Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Cabinet of Ministers
Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA)
Environmental Management Sector
SEAM Project
Environmental Impact Assessment
January 1999
Prepared by
SEAM Project
Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA)
Entec UK Ltd
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Each step in the EIA process requires consultation
to ensure that all relevant views are being taken into
INTRODUCTION account throughout the EIA process. Ideally
This guideline identifies the main factors to be consultation should be maintained throughout the
considered when preparing an EIA for waste water EIA process with the developer and designer of the
treatment works projects which discharge effluent proposed scheme, so that modifications to the
to non marine water courses. The principals for design to reduce potential environmental impacts
EIAs for those works discharging to marine or may be introduced before completion of the final
estuarine areas will be the same as those discharging design. Consultation with the regulatory authorities,
to freshwaters, but likely environmental impacts, and also with the public, should be initiated at the
and consequently the baseline information required, Scoping stage of the EIA, and thereafter carried out
will differ considerably. They are, therefore, not as appropriate. The steps in the EIA process are
considered further in these guidelines. broadly as follows, and are outlined in following
sections of this guideline.
Not all matters in these guidelines will be applicable
to every proposal, and this checklist is not 2.1 Description of the project: What type of
exhaustive. The EIA must be tailored to suit the project is it
potential impacts of the specific proposal at the 2.2 Screening: is an EIA required
specific proposed location(s), and it is essential to 2.3 Scoping: What has to be covered and in
focus on relevant key issues. what detail
Use of this guideline alone will not be sufficient to 2.4 Baseline: What are the existing
prepare an EIA. Reference should be made to environmental conditions
relevant laws and other guidelines, such as Law 2.5 Prediction: What environmental effects will
4/1994 for the Environment, Law 48/1982 the development have
protecting the River Nile and its waterways from
2.6 Evaluation: How significant are the
pollution, Law 93/1962 concerning disposal of
predicted effects
wastewater to municipal sewers, relevant ministerial
decrees, EEAA Guidelines for Egyptian 2.7 Mitigation: Can significant negative effects
Environmental Impact Assessment, and other be avoided or made acceptable
guidelines. Developers should be fully aware of The developer is ultimately responsible for ensuring
their obligations under all laws and guidelines compliance with the statutory requirements for EIA
applicable to their situation. preparation. A developer may employ a firm of
The aim of Environmental Impact Assessment consultants to carry out the assessment. The
(EIA) is to enable the approving authority, the developer should verify the competence of the firm
public, local and central government and the recruited to prepare the EIA.
developer to properly consider the potential The EIA should be prepared by a team with
environmental consequences of a proposal, and to expertise appropriate to the study of the different
make recommendations to reduce the aspects of the development site. The team should
environmental consequences if necessary. It is be headed by a project manager, whose ultimate
important to provide sufficient information for the responsibility is to co-ordinate the inputs of
approving authority to make a decision on whether individual specialists and to provide an overview.
to approve a proposal and if so, under what For EIAs for waste water treatment works,
conditions. The EIA provides the basis for sound members of, or advisors to, the team should
ongoing environmental management. include, but not necessarily be limited to, the
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following:
socio-economics specialist;
THE EIA PROCESS
health (water borne diseases) specialist;
The EIA process should proceed logically through freshwater biologist, microbiologist or
a number of steps. These steps work at two levels: biochemist;
technical work undertaken by specialist
terrestrial/avian fauna and flora specialist;
contributors to the assessment;
hydrologist/hydrogeologist;
a guiding principle for the EIA overall,
providing a structure for the EIA report and co- development planner or landscape architect;
ordinating the technical contributions; air quality (odour, dust and noise) specialist;
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EIA Guidelines for Municipal Waste Water Treatment Works 3
to postpone consultation with the public until more 2.4 Baseline Environmental Conditions
detailed assessment of potential impacts has been
completed. Consultations should involve exchange Collating existing data is always the first step in
of information about the characteristics of the collection of baseline information. It can then be
proposed project, and assistance to the consultant reviewed for its relevance to the proposed site, its
in identifying regional and local issues and/or currency, and used as a basis for determining what
sources of information of relevance to the EIA. survey work may be ne
From consultations and a preliminary assessment of Original site surveys are almost always bound to be
required for most categories of effect, such as air
baseline conditions the consultant must:
quality, odours and noise; socio-economic situation;
identify the characteristics of the proposed water quality and aquatic biology; terrestrial ecology;
development that are likely to give rise to landscape. Published information usually does not
impacts; exist at a suitable scale, or is not generally applicable to
identify what type of impacts may arise, and; the development in question. Original surveys should
determine which environmental resources and be conducted initially at a general level to identify
people in the vicinity of the proposed site are whether more detailed survey will be required.
