URP 4141: Environmental Planning and Management

EIA Methods and Techniques

(Impact Identification)

Md. Esraz-Ul-Zannat
Assistant Professor
Department of Urban and Regional Planning
Khulna University of Engineering & Technology

April 17, 2018

 EIA
• EIA is a systematic process to identify, predict
and evaluate the environmental effects of
proposed actions in order to aid decision
making regarding the significant
environmental consequences of projects,
developments and programmes.
 Origin of EIA
• The USA decided to respond to environmental issues and
established a National Environmental Policy Act in 1970 to
consider its goal in terms of environmental protection. The
USA became the first country to enact legislation on EIA. This
was the first time that EIA became the official tool to be used
to protect the environment. The United Nations Conference
on the Environment in Stockholm in 1972 and subsequent
conventions formalized EIA. At present, all developed
countries have environmental laws whereas most of the
developing countries are still adopting it (Lee, 1995).
Multilateral and bilateral lenders included EIA requirements
in their project eligibility criteria (OECD, 1996).
 EIA Methodologies
EIA Methodologies developed to identify, predict and
value changes of an action.
The development of methodologies to assess impacts
depend on:
•The relationship between territorial elements (or
Characteristics) and the actions
•The specific measurements and the necessary
information to estimate the impacts.
•The mitigation measures, compensation and follow-
up.
Choice of EIA method depends on
 To ensure compliance with regulations.

 To provide a comprehensive coverage of a full range of impacts,

including social, economic and physical.

 To distinguish between positive and negative, large and small,

long term and short term, reversible and irreversible impacts.

 To identify secondary, indirect and cumulative impacts as well as

direct impacts

 To distinguish between significant and insignificant impacts

Choice of EIA method depends on
 To allow comparison of alternative development proposal.

 To consider impacts within the constraints of an area’s carrying

capacity

 To incorporate qualitative as well as quantitative information

 To be easy and economical to use.

 To be unbiased and to give consistent result.

 To be of use in summarizing and presenting impacts in the EIS.

 Objectives of Methodologies
1. Understand the nature and location of the project
and possible alternatives
2. Identify factors of analysis and assessment
objectives
3. Preliminary identification of impacts and scoping
4. Baseline studies and evolution in the absence of
projects
5. Prediction and assessment of impacts and
alternatives comparison
6. Mitigation
7. Monitoring and Impacts management.
Methods of Impact Identification
There are five main classes of quantitative
impact identification techniques exist:
•Checklist
•Matrices
•Networks
•Map Overlay
•Ad hoc method
 Checklist
Checklists are comprehensive lists of
environmental effects and impact indicators
designed to stimulate the analyst to think
broadly about possible consequences of
contemplated actions.
 Checklist: Types
There are four types of cheklist:
1. Simple
2. Descriptivee
3. Questionnaire
4. Threshold concern
5. Scaling Checklist
 Simple Checklist
A list of
environmental
parameters with no
guidelines on how
they are to be
measured and
interpreted.
 Descriptive Checklist
Includes an identification of environmental
parameters and guidelines on how to
measure data on particular parameters.
 Questionnaire Checklist

• Are based on a set of questions to be

answered. Some of the questions may
concern indirect impacts and possible
mitigation measures. They may also
provide a scale for classifying estimated
impacts from highly adverse to highly
beneficial.
Questionnaire Checklist
Questionnaire Checklist
Aspects of EIA Checklist Questions Yes No Additional
Will the project: Data needs

Sources of Impacts 1. Require the acquisition or conversion of significant areas

of land for reservoir/treatment works etc. (e.g. > 50 ha
rural, > 5 ha urban)?
2. Result in significant quantities of eroded material, effluent
or solid wastes?

3. Require significant accommodation or service amenities to

support the workforce during construction (eg > 100
manual workers)?

Receptors of Impacts 4. Flood or otherwise affect areas which support

conservation worthy terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems,
flora or fauna (eg protected areas, wilderness areas,
forest reserves, critical habitats, endangered species); or
that contain sites of historical or cultural importance?
5. Flood or otherwise affect areas which will affect the
livelihoods of local people (eg require population
resettlement; affect local industry, agriculture, livestock
or fish stocks; reduce the availability of natural resource
goods and services)?
6. Involve siting sanitation treatment facilities close to
human settlements (particularly where locations are
susceptible to flooding)?
7. Affect sources of water extraction?

Environmental Impacts 8. Cause a noticeable permanent or seasonal reduction in

the volume of ground or surface water supply?

9. Present a significant pollution risk through liquid or solid

wastes to humans, sources of water extraction,
conservation worthy aquatic ecosystems and species, or
commercial fish stocks?
10. Change the local hydrology of surface water-bodies (eg
streams, rivers, lakes) such that conservation-worthy or
commercially significant fish stocks are affected?
11. Increase the risk of diseases in areas of high population
density (eg onchocerciasis, filariasis, malaria, hepatitis,
gastrointestinal diseases)?
12. Induce secondary development, eg along access roads,
or in the form of entrepreneurial services for construction
and operational activities?

