Environmental impact assessment

 

In the past 40 years, interest in protecting the environment and preserving natural resources has been a major issue. The impact that construction of any type may have on the land, vegetation and animals has been included as a design factor for highways, buildings, changes in rivers, cutting of timber and so on. The need to include this factor has resulted in a formal process called the environmental impact assessment (EIA). The process identifies possible impact and, if possible, reducing the negative effects of human development and construction. However, the biological and environmental effects are not the only items to be considered. Development projects must also take social impact into account, negative or positive as it may be.

One of the immediate results of an environmental impact assessment is the use of methods to prevent negative impact or to enhance positive impact. Developers, construction companies and government entities must also put the proper liability insurance in place as part of the process.

Agencies of the federal government are required to conduct an environmental impact assessment and issue a formal environmental impact statement. The law passed in 1970 (National Environmental Policy Act) doesn’t specifically prevent harm to the environment or negative social impact. It does, however, require that those involved in a project assess the possible effects and state clearly that they are aware of these effects. The language of the law includes a requirement that projects move forward with all parties being “fully informed.”

Under the EU directive, an EIA must provide certain information to comply. There are seven key areas that are required:

1. Description of the project

2. Alternatives that have been considered

3. Description of the environment

4. Description of the significant effects on the environment

Mitigation

6. Non-technical summary

7. Lack of know-how/technical difficulties

Task 2. Explain the italicized words from the text and make up your sentences with them.

Task 3. Make up 10 questions to the text and retell it.

Практическое занятие 15. Экологическая реабилитация.

Task 1. Read and translate the following text.

ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION

 

Environmental remediation is the removal of pollution or contaminants from water (both ground water and surface water) and soil. These waste products are removed for the protection of human health, as well as to restore the environment. Remediation restores brownfield sites either for redevelopment or to return them to their natural state.

Remediation projects can range from large, expensive projects, on which a great deal of effort is spent to clean up contaminated sites, to smaller, less costly projects, such as cleaning up a highway accident in which oil is spilled. In some cases, a site is so contaminated that it can only be fenced off and isolated as much as possible from the rest of the environment. Remediation projects usually begin with a site assessment to determine the costs of the project, as well as the technology that would be the most appropriate for the particular site.

Environmental remediation is carried out on various environmental media, including soil, sediment, groundwater, and surface water.

Water remediation is the process of removing contaminants from water. Surface water in lakes, streams, and rivers can be directly contaminated by pollutants released directly into the water or by runoff from the ground. Groundwater, which is the underground water that saturates porous material, can become polluted by contaminants seeping through the soil and sediment above it.

Soil remediation refers to strategies that are used to purify and revitalize the soil. Soil contamination is caused by many of the same factors that cause groundwater contamination. Often, the soil and groundwater are contaminated from the same source and both must be remediated at the same time. Soil contamination can result from chemical spills, industrial activity, and the use of certain fertilizers and pesticides.

Environmental remediation may also be classified as in-situ or ex-situ. In-situ remediation methods treat the contamination on the site without removing soil, while ex-situ remediation involves excavating soil or sediment and treating it, before returning it to its original state.