210 Ecology and Applied Environmental Science
The basic objective of an EIS is not so much the description and analysis
of the existing environment as the prediction of its course in the future under
the influence of the work or the activity. The difficulty of prediction is due
to many factors including insufficient data, complexity of the environment
etc. A complete assessment also requires examination of the environmental
impacts of all the alternative solutions for the project because it is possible
that some works may be less harmful to the environment even if they are
found wanting financially or technically.
City issues (Chapter 6) that need EIS are the siting of wastewater treatment plants and waste disposal sites and the siting of large facilities as, for
example, hospitals, roads or other infrastructure construction etc. Many of
those works cause strong reactions from the affected inhabitants and the
relevant EISs have to face difficult problems that sometimes turn out to be
unsolvable. The only radical solution for such difficulties is their prediction
as early as possible through proper initial design, which is usually a siting
or town planning study. Any city expansion study or other town-planning
regulation, such as the increment of building height, built-surface ratio
or site coverage ratio, should not be conducted without an environmental
impact study that in this case will have to be strategic in nature.
11.9.1 a hydraulic work impact Example
An engineer is often called to carry out works of water resources management, some of which have direct, significant and usually non-reversible
environmental impacts. Hydroelectric, irrigation, drainage, torrent regulation and river diversion works are characteristic examples.
Water is a vital element for the whole biosphere and especially for terrestrial ecosystems, for which it is usually a major limiting factor. Its ceaseless
flow causes significant actions both biological and mechanical or physicochemical. Storing winter water discharges and flood waters is often necessary because of the shortage of water in many areas. Paucity of water
resources would be less serious if the observed water squandering, mainly
in intensive agriculture and to a smaller degree in industry and at home,
was avoided. Any intervention attempt in the water flow can have complicated and unexpected consequences, direct or indirect, local or generalized, short or long term. Interventions could cause significant ecological or
economic damages, to the point that their advisability or viability may be
questionable. Thus it is necessary for a well-documented EIS to be carried
out in advance, which will explore all the predictable consequences of the
water management project and assess the economic and environmental
risks. An example of the issues that a study like this should examine is
mentioned below.
The basic objective of an EIS is not so much the description and analysis
of the existing environment as the prediction of its course in the future under
the influence of the work or the activity. The difficulty of prediction is due
to many factors including insufficient data, complexity of the environment
etc. A complete assessment also requires examination of the environmental
impacts of all the alternative solutions for the project because it is possible
that some works may be less harmful to the environment even if they are
found wanting financially or technically.
City issues (Chapter 6) that need EIS are the siting of wastewater treatment plants and waste disposal sites and the siting of large facilities as, for
example, hospitals, roads or other infrastructure construction etc. Many of
those works cause strong reactions from the affected inhabitants and the
relevant EISs have to face difficult problems that sometimes turn out to be
unsolvable. The only radical solution for such difficulties is their prediction
as early as possible through proper initial design, which is usually a siting
or town planning study. Any city expansion study or other town-planning
regulation, such as the increment of building height, built-surface ratio
or site coverage ratio, should not be conducted without an environmental
impact study that in this case will have to be strategic in nature.
11.9.1 a hydraulic work impact Example
An engineer is often called to carry out works of water resources management, some of which have direct, significant and usually non-reversible
environmental impacts. Hydroelectric, irrigation, drainage, torrent regulation and river diversion works are characteristic examples.
Water is a vital element for the whole biosphere and especially for terrestrial ecosystems, for which it is usually a major limiting factor. Its ceaseless
flow causes significant actions both biological and mechanical or physicochemical. Storing winter water discharges and flood waters is often necessary because of the shortage of water in many areas. Paucity of water
resources would be less serious if the observed water squandering, mainly
in intensive agriculture and to a smaller degree in industry and at home,
was avoided. Any intervention attempt in the water flow can have complicated and unexpected consequences, direct or indirect, local or generalized, short or long term. Interventions could cause significant ecological or
economic damages, to the point that their advisability or viability may be
questionable. Thus it is necessary for a well-documented EIS to be carried
out in advance, which will explore all the predictable consequences of the
water management project and assess the economic and environmental
risks. An example of the issues that a study like this should examine is
mentioned below.