Mitigation Measures 13. Be likely to require mitigation measures that may result in
the project being financially or socially unacceptable?

Comments

I recommend that the programme be assigned to

Category

Signature: Delegation.........................................Desk...................................
 Threshold Checklist
Consist of a list of environmnetal
components and , for each component, a
threshold at which those assessing a
proposal should become concerned with an
impact. The implication of alternative
proposals can be seen by examining the
number of times that an alternative exceeds
the threshold of concern.
Threshold Checklist
 Scaling Checklist
• similar to a descriptive checklist, but with
additional information on subjective
scaling of the parameters.
 Advantages of Checklist
There are several major reasons for using
checklists:
•They are useful in summarizing information to
make it accessible to specialists from other fields,
or to decision makers who may have a limited
amount of technical knowledge;
•scaling checklists provide a preliminary level of
analysis; and
•weighting is a mechanism for incorporating
information about ecosystem functions.
 Disadvantages of Checklist
Westman (1985) listed some of the problems with
checklists when used as an impact assessment
method:
1. They are too general or incomplete;
2. They do not illustrate interactions between
effects;
3. The number of categories to be reviewed can be
immense, thus distracting from the most significant
impacts; and
4. The identification of effects is qualitative and
subjective.
 Matrix
• Matrix are two-dimensional tables which facilitate
the identification of impacts arising from the
interaction between project activities and specific
environmental components.
• They are essentially expansions of checklists that
acknowldge the fact that different component of
development project (e.g. Construction,
operation,decommissioning, buildings, access
road)
• The entries in the cell of the matrix can be either
qualitative or quantitative estimates of impact.
 Types of Matrix
• Simple Matrix
• Time dependent matrix
• Magnitude Matrix
• Quantified Matrix (Leopold Matrix)
• Weighted Matrix
Simple Matrix
 Time Dependent Matrices
• Includes a number sequence to represent
the time scale (e.g one figure per year) of
the impacts
 Magnitude Matrices
Go beyond the mere identification of impacts
according to their magnitude, importance and
or time frame (e.g short, medium or long term)
 Quantified Matrix
• The best known type of quantified matrix is the
Leopold Matrix, which was developed for the US
geological survey by Leopold et al. This matrix is
based on a horizontal list of 100 project action and a
vertical list of 88 environemntal components.
Example of Leopold Matrix
 How to Use Quantified Matrix
• Identify All actions that are part of the
proposed project
• Under each of the proposed actions, place
a slash at inter section with each item in
the side of the matrix if an impact in
possible.
 How to Use Quantified Matrix
• In the upper left hand corner of each box with a
slash, place a number from 1 to 10 which
indicate the Magnitude of the possible impact;
10 represents- the greatest magnitude of impact
and 1, the least (no zeroes). Before each
number place + (id the impact would be
beneficial)
• In the lower right hand corner of the box place a
number 1 to 10 which indicates the importance
of the possible impact (e.g regional vs local); 10
represents the greatest importance and 1 the
least (non zeroes)
How to Use Quantified Matrix
 Leopold Matrix
• The leopold matrix is easily understood, can be applied to a
wide range of developments, and is resonably comprehensive
for first order, direct impact
• It can’t reveal indirect effects of development.
• The inclusion of magnitude/significance scores has additional
drawbacks: It gives no indication whether that on which these
values are based are qualitative or quantitative.
• It doesn’t specify the probabilty of impact occuring
• It excludes detail of techniques used to predict impacts.
• The scoring system is inherently subjective and open to bias.
 Weighted Matrix
• Weighted matrics were developed in an
attempt to respond to some of the above
problems.
• Importance weightinings are assigned to
environmental components, and sometimes
to project components.
• The impact of the project (component) on the
environmental component then assessed and
multiplied by the appropriate weightings.
Weighted Matrix
 Weighted Matrix

Calculations: 21*10*8+21*0+21*50*7+21*40*8 = 15750

 Advantages
• This method has the advantage of allowing
various alternatives to be compared
numerically.
• The method also doesn’t consider indirect
impact.
 Network
• Network is an alternative for illustrating the
secondry and subsequent effects of action on
environmental elements is to construct a network
tracing such effects.
• The advantage of a network approach is that it
permits clear tracing of high-order effects of initial
actions; indeed mitigation and control measures can
also be illustrated.
• One problem encountered in applying the network is
that many higher-order effects can be postulated
that are actually unlikely to occur.
 Network
Possible Adverse Corrective Action Control
Impacts Mechanisms

Initial Consequent Effects

Condition Condition

Increased Flooding (H) Gullying and Place intermittent

surface Erosion (K) flower beds
runoff (E)

Pollution of Degradation Health Building Code

Ground of Water Hazard (L)
Water (F) Supply (I)

Removal of Decreased Death of Plant Shrubs Plant Shrubs

Topsoil (G) Fertility (J) Flora (M)
 Network
Action Impacts Branches

A (F) (I) (L) 1

B (E) (H) (K) 2

D (G) (J) (M) 3

 Impact Score
(1-10 interval Scale)
Impacts Magnitude Importance Probability of Occurance

