Environmental Factors In this module, we will discuss: Environmental legislation Environmental hazards Due diligence Conducting an environmental site assessment Preservation and restoration efforts

131 Environmental Legislation Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established in Mission is “… to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment – air, water, and land – upon which life depends.” EPA works with other federal, state, and local agencies to develop and enforce standards under existing environmental laws

132 Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) Tank (or a combination of tanks) and connected piping having at least 10 percent of their combined volume underground. Approximately 640,000 UST systems in the U.S. today. Leak detection devices are integral to the design of any approved UST. EPA requires all new UST installations to have leak detection at the time of installation.

133 Brownfields Abandoned, idled, or under- utilized industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination Hazardous substances at these sites are concerns.

134 Due Diligence Process of investigating the characteristics of a parcel of land usually in connection with a land development transaction Due diligence requires buyers to exercise ““…all appropriate inquiry into the previous ownership and uses of the property consistent with good commercial or customary practice…”

135 Phase I ESA Visual Inspection – walking over the site – includes the owner or current user to answer questions Compilation of a comprehensive photographic log Interview with the owners or users of all the adjacent properties Review all practically reviewable records pertaining to the property and surrounding properties within American Society for Testing and Materials consensus radii. Written comprehensive report.

136 Phase II ESA Includes: Physical sampling of the site Explanation of the procedures used Explanation of the results Recommendation for remedial action, if necessary, which would be appropriate for the site’s intended use.

137 Phase III ESA Design of the remediation plan, should one be necessary Includes reports and permits necessary to achieve cleanup of the site to bring it into compliance with the agreed upon standards.

138 Group Activity What are the possible environmental concerns of Sawgrass Ranch?

139 Preservation and Restoration Efforts Water quality—Legislation includes the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act Inland waterways—Army Corps of Engineers are responsible for keeping them navigable

140 Wetlands Areas where water covers the soil, or is present, at or near the surface of the soil, all year or for varying periods during the year, including during the growing season Over one-third of the threatened and endangered species in the US live only in wetlands

141 Wetlands (cont.) Mitigation banking—Process of restoring, creating, enhancing, or preserving wetlands, which are then set aside to compensate for future conversions of wetlands for development activities Wetlands Reserve Program—A voluntary program for protecting and restoring wetlands on private property.

142 Wetlands (cont.) Setback distance—How far away from a wetland a given development activity must be

143 Mitigation Banking Process of restoring, creating, enhancing, or preserving wetlands, which are set aside to compensate for future conversions of wetlands for development activities

144 Wetlands Reserve Program Wetlands Reserve Program is a voluntary program for protecting and restoring wetlands on private property Setback distance = how far away from a wetland a given development activity must be

145 Upland Habitats Upland habitat is the drier land upstream from an adjacent wetland. When wetlands are lost, upland habitat is compromised. Without the wetlands to slow surface runoff or remove inorganic nutrients or organic wastes, upland habitat is degraded also.

146 Soil Erosion Major threat to farmland productivity Average soil erosion rate for all cultivated cropland in the U.S. in 1997 was 3.4 tons per acre

147 Conservation Reserve Program Voluntary program in which the USDA contracts with agricultural producers to retire highly erodible and other environmentally sensitive cropland

148 Floodplains Lowland and relatively flat areas adjoining inland and coastal waters including flood prone areas of offshore islands, including at a minimum, that area subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year