University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1983 Environmental assessment : philosophy and method Robert A. Fronk The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Fronk, Robert A., "Environmental assessment : philosophy and method" (1983). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 5939. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/5939 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: PHILOSOPHY AND METHOD By Robert A. Fronk, Jr. B .S ., Oregon State University, 1958 Master of Engineering, Oregon State University, 1969 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Resource Administration UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1975 Appro' I by CMËirman, of Examiners Date / UMI Number: EP36740 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT Oi*Mctatk>n F\iUnhiing UMI EP36740 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 - 1346 TABLE OF CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS.................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................. yt CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................ 1 PART ONE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT; PHILOSOPHY AND METHOD 2 PHILOSOPHY AND METHOD.................................................... 8 Development of Environmental Assessments 8 Environmental Assessment Philosophy 10 Environmental Assessment Objectives 15 Environmental Assessment Procedure— Summary 17 3 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE . 21 Preliminary Screening of Alternatives 23 Detailed Environmental Assessment 48 PART TWO SPECIFIC ASSESSMENT CRITERIA AND DATA COLLECTION GUIDELINES 4 INTRODUCTION TO PART T W O .........................................54 5 HYDROLOGY......................................................................................56 Climate 58 Surface Water 62 Ground Water 72 Water Quality 75 ii Water Supply 78 Data Collection Guidelines 87 Data Sources 94 6 GEOLOGY ....................................................................................... 123 Geologic Hazards 123 Geologic Values 126 Data Collection Guidelines 127 Data Sources' 132 7 AIR QUALITY ............................................................................... 135 Preliminary Assessment 135 Detailed Assessment 137 Data Collection Guidelines 138 Data Sources 145 8 BIOLOGY ............................................................................................151 Terrestrial Biology 151 Aquatic Biology 153 Data Collection Guidelines 157 Data Sources 180 9 RECREATION ............................................................................... 189 Assessment Methods 189 Data Collection Guidelines 195 Data Sources 198 10 SOCIO-ECONOMICS.................................................................. 200 Assessment Methods 200 Data Collection Guidelines 219 Data Sources 219 11 AESTHETICS AND HUMAN INTEREST .....................229 Assessment Methods—Sight 229 Assessment Methods—Sound 232 Assessment Methods—Humaun Interest 235 Data Sources 237 iii APPENDICES A Bibliography for Hydrology and Water Qualify 241 B Selected Water Qualify Criteria 254 C Glossary 267 CITED REFERENCES ............................................................................... 319 iv ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1 Major Steps In Environmental Assessment ....................... 18 2 Environmental Assessment Steps ............................................22 3 Levels of Environmental Impacts ............................................33 4 Index to Assessment Criteria and Data Collection . 65 5 Long-term Variation, Precipitation and Stream flow ...................................................................................60 6 Monthly Discharge, Hood River ............................................... 65 7 Frequency Curves, Calapoola R iv e r ................................... 65 8 Duration Curves, Hood River ....................................................66 9 Frequency Curves of Annual Peak Flows, Alsea R iver ...................................................................................66 10 Time of Travel, South Santlam R iver ...............................67 11 Monthly Water Temperatures at Selected Stations . 68 12 Stream Profile, Long Tom River ........................................... 68 13 Water Quality Analysis Procedure .......................................77 14 Central Oregon Rockhound and Recreation Sites . .128 15 Air Quality Analysis Procedure.............................................139 16 Steps In Detailed Assessment of N o ise ............................ 236 V LIST OF TABLES 1 Possible Alternatives ............................................................................ 24 2 Environmental Impacts M a tK x ....................................................... 29 3 Summary of Environmental Impacts ........................................... 38 4 Descriptive Summary of Alternatives ....................................... 40 5 Example Environmental Impact Parameters .......................... 42 6 Differential Comparison of Alternatives ................................... 46 7 Data Collection Guide ............................................................................ 57 8 Summary of Aquifer Units in Oregon ........................................... 74 9 Data Sources: Surface Hydrology ............................................... 95 10 Data Sources: Groundwater ................................................................103 11 Data Sources: Water Quality ........................................................... 105 12 Data Sources: Agriculture ....................................................................109 13 Methods for Chemical Analysis of Water and Wastes . 112 14 OREGON—Hazardous M a te ria ls....................................................... 116 15 Data Sources: Hazardous M aterials............................................... 117 16 Groundwater Studies—O regon ........................................................... 118 17 Characteristics of Natural and Induced Succession . 160 18 Methods for Collecting and Evaluating Phytoplankton . 169 19 Macrophyte Sampling Equipment .......................................................172 vi 20 Data Sources: Journals.................................................................. 183 21 Data Sources: Reference L ite ra tu re ..................................... 185 22 Economic Data S ources.................................................................. 221 23 Categories for Which Employment Data are Available for Local A re a s ............................................................................... 227 vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION A growing national concern for environmental qualify In the United States prompts many citizens to characterize the Seventies as the **decade of the environment.” Americans are aware that industrial, agricultural, and technological achievements are the basis of our wealth and power, but they also recognize that man Is a part of his environment and must use his resources Intelligently. A deterioration In his natural surroundings will eventually be re­ flected as a decline In man's qualify of life . The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 recognized the effect of man's activities on his environment and established national policies and goals for maintaining environmental qualify. Of particular concern are the Impacts of population growth, urbanization, Industrial expansion, resource use, and expanding technological advances. Fittingly, NEPA was signed into law on New Year's Day of 1970, the first law of the new decade. This act is something of a lan d m ark , but like all such landmarks, it is also something of an Indictment. It is an indictment of our IncJalllfyto change our ways 1 of thinking and acting in a world confronted with drastic change in every other respect. We have been, and to a disheartening degree continue to be, as economist John Galbraith put it: " . .guided in part by ideas that are relevant to another world, as a result we do many things that are unnecessary, some that are unwise, and a few that are insane." (1, p. 3) We have been guided, for example, by the Judeo-Chrlstian concept of man as a very special act of creation; as a creature outside of and superior to nature; as the master and subdoer of the earth. So the emphasis has and continues to be on mastery, not upon harmony. We have been guided by