Between ‘best’ and ‘good enough’: How consultants guide quality in environmental assessment

Quality enhancement in environmental assessment tends to be connected to control mechanisms and best-practice guidelines. This paper takes an alternative approach examining quality performance through the lenses of consultants' perceptions of appropriate action, primarily in relation to the scoping phase. The study builds on interviews with Swedish consultants. The interviews are analysed by using a recently published theoretical framework focusing on practitioners' spaces for action. The analysis reveals that quality is highly open for interpretation and that consultants have a strong position for guiding quality performance, partly due to the key knowledge they hold. Their action is strongly guided by how the consultants perceive their responsibility; requiring a balance between maintaining good relationships with their clients through ‘good enough’ performance and maintaining a good professional reputation by undertaking what they themselves perceive as a ‘best’ practice. These findings indicate a need to reconsider the research in this field, promoting a shift of focus away from the dominance of quality enhancement measures and engage with issues of consultants' and other practitioners' perceptions of their responsibility in respect of quality performance.     

The effect of visitors’ pressure on the spatial variability of sandy soil in an urban parks in Tel Aviv

The effect of visitors' pressure on the spatial variability of soil properties was investigated in three open green areas in Tel Aviv. Six types of micro-environments were chosen: under oak and pine tree canopy with low (OL and PL) and high (OH and PH) visitors' pressure; herbaceous area without visitors' pressure (HE); and resting area under high visitors' pressure (RA). For each micro-environment soil samples were collected from the upper 0-5 cm depth for organic matter content and moisture determination. Before sampling, soil surface compaction and litter biomass were measured. Soil properties were affected by visitors' pressure and by the type of micro-environment. Soil organic matter content and soil moisture proved significantly higher under oak trees at low visitors' pressure. Average litter biomass significantly decreased with increasing visitors' pressure in the tree micro-environments. Average penetration depth decreased significantly with increased visitors' pressure in all micro-environments. In all the cases where averages significantly decreased, variance significantly decreased too, but the coefficient of variations increased. This means that variances changed slower than averages. Changes in averages were accompanied by a change of data population structure, which indicated more soil spatial homogeneity under high visitors' pressure. The data from different intervals of data population of soil properties demonstrated the different sensitivity to visitors' pressure.     

A multivariate examination of ‘artificial mussels’ in conjunction with spot water tests in freshwater ecosystems

Metal pollution in aquatic systems is considered a serious environmental issue globally due to their ability to accumulate in aquatic environments. Wetlands are vulnerable to this pollution as they are known to trap toxins, removing them from the water. Artificial mussel technology, originally developed for marine environments, was applied to this freshwater system and spot water samples were collected. The Nyl River floodplain (Ramsar classified) is one of the largest and most ecologically significant wetlands in South Africa. The aims of this study were to determine metal contamination along the Nyl River system by means of artificial mussels (AM) and water ICP-MS analysis and to determine whether the use of AMs in conjunction with spot water testing could give more insight into the pollution in freshwater wetlands. The concentrations of Al, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined at seven sites. It was determined that the levels accumulated by the AMs differed in spatial and temporal trends when compared to spot water samples. It was determined that there were high levels of some metals found in the spot water tests that were not corroborated by the AMs results, which could indicate isolated pollution events. The use of AMs in conjunction with spot water testing was determined to be beneficial in gaining deeper insight into water metal conditions in dynamic freshwater systems.     

A game theory perspective on environmental assessment: What games are played and what does this tell us about decision making rationality and legitimacy?

Game theory provides a useful theoretical framework to examine the decision process operating in the context of environmental assessment, and to examine the rationality and legitimacy of decision-making subject to Environmental Assessment (EA). The research uses a case study of the Environmental Impact Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal processes undertaken in England. To these are applied an analytical framework, based on the concept of decision windows to identify the decisions to be assessed. The conditions for legitimacy are defined, based on game theory, in relation to the timing of decision information, the behaviour type (competitive, reciprocal, equity) exhibited by the decision maker, and the level of public engagement; as, together, these control the type of rationality which can be brought to bear on the decision. Instrumental rationality is based on self-interest of individuals, whereas deliberative rationality seeks broader consensus and is more likely to underpin legitimate decisions. The results indicate that the Sustainability Appraisal process, conducted at plan level, is better than EIA, conducted at project level, but still fails to provide conditions that facilitate legitimacy. Game theory also suggests that Sustainability Appraisal is likely to deliver ‘least worst’ outcomes rather than best outcomes when the goals of the assessment process are considered; this may explain the propensity of such ‘least worst’ decisions in practise. On the basis of what can be learned from applying this game theory perspective, it is suggested that environmental assessment processes need to be redesigned and better integrated into decision making in order to guarantee the legitimacy of the decisions made.     

