Ecological assessments at DOE hazardous waste sites: Current procedures and problems
Major actions at US Department of Energy (DOE) hazardous waste sites require CERCLA compliance that meets NEPA considerations. Although NEPA compliance includes ecological considerations, neither the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) nor the DOE provide detailed guidance for conducting ecological assessments under NEPA. However, the identification of the form and magnitude of potential ecological impacts associated with a proposed action is directly dependent on the quality of the baseline data available for a particular site. Using the Surplus Facilities Management Program Weldon Spring site as an example, we discuss the collection of baseline ecological data for the site. This site is surrounded by approximately 17,000 acres of wildlife area. Available wildlife data consisted of qualitative, county-level species lists, and vegetation data was in the form of a regional qualitative narrative. Detailed site-specific occurrence data for listed species and high quality natural communities was provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation Heritage data base. 30 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/NE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 5474449
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-891098-2; ON: DE90003196; TRN: 89-031977
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: The scientific challenge of NEPA: future directions based on 20 years of experience, Knoxville, TN (USA), 24-27 Oct 1989
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
BASELINE ECOLOGY
EVALUATION
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
CATALOGS
PLANTS
REMEDIAL ACTION
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
US DOE
WILD ANIMALS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECOLOGY
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
US ORGANIZATIONS
540210* - Environment
Terrestrial- Basic Studies- (1990-)
540310 - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (1990-)
053000 - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects