Environmental Data in Decision Making in EPA Regional Offices

The mid-Atlantic region of the United States has a wide diversity of natural resources. Human pressures on these natural resources are intense. These factors have resulted in the collection of substantial amounts of environmental information about the region by EPA (both Regional and Research Offices), other governmental agencies, industry, and environmental groups. EPA Regional Offices comprehend first hand the importance of environmental data and are extremely supportive of investments in these data. Environmental data are used prominently in a variety of strategic planning and resource management initiatives. In EPA Region 3, the use of scientifically-sound environmental data is, in fact, one of our strategic programmatic goals. Environmental information is captured and assessed continuously by Regional staff, sometimes working in partnership with other Federal and State agencies, to derive relevant resource management conclusions. The restoration goals for the Chesapeake Bay are based on environmental indicators and resulting data. Attainment of the water quality objectives for streams and coastal estuaries are predicted on monitoring data. Our initiative in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands area uses environmental indicators to measure the condition of forests and streams. Landscape-level indicators will provide unique opportunities for the use of data in planning and management activities in support of the principles of community-based activism and sustainable development. Significant value is added to these data during their use by Regional managers. Regional programs, such as the Chesapeake Bay Program and several National Estuary Programs, are founded in environmental data. Environmental information is used by the Regional program managers to ascertain whether programs are accomplishing their intended objectives. Finally, Regional programs provide a crucial means for disseminating this information to broad segments of the public, so that a better informed and educated client base for effective environmental protection will develop.     

An EPA program for monitoring ecological status and trends

Despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent annually in the United States on environmental monitoring, policy and decision makers seldom have ready access to monitoring data to aid in prioritizing reasearch and assessment efforts or to assess the extent to which current policies are meeting the desired objectives. EPA is currently conducting research to evaluate options for establishing an integrated, cooperative monitoring program, with participation by federal, state, and private entities, that could result in annual statistical reports and interpretive summaries on the status and trends in indicators of adverse disturbance and corresponding health of the nation's ecosystem on the regional and national scale.The research described in this article has not been subjected to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred.     

Status of Aquatic Bioassessment in U.S. EPA Region IX

U.S. EPA Region IX is supporting bioassessment programs in Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada using biocriteria program and Regional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (R-EMAP) resources. These programs are designed to improve the state, tribal and regional ability to determine the status of water quality. Biocriteria program funds were used to coordinate with Arizona, California and Hawaii which resulted in these states establishing reference conditions and in developing biological indices. U.S. EPA Region IX has initiated R-EMAP projects in California and Nevada. These U.S. EPA Region IX sponsored programs have provided an opportunity to interact with the States and provide them with technical and management support. In Arizona, several projects are being conducted to develop the State's bioassessment program. These include the development of a rotational random monitoring program; a regional reference approach for macroinvertebrate bioassessments; ecoregion approach to testing and adoption of an alternate regional classification system; and development of warm-water and cold-water indices of biological integrity. The indices are projected to be used in the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) 2000 water quality assessment report. In California, an Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) has been developed for the Russian River Watershed using resources from U.S. EPA's Non-point Source (NPS) Program grants. A regional IBI is under development for certain water bodies in the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. Resources from the U.S. EPA Biocriteria program are being used to support the California Aquatic Bioassessment Workgroup (CABW) in conjunction with the California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG), and to support the Hawaii Department of Health (DoH) Bioassessment Program to refine biological metrics. In Nevada, R-EMAP resources are being used to create a baseline of aquatic information for the Humboldt River watershed. U.S. EPA Region IX is presently working with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) to establish a Nevada Aquatic Bioassessment Workgroup. Future R-EMAP studies will occur in the Calleguas Creek watershed in Southern California, and in the Muddy and Virgin River watersheds in southern Nevada, and the Walker River watershed in eastern California and west-central Nevada.     

美国EPA地表水质监测与评估的点位设计介绍

介绍了美国EPA地表水质监测与评估的点位设计。首先,指导性文件《基本水质监测方案》中的环境监测计划要求建立1个不少于1 000个点位的国家地表水质环境监测网,并提出了点位设计的标准,包括4点基本要求和针对每一类水域的具体要求。其次,另一指导性文件《准备州综合水质评估(305b报告)和电子升级:报告内容的准则》提出了1种新的对水质的综合性评估技术,要求在传统的判断点位设计的基础上增加概率统计点位设计方法。最后,全国一致的概率统计点位设计是相当有效的获知全国范围的水质情况及变化趋势的方法,EPA完全支持通过这种概率统计点位设计的方法来评估更多的水质状况。概率统计点位设计是EPA地表水质监测与评估的点位设计的发展趋势。     

Assessment of the sources of suspended particulate matter aerosol using US EPA PMF 3.0

The main purpose of this paper was to carry out a source apportionment of suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples using positive matrix factorization procedure. The central and local Government of Japan introduced strict emission regulations in 2002/10 and 2003/10, respectively, in curbing SPM pollution from major metropolitans. This paper also highlighted the impact of the measures taken by the central and local Government of Japan on the reduction of SPM and the contributions of sources. SPM samples were collected for 6 years starting from 1999 to 2005 at two sites, i.e., site A (urban) and site B (suburban) of Yokohama, Japan. Microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) were employed to measure Mg, Al, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Ag, Cd, Cs, Ba, Pb and Bi, while water soluble ions (Na⁺, NH₄  ⁺_{4}^{\ \,+}, K⁺, Ca^2 +, Mg^2 +, Cl⁻, NO₃  ^-_{3}^{\ \,-} and SO₄  ^2-)_{4}^{\ \,2-}) as well as carbonaceous mass (EC and OC) were analyzed using ion chromatograph and CHN analyzer, respectively. The sources identified at two sites were automobile, soil dust, marine aerosol, mixed sources, and secondarily formed aerosol. Also, source quantification was performed. Automobile and soil dust were striking contributors at site A. Automobile and soil dust of SPM aerosol might be produced from local origin at current study areas. Besides, Asian dust had an impact on high concentrations of SPM aerosol in some certain period of the year due to the outflows of East Asian emission. In contrast, secondary aerosol in the form of sulfate and ammonium as well as mixed sources (coal, long-transported Cs, and other unknown sources) were remarkable at site B. Stationary/industrial combustion has apparently more impact on the release of SPM components at site B than A. Automobile regulations in 2002 and 2003, respectively, resulted in reduction of SPM by 28% for site A and 16% for site B. There was also net reduction of automobile contribution at both sites due to the above measures being implemented.     

固体废弃物浸出毒性特性及美国EPA的实验室测定(待续)

围绕固体废弃物浸出毒性特性这个中心,综述了它在有害废弃物的鉴别和管理,在执行陆地处置限制法规过程中的重要作用。以及在保护水资源、特别是地下水资源方面的重要意义。并简要介绍和评论了美国固体废弃物浸出毒性的实验室测定方法EPT和TCLP。     

固体废弃物浸出毒性特性及美国EPA的实验室测定(续完)

围绕固体废弃物浸出毒性特性这个中心，综述了它在有害废弃物的鉴别和管理，在执行陆地处置限制法规过程中的重要作用。以及在保护水资源，特别是地下水资源方面的重要意义，并简要介绍和评论了美国固体废弃物浸出毒性的实验室测定方法ETP和TCLP。     

Ambient level volatile organic compound (VOC) monitoring using solid adsorbents--recent US EPA studies