likely to be particularly sensitive to the above Where baseline data is to be collected first hand,
impacts, and what categories of impacts are careful consideration must be given to the design of
likely to be a problem in this respect. the survey and sampling programme. Data
If either the project characteristics or the collection must focus on the key issues needing to
boundaries of the proposed site should change, be examined for the EIA (identified during the
then the potential impacts may also change, and the Scoping process), and should be collected at the
scope of the EIA will need to be reviewed. appropriate time(s) of year. Consideration of likely
monitoring requirements should be borne in mind
The EIA process will generally benefit from during survey planning, so that the data collected is
focusing attention on the key issues of concern. suitable for use as a baseline to monitor impacts or
Not all issues identified will have the same degree success/failure of mitigation measures in the future.
of relevance for all proposals. The need for long-term sampling should also be
The identification and prioritisation process should assessed as early as possible. This will maximise the
result in: time available for this to be carried out.
a list of all issues with a preliminary estimate of Data needs to be collected over a sufficiently wide
the relative significance of their impacts; area to make sure that any effects likely to be
identification of the key issues;
caused by the development can be assessed. The
area involved will not only vary for different
an explanation as to why other issues are not proposals, but for the same proposal, will vary for
considered to be key. each specialist type of data collected. For example,
The EIA should address the key issues as fully as effects on watercourses or waterbodies should be
practicable. However the level of analysis should assessed as far up and downstream as necessary to
reflect the level of significance of the impacts and assess and monitor beneficial or deleterious changes
their importance for the proposal. Lesser attention in water quality or aquatic biota. The distances
should be given to those issues which have lesser involved will depend on the characteristics of any
significance. For these latter issues, there should be existing discharge, of the watercourse(s) in question,
sufficient analysis to develop a sustainable
and on the location and characteristics of other
mitigation strategy for any potential adverse
impacts. discharges affecting the watercourse(s).
The consideration of alternatives, particularly 2.5 Prediction of Impacts
alternative sites or schemes, during the scoping
stage is often a good idea, as the amount of Impact prediction must encompass both
information on alternatives is often very limited. construction and operation of the works. Impacts
The scoping exercise can report why the preferred should be quantified wherever possible, or fully
alternative was chosen on environmental grounds. described if not quantifiable. The following should
The main part of the EIA can then concentrate on be considered:
the preferred option. Alternative processes within magnitude of impact;
the scheme may be dealt with as mitigation. duration and extent;
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4 EIA Guidelines for Municipal Waste Water Treatment Works
whether impacts are reversible or permanent; impacts. Many mitigation measures can be
direct and indirect effects. incorporated into the early design stages of the
Beneficial as well as adverse impacts on the project by regular communication between the
following specific aspects of the physical, socio- consultant and developer/designer of the works -
cultural and biological environment must be mitigation should be an iterative process.
assessed: Reporting of mitigation should include such specific
Water quality; features which have been incorporated during the
Social, economic and cultural environment; EIA process into the planning and design of the
proposed development.
Waste management;
Air quality;
Where mitigation has not already been incorporated
into the design or siting of the proposed works
Flora and fauna; during the EIA process, or specific commitment to
Transport and access; mitigation measures from the developer has not
Hydrology and groundwater; been obtained, mitigation measures should be
included as recommendations, and should be clearly
Visual environment and landscape;
identified as such.
Risk and hazards.
Recommendations for monitoring impacts in the
Impacts of the scheme as proposed (i.e. assuming form of an environmental management plan (EMP)
no mitigation) should be clearly identified, so that if should be included. It is not expected that a
for any reason mitigation is not implemented, the detailed EMP be prepared for the EIA however an
consequences will be clearly identified in the EIA. outline of the content and structure and
Impacts of the scheme assuming recommended commitment to prepare an EMP is required.
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should be identified separately. If mitigation has
already been incorporated into the design of the GUIDELINES FOR THE EIA
scheme by the developer during the EIA process, REPORT
then the relevant identification of impacts without
mitigation may be omitted from the EIA report. The information provided should be clear, succinct
and objective. It should include maps, drawings,
2.6 Evaluation of impacts photos, or other descriptive detail. Only data
Criteria for evaluation of impacts must be stated. relevant to the decision-making process should be
Where possible, legislative standards or included.
international standards should be followed (e.g. The following sections outline suggested chapters,
Egyptian Law 48 water quality standards for subsections and contents for EIA reports on
discharges to the River Nile and its waterways, US proposed waste water treatment schemes
EPA guidelines for sludge reuse in agriculture, etc.). discharging effluent.
If no suitable standards exist, descriptive criteria These guidelines include all the information
may be used, but must be fully explained. required for waste water collection, treatment, reuse
Evaluation of significance of impacts should take and disposal projects described in EEAA
account of the magnitude, duration and extent of Guidelines for Egyptian Environmental Impact
impact, and whether the impact is temporary or Assessment.
permanent.