E 5 3 B E(0.8) D E(0.7)

F 2 5 A F (.5)

G 3 4 C G(.3) D G(.4)

H 4 5 E H(.7)

I 2 9 F I(.6)

J 2 5 G J(.8)

K 3 7 H K (.7)

L 2 10 I L (.9)

M 1 6 J M (.8)
Branch 1 (2)(5)(.5)+(2)(9)(.6)+(2)(10)(.9)=33.8
Branch 2 (5)(3)(.8)+(5)(3)(.7)+(4)(5)(.7)+(3)(7)(.7)=51.20
Brach 3 (3)(4)(.3)+(3)(4)(.4)+(2)(5)(.8)+(1)(6)(.8)=21.2
Grand Network Index 33.8+51.2+21.2= 106.2
 Sorenson Network
• Sorenson network is probably the best known
approach for investigating higher order
impacts.
• It identifies feasible mitigation measures.
Structure/content of the network must be
predefined for a particular EIA.
• Its application is limited by adequate data
availability and reference networks relevant
to the local environment.
Sorenson Network
 EES (Quantitative Method)
• Battelle Environmental Evaluation system was
designed to assess the impacts of water
resource developments, water quality
management plans, highways, nuclear power
plants and other projects.
• This system is sopisticated checklist
 EES
• Major concerns are seperated into four categories:
• Ecology, Physical/chemical, Aesthetics and Human Interst and
Social
• Each Category is broken down into number of environmental
components
• For each component an index of environmental quality,
normalized to a scale ranging from 1 to 10 is developed.
• Environmental Indicator defined as difference in
environemntal quality between before and after impacts
states.
• Each environmental components has weighting factor
(relative importance)

https://ponce.sdsu.edu/the_battelle_ees.html
• Weights are fixed and overall impact of
project alternative is calculated by summing
the weighted impacts indicators.
 Advantages of EES
• Has high capability for identification and
prediction of impacts and good replicability of
results
• Provides high level of detail for assessment
and documentation purposes.
• Basis for the development of environmental
indicators and associated weights in fully
docemented.
 Limitation of EES
• System is applicable only to projects for which was
designed, development additional indicators is
demanding.
• System has no mechanism for estimating or
displaying interactions between environmental
components.
• System doesnt link impacts to affceted parties or
dominant issues.
• The system has very high resource requirements
(money, time, manpower, skills)
 Overlay and GIS
• An effective visual aid
• Useful as documentation of
environmental conditions
existing before project
implementation
• May describe both
biophysical and social
aspects of area under
study.
 Overlay
• The overlay method is effective in considering:
• Sensetive lands, requiring protection human
activity (e.g Shorelines, wetlands etc)
• Hazard land, requiring protection from the
environment (e.g flood plains, unstable slopes,
volcanic slopes, etc)
• Renewable resource areas, where the environment
needs to be protected from human activities (e.g
aquifer recharge zones, fish and wildlife habitat,
etc)
• Cultural heritage (area of scientific/)
 ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Checklists • simple to understand • do not distinguish
–simple and use between direct and
–ranking • good for site selection indirect impacts
and and priority setting • do not link action and
weighting impact
• the process of
incorporating values
can be controversial
Matrices • link action to impact • difficult to distinguish
• good method for direct and indirect
displaying EIA results impacts
• significant potential
for double-counting of
impacts
Networks • link action to impact • can become very
• useful in simplified complex if used beyond
form for checking for simplified version
second order impacts
• handles direct and
indirect impacts
Overlays • easy to understand • address only direct
• good display method impacts
• good siting tool • do not address impact
duration or probability
GIS and • excellent for impact • heavy reliance on
computer identification and knowledge and data
expert analysis • often complex and
systems
• good for ‘ experimenting’ expensive
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 Sample Questions
 Write down the advantages and disadvantages of checklist, matrices and networks
methods of impact identification.
 What are the limitations of quantified matrix? How can weighted matrix be used to
eliminate the limitations of quantified matrix? Explain your answer with an
example.
 In which method of impact identification the probability of occurrence is
considered? Give an example of that method.
 Explain the concept of Environmental Evaluation system and Threshold checklist
for impact identification.
 What are the limitations of quantified matrix? How can weighted matrix be used
to eliminate the limitations of quantified matrix? Explain your answer with an
example.
 Sample Questions
 In which method of impact identification the probability of occurrence is
considered? Give an example of that method.
 Explain the concept of Environmental Evaluation system and Threshold checklist
for impact identification.
 What are the limitations of quantified matrix? How can weighted matrix be used
to eliminate the limitations of quantified matrix? Explain your answer with an
example.
 Sample Questions
 In an EIA project, primary, secondary and subsequent impacts (initial condition,
consequent condition and their effects) are identified. Total Impacts are classified
into three categories viz. Branch 1, 2 and 3. Actions and Impacts of three Branches
along with their magnitude and importance with probability of occurrence are also
shown. Using Network methods of impact identification, Calculate the network
index for each branch along with grand index and provide your insights on the
results.
Sample Questions