Environmental Assessment (main)

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Environmental Assessment


Environmental assessment is the evaluation and reporting of environmental impacts from certain activities. The impacts considered range from potential harm to human health to reduced environmental quality. Activities for which environmental assessments are carried out are usually stipulated by law. They typically include things like major housing, road, or other construction projects; mining, oil and gas and other resource extraction projects; large manufacturing on other industrial facilities; energy generating plants; and use of genetically modified organisms. Environmental assessments are typically used to guide decision-making about whether an action takes place, whether an action complies with environmental laws, and whether fees or remedial actions are required to offset adverse impacts. Environmental assessments can include a wide range of technical perspectives including biology, chemistry, ecology, engineering, epidemiology, genetics, modeling, statistics, and toxicology. These perspectives can be applied to a number of different processes and criteria. In some jurisdictions, the formal reporting of environmental assessments is referred to as an Environmental Impact Assessment.

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Image:Cross_River_Resevoir_courtesy_of_@JoshDickPhoto.com.jpg Watershed (Environmental Assessment) Last Updated on 2014-07-03 15:11:40 The term watershed is used (especially in North America and Europe) to indicate an area of land from which all water falling as rain or snow would flow toward a single point. This includes both surface water flow, such as rivers, streams and creeks, and the underground movement of water. The boundaries and the area of such a watershed are determined by first specifying geographic point on land. A line is then drawn which connects all of the points of highest elevation immediately adjacent to that point. The watershed area would be the land area within those boundaries. The watershed of the Amazon River would include all of the tributaries that flow into it so it would actually contain several hundred smaller watersheds. The watershed is thus defined hydrologically, that is, by the specific river or stream. Watershed and drainage basin or catchment are used synonymously and all of... More »
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