Midterm Flashcards
(35 cards)
What is the difference between reclamation and remediation?
Reclamation: Stabalization, reconstruction, maintenence, recontouring, re-vegetation of the surface or subsurface.
Remediation: Removal or neutralization of all chemical substances from surface or subsurface.
List 4 things that should be known for a site
Size, where spills/ incidents occurred, before and after aerial images, waterways, geological formations, site history, future land use, drilling waste disposal, any known contaminants.
What happens if there is no evidence, not enough evidence or evidence of contamination?
move on
Intrusive sampling
Intrusive sampling
What are 5 different kinds of sites in Alberta?
Oil well, gas plant, power plants, waste water, gasoline retail, dry cleaners, mine sites, snow storage, natural, residential, commercial, agricultural, industrial
What are benefits of conducting Environmental Site Assessments?
Legal liability, knowledge of contaminants, public image improvement
What are the 5 levels of Environmental Site Assessments?
Phase I, Phase II, Phase III, Phase IV, Phase V
What is the purpose of a Phase I?
Collect existing information, evaluate current and historical land use, estimate likelihood that contaminants exist
Is a Phase I always its own report?
No. It is always done but not always its own report.
What is a Phase II and when is it used?
Intrusive sampling to determine types, levels, location, depth and range of contaminants. It is used when a Phase I indicates further assessment is required or not enough information is available.
What is a Phase III?
The solution phase of an ESA. This develops a remediation plan.
What is a Phase IV?
Regulatory closure. A regulator must agree that a site can be returned to its former and future land use. (Reclamation certificate)
What is a Phase V?
Follow up and ongoing monitoring
What is the purpose of records review
Collect available information on past activities that may have lead to site contamination. Neighboring sites must be considered.
What information should be included in a Phase I ESA
Prior site assessments, regulatory info, land titles, site visit info.
What is the purpose of a site visit?
Site observations, evidence of contamination, document all equipment, buildings, wells, storage, pits, lagoons, standing water, waste water, stains, odours, stressed vegetation.
Who should be interviewed and why for an ESA
Landowners, employees, operators, neighbors, residents, occupants. To corroborate info gathered in the previous activities.
What are the 4 parts of a Phase I
Records review, site visit, interviews, evaluation and reporting.
What are sources of salt contamination?
Oil and gas wells, irrigation, roadways, naturally occurring in salty soils, excavation.
Why is salt contamination a problem for vegetation?
Plants allow water into their roots across a semi-permeable membrane. This relies on a concentration gradient between the roots and soil. If soils are too saline, vegetation will be unable to absorb water.
Define saline soils
Soil containing enough soluble salts to adversely impact plant growth.
Define sodic soils
Contain clay particles and organics have a high sodium exchange ratio.
How do sodic soils work?
Anions and cations absorb to clay surfaces and repel each other causing the clay to flocculate.
What are the differences between normal and sodic soils.
normal soils are packed tightly, sodic soils are loose and crumbly because the salts bonding to the clay are causing a separation.
What is a saline-sodic soil?
Soils with high concentrations of exchangeable Na but also high concentrations of other types. Saline conditions counter act the sodic conditions and prevent soil separation of clay particles but the soils still have enough salts to adversely impact vegetation health.
