Natural Resources Planning

Question 1

Earth Day

Answer 1

The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970.

Question 2

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Answer 2

was established in 1927 to create the Colorado River Aqueduct. The Colorado River Aqueduct, a water pipeline to Los Angeles, was built between 1933 and 1941 and is owned and operated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Question 3

Rachel Carson

Answer 3

Author of Silent Spring, which was published in 1962. In the book, Carson examined the dangers of chemical pesticides, such as DDT, on plants, animals, and humans. The book greatly influenced the way people think about the environment.

Question 4

Effluent Standards

Answer 4

set restrictions on the discharge of pollutants into the environment. Effluent guidelines reduce the discharge of pollutants that have serious environmental impacts. The EPA has effluent guidelines for more than 50 categories.

Question 5

Point Source Pollution

Answer 5

is discharged directly from a specific site, such as a sewage treatment plant or an industrial pipe.

Question 6

Non-Point Source Pollution

Answer 6

contaminated runoff from many sources

Question 7

Potable water

Answer 7

water that is safe to drink

Question 8

Aquifer

Answer 8

one or more strata of rock or sediment that is saturated and sufficiently permeable to yield economically significant quantities of water to wells or springs. an aquifer includes any geologic material that is currently used or could be used as a source of water within the target distance limit. Wells can be drilled into aquifers and water can be pumped out. Precipitation eventually adds water (recharge) into the porous rock of the aquifer. The rate of recharge is not the same for all aquifers, through, and that must be considered when pumping water from a well.

Question 9

Estuary

Answer 9

an area where freshwater meets saltwater

Question 10

Lagoon

Answer 10

a shallow body of water located alongside a coast

Question 11

Marsh

Answer 11

a type of freshwater, brackish water or saltwater wetland found along rivers, ponds, lakes, and coasts. It does not accumulate appreciable peat deposits and is dominated by herbaceous vegetation.

Question 12

Reservoir

Answer 12

a pond, lake, tank, or basin that can be used for the storage and control of water, and can be either natural or man-made

Question 13

Surface Water

Answer 13

includes rivers, lakes, oceans, ocean-like water bodies, and coastal tidal waters

Question 14

Swamp

Answer 14

a freshwater wetland that has spongy, muddy land and a lot of water

Question 15

Watershed

Answer 15

a region drained by, or contributing water to, surface water

Question 16

Water table

Answer 16

the underground boundary between the soil surface and the area where groundwater saturates spaces between sediments and cracks in rock. Water pressure and atmospheric pressure are equal at this boundary.

Question 17

Wetlands

Answer 17

Include swamps, marshes, bogs, and other similar areas. Wetlands are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands can be natural or constructed.

Question 18

Clean Water Act

Answer 18

passed in 1972, with a major amendment in 1977. The office name was the Federal Water Pollution Control Act but Clean Water Act became the act’s common name. The act requires anyone wanting to discharge pollutants into a body of water to obtain a permit. It also regulates the amount of water than can be discharged and the types of pollutants that can be released

Question 19

Point Source Discharge Permit

Answer 19

To discharge pollutants into the water, a Point Source Discharge Permit must be obtained from the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

Question 20

Clean Air Act

Answer 20

Congress established much of the basic structure of the Clean Air Act in 1970 and made major revisions in 1977 and 1990. The act includes provisions that cut off federal funding for metropolitan areas not in attainment. In non-containment areas, new pollution sources are allowed only if there is a reduction in pollutants greater than the pollutants contributed by the source.

The clean air act monitors six pollutants: Ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, lead.

Question 21

Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD)

Answer 21

relates to air quality and requires that a project will not increase emissions above a specified PSD increment.

Question 22

Ambient Air Quality Standards

Answer 22

set the maximum air containment concentrations allowed in the ambient air. According to the EPA, national emissions of the six most common air pollutants have been reduced substantially since 1970.

Question 23

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)

Answer 23

resulted in the creation of the Council on Environmental Quality. NEPA requires federal agencies to prepare an Environmental Imapct Statement (EIS) for all major federal actions that could significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Not all federal actions require a full EIS. Agencies can first pepare a smalelr, shorter document called and Environmental Assessment (EA). The finding of the EA determins whether an EIS is required. If the EA indicates that no significant impcat is likely, then the agency can release a finding of no signifcant impact (FONSI) and carry on with the proposed action. Otherwise the agency must then conduct a full-scale EIS. Most EAs result in a FONSI.

