Environmental impact assessment (EIA)

obligatory courses

General knowledge of capacity and linear constructions, mining, ecology, geochemistry, hydrogeochemistry. Applied and dynamoc geology

Legal basis and essence of assessments of environmental impact in terms of research methodology and procedures required in Poland; types of documentation issued for the purpose of environmental impact assessment. Discussion of the environmental impacts of exemplary projects: mining, hydraulic engineering, linear construction, landfills and observing systems at various stages of the formation of the project, in particular with regard to the monitoring of inanimate nature.

1) Design of geological works for the project likely to have significant effects on the environment (e.g. landfill).

• To be familiar with the laws in force in the design and execution of geological works, including for a landfill.

• Design of geological research taking into consideration: the need for spatial exploration of geological and hydrogeological conditions, terrain elevations, the elevations of ground water, or elevations of a natural sealing layer, and other interbeds of cohesive and non-cohesive soils occurring in the substrate, need to draw up of hydroizohips maps, geological cross-sections and so on.

2) Preparation of a simplified hydrogeological and geological-engineering documentations for the construction of the landfill including inter alia:

• a general description of the geology and geomorphology of the area

• elements of hydrography

• description of particular geological layers in the substrate considering using them as sealing barriers

• geological cross-sections

• hydroizohips map (with directions of flow and hydraulic declines)

• thematic maps (eg. coverage of the sealing layer, its thickness, elevation, etc.).

3) Elaboration of landfill development project comprising:

• macrolevellings, the configuration of the landfill body

• natural and artificial sealing

• quarters of the landfill

• Development of leachate (including drainage, dips, collecting wells, leachate collection tank)

• Development of biogas (degassing wells, drainage to collect gas, flaring or utilization, etc.)

• Technical background: fencing, balances, disinfection equipment, etc.

• The stability of the landfill slopes

• sealing green

• Reclamation

• The project of a monitoring system (including projects of piezometers)

4) Elaboration of the Report on the impact on the environment taking into account:

• A description of the proposed project (characteristics of the whole project and the conditions of land use in construction and operation, the main characteristics of the production processes; the expected emissions resulting from the operation of the proposed project)

• Description of the natural environment covered by the expected impact of the planned project (geology, hydrography, land use planning, the distance to human habitations, forests etc.)

• A description of the investment variants, including variant consisting in not undertaking and the most beneficial for the environment,

• Identification of the impact of the various variants and the possibility of a major industrial accident,

• grounds for choosing of the particular variant,

• Description of the impacts of the chosen variant,

• Projected measures to prevent and reduce impacts,

• Problem of establishment of an area of a limited use.

• Presentation of issues in graphic form,

• Analysis of possible social conflicts,

• A proposal for monitoring,

• Summary,

• Resources.

After the cycle of exercises, the student:

• designs geological studies necessary to identify the geological environment in the area covered by the potential impact of investment,

• creates a plausible model of the geological substrate of the investment

• presents the results of geological research, essential for the assessment of the project's environmental impact,

• characterizes in a general way the individual elements of the natural environment,

• identifies threats posed by the project for the individual elements of the environment,

• analyzes the need to take specific actions in the investment process as a result of the identified environmental conditions,

• defines the elements of the environment monitoring system around the investment area,

• knowingly takes decisions concerning the use of certain techniques to reduce, eliminate or compensate for the impact of investment on the environment,

• with the background of knowledge, defends solutions beneficial to the environment.

During the class, students prepare 3 projects. These are:

1) The simplified hydro-geological and geological-engineering documentations for the construction of a municipal landfill preceded by the design of geological research.

2) Management project of the landfill.

3) Report on the environmental impact of a landfill.

All made projects are evaluated and on the basis of these assessments is issued a final assessment of the exercise. The share of ratings of individual projects in the final assessment is as follows:

The project acc. 1 - 30%

The project acc. 2 - 30%

The project acc. 3 - 40%