Lloyd V. Urban

Impact of political, scientific and non-technical issues on regional groundwater modeling: Case study from Texas, USA

Abstract Recent legislation required regional “grass-roots” water resources planning across the entire state of Texas. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), the states primary water resource planning agency, divided the state into sixteen planning regions. Each planning group developed plans to manage both groundwater and surface water sources and to meet future demands of various combinations of domestic, agricultural, municipal, and industrial water consumers. This presentation describes the challenges in developing a groundwater model for the Llano Estacado Regional Water Planning Group (LERWPG), whose region includes 21 counties in the Southern High Plains of Texas. While surface water is supplied to several cities in this region, the vast majority on the regional water use comes from the High Plains Aquifer System, often locally referred to as the Ogallala aquifer. Over 95 percent of the groundwater demand is for irrigated agriculture. The LERWPG had to predict the impact of future TWDB-projected water demands, as provided by the TWDB, on the aquifer for the period 2000 to 2050. If detrimental impacts were noted, alternative management strategies must be proposed. While much effort was spent on evaluating the current status of the groudwater reserves, an appropriate numerical model of the aquifer system was necessary to demonstrate future impacts of the predicted withdrawals, as well as the effects of the alternative strategies. The modeling effort was completed in the summer of 2000. This presentation concentrates on the political, scientific, and non-technical issues in this planning process that complicated the modeling effort.

Contemporary Issues in Environmental Assessment

This chapter presents an overview of contemporary issues in environmental assessment, focusing on nine important issues with suggestions for how these problems may be considered in an assessment. It begins with a discussion of climate change, including the effects of greenhouse gases and solutions for reducing them, as well as the uncertainties and points of controversy surrounding the issue. The chapter then examines acid rain, deforestation, endangered species (and their habitats), biodiversity, and environmental risk (or ecorisk) in light of their assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the separate but related topics of cumulative impacts and indirect impacts of agency actions on the environment.

Environmental Laws and Regulations

This chapter provides an overview of the major federal environmental legislation and regulations passed in the United States. It begins by examining the rationale for environmental legislation and regulations, followed by a look at the shortcomings of such regulations. The chapter then presents a number of legislative data systems that are available for public access on the Internet. Next, the chapter summarizes and reviews specific federal environmental legislation, including the following: Clean Air Act; Clean Water Act; Noise Control Act; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; Pollution Prevention Act; National Historic Preservation Act; and Endangered Species Act. The chapter concludes with a discussion of past present, and future trends in environmental legislation and regulations.

International Perspectives on Environmental Assessment, Engineering, and Planning

This chapter provides an overview of international perspectives on environmental assessment, engineering, and planning. It begins with a discussion of the international implications of the National Environmental Policy Act, providing examples of situations in which its regulations have or have not been applied internationally. The chapter then describes the current state of the act in a global context and how it may be applied in the future. It then discusses environmental impact assessment in other industrial countries, followed by an evaluation of environmental impact assessment in developing countries. This leads to an examination of the limitations to the effectiveness of environmental assessment in developing countries. Next, it details environmental impact assessment in specific regions of the world, including Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, Canada, Europe, and India. The chapter concludes with a description of the various international organizations that promote environmental assessment in developing countries.

Energy and Environmental Implications

This chapter provides an overview of energy and its environmental implications. It begins by defining energy as a resource and how its consumption affects the environment. Next, the chapter covers the major sources of fuel for producing energy as well as alternative fuel sources and the environmental considerations of each. Strategies to conserve energy and mitigate or reduce the adverse environmental effects of energy and fuel utilization are examined. The chapter then describes the wastes and pollution produced as a result of energy use. Included in this discussion are other methods of pollution control and the associated energy costs. The chapter concludes with a look at various recycling materials and the energy required to recycle each type of material.

Chapter Three – National Environmental Policy Act

This chapter provides an in-depth summary of the National Environmental Policy Act, and its resulting regulations and effects of the act. It begins by summarizing the elements of the act. It then describes judicial review of the law, presenting several cases that have interpreted the National Environmental Policy Act since it was passed in 1970. Next, effects of the act are considered, particularly reassessment of many federal programs. This is followed by how the act has been implemented and concerns regarding its implementation. The chapter then covers the Council on Environmental Quality, which was created to facilitate application of the act for the Executive Office of the President, as well as several executive orders that have been issued to further enhance and explain such environmental legislation. State environmental policies are briefly touched upon, as they closely resemble federal legislation. The chapter concludes by detailing how agencies can begin the planning process in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

Generalized Approach for Environmental Assessment

This chapter provides a generalized approach to developing systems for environmental assessment. The chapter begins by categorizing agency activities that could be related to potential environmental impacts. To give the reader an example of how categorizing potential impacts is typically accomplished, a case study for U.S. Army programs is discussed. The chapter then describes the environmental attributes, or specific characteristics of the ambient environment, that may be affected by changes due to implementing a proposed action. Next, it covers institutional constraints in the environmental impact analysis process. The chapter concludes with an examination of computer-based systems, specifically the use of geographic information systems as a tool to facilitate environmental assessments.

Environmental Assessment Methodologies

This chapter presents a review and analysis of some of the methodologies that have been developed to enable an environmental assessment preparer to respond in a substantive manner to the National Environmental Policy Act. The chapter begins by describing the factors that should be considered in selecting an assessment methodology. Next, a description of six general categories of methodologies is provided to acquaint the reader with different types of methodologies, and to provide illustrative examples in each category. The chapter then defines review criteria that can be used for analyzing a given methodology and determining its weaknesses and strengths. This is followed by analysis of several methodologies that have been put into practice. The chapter concludes with suggestions for implementing various assessment methodologies going forward.

Elements of Environmental Assessment and Planning

This chapter outlines the specific elements of environmental assessment and planning. It begins by stating the need to determine what agency activities will be required to implement the action or the project, as well as the varied disciplines that may be called upon as part of the process. Next, the chapter covers how to identify environmental attributes (elements) representing a categorization of the environment such that changes in the attributes reflect impacts. It then discusses how to predict and evaluate environmental impact—the effects of the agency activities on the environmental attributes. The next element is the reporting of findings in a systematic manner. The final section of the chapter describes how information technology can be used to aid in the NEPA process.

Environmental Documents and CEQ Regulations

This chapter outlines the procedures and documentation needed in support of the regulations set forth by the Council on Environmental Quality that assist federal agencies in complying with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). First, the function and purpose of the NEPA process is discussed, followed by the evolution of the NEPA regulations. The various environmental documents required by the Council on Environmental Quality are detailed. Next, the chapter presents three ways to proceed with an environmental analysis of a proposed action. The chapter then delves further into the environmental documentation process by thoroughly describing preparation of the environmental impact statement and related procedures. The chapter concludes with case studies that illustrate the NEPA review process and potential pitfalls of not adequately following procedures.