Question 24

The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899

Answer 24

(Considered the oldest environmental law in the US) prohibited the construction of any bridge, dam, dike, or causeway over any navigable waterway in the country without Congressional approval. The act also required Congressional approval for all wharves, piers, jetties, and the excavation or infill of navigable waters.

Question 25

The Water Pollution Control Act of 1948

Answer 25

Allowed the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, in cooperation with other governmental entities, to prepare a comprehensive program for eliminating or reducing the pollution of interstate waters and tributaries and improving the sanitary condition of surface and underground waters. The act allowed the Federal Works Administrator to assist government agencies in constructing treatment plants that could help to prevent discharges of inadequately treated sewage and other wastes into interstate waters or tributaries.

Question 26

The Water Quality Act of 1965

Answer 26

est. the Water Pollution Control Adminsitration within the department of the interior. this was the first time water quality was treated as an environmental concern rather than a public health concern.

Question 27

The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972

Answer 27

Later amended in 1990, focused efforts to reduce polluted runoff in 29 states

Question 28

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972

Answer 28

Amended the Water Pollution Act of 1948. The amendments broadened the government’s authority over water pollution and restructured the authority for water pollution under the Environmental Protection Agency. The act changed the enforcement from water quality standards to regulate the number of pollutants being discharged from particular point sources.

Question 29

The Endangered Species Act of 1973

Answer 29

Provides protection of animal and plant species that the US fish and wildlife service designates as threatened or endangered. This act was later amended in 1988

Question 30

The Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) of 1978

Answer 30

Promotes alternative energy sources, energy efficiency, and reduced dependence on foreign oil. It also created a market for non-utility power producers and requires competition in the utility industry.

Question 31

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976

Answer 31

Provided EPA with the ability to control hazardous waste from the “cradle to grave”. This includes the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal or hazardous waste, as well as the management of non-hazardous solid wastes. The 1986 amendment covered environmental issues associated with underground storage tanks for fuel and other hazardous substances.

Question 32

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

Answer 32

of 1980. created a $1.6 billion Superfund to clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites and requires major industries to report annual releases of toxic wastes into the air water or ground. Superfund is the common name for CERCLA. there are more than 1,200 superfund sites across the US. A tax on the petroleum and chemical industries provides funding to help pay for the cleanup of superfund sites.

Question 33

The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976

Answer 33

Provided the EPA with responsiblity for reporting, record keeping, testing requirements, and restrictions relating to chemical substances and/or mixtures. Certain substances are generally excluded, including food, drugs, cosmetics, and pesticides.

Question 34

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

Answer 34

Originally passed in 1947 and established procedures for registering pesticides with the US department of ag. FIFRA was amended by the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act (FEPCA) in 1972. The law has been amended numerous times since 1972, including significant amendments in the form of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996. FIFRA currently mandates that EPA regulate the use and sale of pesticides to protect human health and the environment.

Question 35

Safe Drinking Water Act

Answer 35

passed in 1974 and has been amended several times since. This law protects both the sources of drinking water and the end product.

Question 36

Brownfields

Answer 36

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, brownfields are “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties takes development pressure off of undeveloped, open land and both improves and protects the environment.

Question 37

Environmental Justice

Answer 37

Executive Order 12898, issued by Clinton in 1994, requires that federal agencies strive to make achieving environmental justice part of their mission by addressing the disproportionate adverse environmental and human health impacts of its policies, programs and activities on minority and low-income populations. The EPAs Office of Environmental Justice guides government agencies in meeting environmental justice goals. Environmental justice is an issue in local land use planning decisions, for example in the siting of a toxic waste facility or other locally undesirable land use (LULU).

Environmental Justice can be implemented by land use regulation, for example by requiring minimum distances between noxious land uses and housing. Environmental justice can also be incorporated in a community’s comprehensive planning process by engaging traditionally underrepresented groups in plan development.