Environmental Site Assessment

Tetres Consultants Inc. 2009. Environmental Site Assessment for EL-Mine Site, Lynn Lake, Manitoba. Report to Manitoba Mines Branch, Winnipeg. 

Testa, S. M. and Townsend, D. S., 1990, Environmental Site Assessments in Conjunction with Redevelopment of Oil-Field Properties within the California Regulatory Framework In Proceedings of the National Water Well Association of Groundwater Scientists and Engineers Cluster of Conferences. 

Existing site information very likely comes from the initial site assessment or phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) done for that site. A phase I ESA normally includes a site inspection, a review of the relevant data, interviews, and a written report. When a phase II ESA is performed, more existing site information is obtained. A phase II contains (limited) soil sampling, done to determine the soil contaminants, or to determine the soil quality on- and off-site. Phase II ESAs have written reports including recommendations and have the extent of contamination delineated. 

Environmental Site Assessment, Phase 1 A Basic Guide... 

Hess-Kosa, K. 2008. Environmental Site Assessment, Phase I A Basic Guide, 3rd ed. Boca Raton, FL CRC Press. Useful introduction to U.S. practice. 

Site Selection Factors that must be considered in evaluating potential solid-waste-disposal sites are summarized in Table 25-71. Final selection of a disposal site usually is based on the results of a preliminary site survey, results of engineering design and cost studies, and an environmental-impact assessment. 

Site Assessment and Construction 1344. Environmental Concerns While in Operation 1352. 

In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Commonly known as Superfund, the program under this law is focused on the remediation of abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Since 1980, Superfund has assessed nearly 44,400 sites. To date, 33,100 sites have been removed from the Superfund inventory to aid their economic redevelopment, and 11,300 sites remain active with the site assessment program or are included in the National Priorities List (NPL) for the implementation of remedial actions. By September 2000, 1509 sites were included in the NPL with ongoing or completed cleanup activities. 

In this section a comparison is presented between the PNEC of LAS for the various environmental compartments, based on the calculations in the comprehensive risk assessment study conducted by HERA (Human and Environmental Risk Assessment on ingredients of European household cleaning products) [16], and the concentrations of LAS measured at different locations covering a broad range of distinct site characteristics (hydrological settings, discharge situation, climatic conditions). 

An environmental site characterization comprises the set of investigations which form the basis for a solid knowledge of the site. This is turn constitutes the necessary foundation for the decision-making process leading to a feasible and sustainable environmental rehabilitation of the site. The results of such work must include a characterization of the site subsurface, and an assessment of the presence and dynamics of any contamination in order to define the best approach for impact containment and site remediation. 

Many other OECD activities on hazard/risk assessment are undertaken within programs such as Existing Chemicals, New Chemicals, and Pesticides and Biocides, which deal with specific types of chemicals. The work on exposure assessment methods is undertaken by the Task Force on Environmental Exposure Assessment, consisting of experts. Most of the outcome of this work is published in the Series on Testing and Assessment or in Emission Scenario Documents, which are available at the OECD Web site (OECD 2006a). 

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has evolved as a comprehensive approach to project evaluation, in which environmental factors, as well as economic and technical considerations (e.g. Cost Benefit Analysis), are given appropriate consideration in the decisionmaking process. The purpose of an EIA study is to determine the potential environmental, social and health effects of a proposed development. It attempts to define and assess the physical, biological and socio-economic effects, so that logical and rational decisions are made. The identification of possible alternative sites and/or processes may assist in the reduction of potential adverse impacts. 

Overall, the consensus of the participants 1s that any of the six coal derived liquids could be considered as an acceptable replacement for liquid petroleum fuel 1n either Plant Sweatt boiler with no equipment modifications, equipment additions or environmental variances. The application or replacement usage of these coal derived liquids 1n other utility boilers would not seem to be any more difficult but should be prefaced by an extensive, Individual site assessment of candidate units. The few modifications required at Plant Sweatt Indicate that a limited number of design criteria would be affected 1f these six synthetic liquids were to be Included 1n the fuel specifications of future utility boilers. The handling and emission characteristics of coal derived liquids may even be preferable to certain petroleum liquids 1n some utility applications. 

The costs of cleaning up hazardous waste, petroleum, and other contamination can be significant. Superfund sites commonly cost more than 30 million to remediate. The State of New York estimates that it would cost approximately 15— 20 million to excavate and dispose of wastes at a small industrial landfill, or approximately 3 million for the lower-cost alternative of capping [New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) 2007]. Although costs are highly variable, it is clear that environmental cleanup is very expensive, and that like site assessments, cleanup will not happen without significant financial support. 

In general, calculations of industrial emissions rely on default values according to the industrial sector, emission rates, wind velocity and direction, anticipated substance flows through the environment, abatement technologies and wastewater treatment processes (see [114]). Site-specific assessments and local environmental exposure assessments must also account for geographic variability caused by climate, hydrology, geology, and biotic conditions [115]. 

Koliopoulos, T.C. 2008a. Carbon dioxide emissions at Mid Auchencarroch experimental site and environmental impact assessment—Utilization of remote sensing and digital image processing software for an integrated landfill gas risk assessment. RASAYAN Journal of Chemistry, l(4) 766-73. 

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