure the achievement of sustainable development. Nevertheless, decisions that engage the public have the propensity to lead to sustainable development. The public participation provisions in South Africa’s EIA regulations promulgated under the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 show a disjuncture between the idea of public participation and the notion of sustainable development. The provisions do not create a framework for informed participation and leave a wide discretion to environmental assessment practitioners (EAPs) regarding the form which participation should assume. In order for environmental law, specifically EIA laws, to be effective as tools to promote sustainable development the laws must, among other things, provide for effective public participation. The judiciary must also aid in the process by giving content to the legal provisions on public participation in the EIA process.

Reconciling Transportation Corridor Preservation and National Environmental Policy Act Process: Evaluation of North Carolina Phased Environmental Approach

1997 ◽  
Vol 1601 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann E. Lackey
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
National Environmental Policy Act ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
The North ◽  
Transportation Projects ◽  
Transportation Corridor ◽  
National Environmental ◽  
National Environmental Policy

In recent years, transportation agencies have become increasingly interested in using corridor preservation to protect future highway locations from development. However, the preparation of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents in the late stages of the transportation planning process makes uses of these measures difficult. In an attempt to make the corridor preservation and NEPA processes more compatible, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and FHWA have developed the phased environmental approach, an environmental review process that allows early selection of highway location and makes the use of protection techniques feasible and effective. Although the phased approach has been used in several pilot projects and is intended to become a part of the state’s standard planning process, the procedure’s compliance with the requirements of NEPA has not been evaluated. The compliance of the phased environmental approach with NEPA is examined. Several disparities are identified that place the new procedure in violation of the statute. Considering these problems, three options for modifying the phased approach to provide for compliance with NEPA are identified. These options are compared on the basis of their capacity to provide those benefits offered by the phased approach. A tiered environmental impact statement (EIS) is determined to be the best alternative to the phased environmental approach. This option provides the same benefits as the phased approach while remaining consistent with NEPA. Although several potential problems have been cited regarding the practicality of using a tiered EIS in transportation projects, these concerns may not apply in many cases.

ANALYSIS OF OIL SPILL ACCIDENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS

1975 ◽  
Vol 1975 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-45
Author(s):  
Bruce Beyaert
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Technical Information ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
National Environmental Policy Act ◽  
State Laws ◽  
Oil Transportation ◽  
Environmental Impact Statements ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
National Environmental

ABSTRACT Environmental impact statements (EISs) are often required under the National Environmental Policy Act or similar state laws for proposed activities such as petroleum exploration and production or for new oil transportation facilities such as marine terminals and pipelines. One of the critical concerns which must be properly addressed in an EIS for such activities or facilities is the risk of an accidental oil spill and the environmental impact which would result. This paper describes a comprehensive approach to analysis of oil spill accidents in such EISs. It identifies sources of relevant data and technical information while also pointing out areas where knowledge is incomplete. Techniques are recommended for determining the probability and size of a spill, the fate of the oil, and the resulting environmental impacts. The paper is intended to serve as a useful guide for those preparing or reviewing EISs for proposed large projects which involve appreciable oil spill risks.

scholarly journals The Evolution of NEPA in the Fight Against Climate Change

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Reiley
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Environmental Policy Act ◽  
Outer Continental Shelf ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
National Environmental

The National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) is the first environmental charter of the United States. 1 Signed into law on January 1, 1970, NEPA addresses the need for overarching national environmental guidance in the country. During the course of its forty year history, NEPA has been used to challenge a wide range of federal actions including the issuance of operating permits under the Clean Air Act,2 the approval of forest management plans approved under the National Forest Management Act,3 the construction of highways under the Federal-Aid Highways Act,4 and the issuance of oil leases under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.5 Given the breadth of NEPA’s applicability, it was inevitable that NEPA would become a tool to combat climate change. The use of NEPA to require federal agencies to take a “hard look” at greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions makes perfect sense because many federal actions directly or indirectly contribute to GHG emissions. Since 1990, in City of Los Angeles v. NHTSA,6 plaintiffs have used NEPA, successfully and unsuccessfully, to challenge federal actions that might have an impact on the global climate.

scholarly journals Hydraulic Fracturing Water Use Is Tied to Environmental Impact

Eos ◽  
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily Strelich
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Water Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Usage ◽  
Drilling Operations

New map identifies varying water usage in hydraulic drilling operations across the United States and what this means for potential environmental impacts.

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