Ambient air spiked with 1-10 ppbv concentrations of 41 toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) listed in US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Compendium Method TO-14A was monitored using solid sorbents for sample collection and a Varian Saturn 2000 ion trap mass spectrometer for analysis. The adsorbent was a combination of graphitic carbon and a Carboxen-type carbon molecular sieve. The method detection limits (MDLs) for 11 samples were typically 0.5 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) and lower except for bromomethane and chloromethane, both of which exhibited breakthrough. Thirty-day sample storage on the sorbents resulted in less than a 20% change for most compounds, and water management was required for humid samples to avoid major anomalous decreases in response during analyses. The adsorbent-based system, a system using canister-based monitoring, and a semi-continuous automated GC/MS (autoGC) monitoring system with a Tenax GR/Carbotrap B/Carbosieve S-III adsorbent preconcentrator were compared using spiked ozone concentrations as a variable. In this comparison, the target compounds included a number of n-aldehydes as well as those listed in TO-14A. The effects of ozone on the TO-14A compounds were relatively minor with the exception of negative artifacts noted for styrene and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane. However, a small, systematic decrease in response was evident for a number of aromatic VOCs and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane when ozone was increased from 50 to 300 ppbv. Method averages for multiple runs under the same conditions were typically within +0.25 ppbv of their mean for most compounds. For n-aldehydes, strong positive artifacts using the autoGC preconcentrator and strong negative artifacts for the canister-based and carbon sorbent approaches caused major disagreement among methods. These artifacts were mostly eliminated by using MnO2 ozone scrubbers, although loss of the n-aldehydes for all methods occurred after a single sample collection of 1 h duration, apparently due to the interaction of the n-aldehydes and products of the O3, MnO2 reaction on the scrubber.     

对建设项目环境影响后评价工作的思考

简述了开展建设项目环境影响后评价的必要性、重要意义及法律依据。介绍了国内外此项工作的进展情况。提出了如何开展建设项目环境影响后评价,并预期了后评价效果。     

建设项目竣工环境保护验收现状及建议

简述了当前建设项目竣工环境保护验收的现状,指出竣工环境保护验收存在权责不明、事中监管缺失、事后监管落地难、监测数据"失真"等问题,提出应落实建设单位的主体责任,规范建设项目竣工环境保护企业自行验收,加强事中、事后监管,整合建设单位监测数据,使验收监测数据发挥实效。     

建设项目环境监理的思考

环境监理作为一项新的环境管理制度,还处于探索阶段,缺乏成熟的、可借签的经验和资料,也无相关的技术规章.对环境监理模式、工作内容、程序、方式作了一些粗浅探讨.     

铅冶炼行业建设项目竣工环境保护验收监测实例分析

以某铅冶炼企业为例,从监测依据、执行标准、污染物及防治措施、监测内容等方面,对铅冶炼行业竣工环境保护验收监测做实例分析,对实际验收监测过程中常见的问题及对策建议进行了阐述。     

建设项目竣工环境保护验收监测

阐述了建设项目竣工环境保护验收监测的目的、内容、条件和依据，提出了验收监测程序。     

开展清洁发展机制(CDM)项目促进新疆污染减排

新疆水能、风能、光能资源丰富,合理开发利用资源,大力开发新能源、可再生能源和节能、提高能效是新疆实施可持续发展的需要。开发清洁发展机制（CDM）项目有着巨大潜力,对降低一次能源消耗,减少环境污染,促进节能减排具有重要意义。本文对此进行了论述。     

建设项目竣工环境保护验收监测现场勘察

从资料收集、工程概况了解和现场察看3方面阐述了建设项目竣工环境保护验收监测现场勘察的具体步骤和内容。     

曹妃甸围填海工程的环境影响回顾性评价

围填海回顾性评价是一项涉及面广、内容复杂的分析评价工作。要做出准确、科学的评价,就必须有一套科学的后评价方法和指标体系,评价出项目实际目标与可行性研究阶段预测情况的偏离度,从而比较客观地做出评判。文章建立了围填海工程的海洋生态环境影响回顾性评价指标体系、评价标准与评价方法,并综合运用层次分析法对曹妃甸围填海工程的海洋生态、水动力环境、水质环境和底质环境影响进行回顾性综合评价。该方法克服了传统定性评价的主观性缺点,从而得出比较客观、科学的评价结果,为衡量和分析曹妃甸围填海工程对海洋环境的累积影响及后期围填海工程的环境管理与决策提供了依据。     

建设项目环境影响回顾性评价实例

结合“三同时”项目竣工验收监测,对建设项目进行环境影响回顾性评价。回顾性评价内容包括：调查、核实项目建设的规模、内容以及污染物的治理设施;对应环评本底进行环境质量验证性监测;根据污染物达标排放监测结果,进行环保十持施有效性分析;清洁生产、循环经济执行情况;总量控制、环境管理体系的落实情况;以及公众调查、结论与建议等。