Effect of on-site sanitation on groundwater contamination in basaltic environment ’A case study from India

On-site sanitation is increasingly adopted in urban cities in India. The adoption of On-site sanitation system puts the groundwater resources in the vicinity of the system at a greater risk. Microbial contaminants as well as chemical contaminants like Chloride and Nitrate are generated from human waste. These contaminants travel through the medium and ultimately get in contact with the groundwater. Hence, the groundwater sources are vulnerable to nitrate contamination near the On-site sanitation systems. The present study indicates significant Nitrate and Chloride contamination in samples collected close to On-site sanitation systems. The recommended limit set by the Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) limit of 45 mg/l for Nitrate concentration is also exceeded in few samples. The study indicates that Bacterial as well as Nitrate contamination is more in Monsoon as compared to Summer.     

Impact of environmental policy on eco-efficiency in country districts in Poland: How does the decreasing return to scale change perspectives?

In macroeconomic analyses usually a simple proportional trade-off between economic growth and environmental pressure is assumed, i.e. constant return to scale (CRS). In this study authors show how changing CRS assumption affects environmental policy effectiveness based on Polish example. The problem revealed in the conducted analysis is actual in many countries, where the local perspective may efface global threats. The empirical objective of this paper is to assess cost-effectiveness of environmental policies at the county level under various return to scale (RTS) scenarios. First, environmental pressure was measured in four dimensions: air, soil, water pollution and bio-uniformity; second, the double-bootstrapped truncated regression model under different RTS were estimated, verifying the cost-effectiveness of county and transnational policies. The results send a message that the adoption of CRS assumption recommended in a such case by literature and usually followed by local authorities may lead to misleading assessment of the eco-efficiency level. It was found that local policy loses its impact on the eco-efficiency under VRS and 40% of local authorities in Poland can no longer benefit from economies of scale. The article offers original methodology, first, for measuring eco-efficiency in macroeconomic approach, second, a frontier-based cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), adopting the double-bootstrapped modelling procedure.     

Numerical Modeling of the Impact of a Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant on the Reservoirs’ Thermal Stratification Structure: a Case Study in NW Spain

Pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants are generally perceived as an environmentally respectful technology. Nevertheless, the pumping of water from a lower reservoir to an upper impoundment, and the return of that water during power generation, can strongly affect the water quality of the reservoirs. In particular, plant operation can alter their thermal structure, deep water mixing, and water circulation characteristics. The objective of this study is to quantify, through the use of 3D hydrodynamic modeling, the potential impacts of a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant on the thermal stability and mixing of two reservoirs in Galicia, northwest of Spain. To this end, three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations were conducted using the model Delft3D. Two different coupled models, one for each reservoir, were constructed and subsequently tested for several stratification scenarios, according to measured temperature profiles during the spring and summer season. Several reservoir minimum and maximum operation water levels were also considered. Model simulations demonstrated a high level of mixing in the vicinity of the intake-outlet structures, in particular during startup of the power plant, regardless of the water level in the reservoir. Beyond this area, the results showed a limited overall effect on stratification and mixing in the upper reservoir, owing to the relation between the inflow temperatures and the initial temperature profile of this reservoir. A more significant alteration of the thermal structure is expected in the lower reservoir due to its narrow shape and shallow depth at the structure location, as well as the temperature differences between receiving waters and inflow.     

CLFUG: A GIS‐scaleable model of pesticide fate in the soil–groundwater system based on clearance and fugacity paradigms

A model of pesticide transport through the soil profile based on clearance and fugacity paradigms is presented, and an example of its application in a GIS environment is shown. A validation of the model at the field plot scale is presented using data obtained at a crop in a semiarid irrigated agricultural basin which was treated with Lindane. The adequacy at the regional scale is tested by inspection of the model predictions and the measured concentrations of the pesticide obtained from a regional phreatimetric net. The clearance concept is used to obtain estimates of the volumes of some environmental phases. These are further used to solve the equations of thermodynamic equilibrium at equal fugacity and obtain concentration estimates. The model closely reproduces the observed percolation trends, and is consistent with the regional pattern of Lindane distribution in groundwater. An application of the model as unitary module for the simulation of non‐point pesticide sources in a raster GIS frame is shown. Its performance (run time, data needed, etc.) is comparable to that of other existing algorithms, and presents some advantages to planners and evaluators of environmental quality in that it incorporates an explicit 2‐D approach and allows the identification of polluted areas downslope with respect to those directly treated with the pesticides. Further, it can be implemented in a variety of GIS and spatial data processors.