Writing a good report of EIA is a difficult task - it
All predictions of impacts have an element of must be technically robust, but at the same time it
uncertainty associated with them. The consultant must be clear, intelligible and unambiguous. Those
should identify and, where possible, quantify the making a decision on the benefits and disadvantages
level of uncertainty associated with these of a proposed development will not be technically
predictions. Some indication of probability of expert in all the areas covered by the EIA report.
occurrence of impacts should also be included. The principal advice is to keep the report short, and
2.7 Mitigation avoid use of technical terms unless absolutely
necessary. Technical appendices may be included as
Mitigation strategies must be considered both in appropriate. Suggested contents list for the EIA
relation to individual impacts and collectively for all report:
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EIA Guidelines for Municipal Waste Water Treatment Works 5
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6 EIA Guidelines for Municipal Waste Water Treatment Works
quality and quantity of existing and proposed excess material, the sources of material to be
effluent discharges; brought to site;
design/type of discharge proposed and its details of the workforce, including source,
location; expected numbers and distribution throughout
a description of the predicted inputs to and construction;
outputs from the works, e.g. population details of potential land contamination which
equivalent to be served, predicted effluent flows, may constrain work on the site or disposal of
quality and quantity of sludge and screenings excess material.
produced, method and site(s) for sludge and
screenings treatment and/or disposal, incoming/ C.5 Other Services in the Locality
outgoing material and vehicles during operation Where applicable, outline:
of the works; the capacity and type of any nearby waste water
a description of the size and type of the works treatment facility;
proposed, e.g. method and degree of both the relationship of the proposed development
to previous or existing operations;
treatment (drying, digestion etc.), number and past environmental performance of similar
dimensions of treatment vessels, storage tanks, nearby works, including impacts on the
pumps, etc.; environment and the effectiveness of any impact
types, quantities and storage arrangements for mitigation.
chemicals used in sewage treatment (e.g.
Chlorine gas); D. POTENTIAL IMPACTS (SCOPING),
power supply requirements and proposed ALTERNATIVES AND CONSULTATION
energy conservation measures; The section summarises the outcome of the process
details of access arrangements and whether of identification and prioritisation of potential
these are completely new, upgraded or already in impacts, it should include:
existence;
all issues identified;
identification of drainage lines and on site
surface water management systems; the key issues which will need a full analysis in
the EIA;
employment during operation;
the issues which will not need a full analysis in
arrangements for effluent treatment or storage
the EIA, and the reasoned assessment of why
during maintenance and/or breakdown of plant.
they do not need full analysis.
C.4 Site Preparation and Construction A summary of the general alternatives (e.g.
Methods alternative locations, alternative schemes) should be
given, with the reasons for the selection of the
Describe the works required prior to preferred option.
commencement of operations, including:
The section should include details of who has been
any additional land requirement during
consulted, and the outcome of such consultations.
construction period;
timing, staging and hours of construction work; D.1 Potential Impacts (Scoping)
proposed construction methods including Scoping of the EIA should develop from a
temporary works, the equipment to be used; preliminary investigation of baseline conditions,
methods and route of transport of the consultation with regulatory bodies, and a
equipment to the site; preliminary site visit.
pollution control systems, e.g. erosion and For waste water treatment works, the construction
sediment control systems, wastewater holding phase is likely to give rise to negative impacts
tanks, noise and dust mitigation strategies; regarding land take, noise, dust, traffic, and
import or export of material to/from the site, movement into and off the site of materials -
including method and route of transport; especially large tanks, etc.
any stabilisation structures or earthworks During operation of any waste water treatment
including dredging, reclamation, excavation or works positive impacts may occur on the quality of
landfill, quantities of material to be moved out a watercourse to which a works already discharges,
of or onto the site, the method of disposal of and on health and living standards of local
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EIA Guidelines for Municipal Waste Water Treatment Works 7
residents. Negative impacts on water quality of a disposal, discharge limits to fresh waters, emissions
receiving water may also occur, if it is not currently to air and application of sludge to land must be
used for effluent disposal. consulted. Other agencies or departments might
Negative impacts are likely regarding loss of useful include those responsible for historic monuments,
land to the works, odours, noise, traffic and conservation of natural resources, etc., as
landscape. appropriate. These might include, the Egyptian
Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA),
Disposal of sewage sludge generated may be either Governorate representatives, Ministry of Housing,
a positive impact (if of suitable quality, adequately Communities and Public Utilities, Ministry of
treated and used in agriculture), or a negative Agriculture, Food Security and Land Reclamation,
impact (if of unsuitable quality for use in Ministry of Transport, Communication and
agriculture, insufficiently treated, or disposed to Shipping, Ministry of Health, NOPWASD
landfill or other waste disposal site). Other impacts, (National Organisation for Potable Water and
both positive and negative, will occur, but will Sanitary Drainage), and relevant Community
depend on the particular site, proposal and Development Associations (CDAs).
circumstances.
The procedures or methodology used to identify E. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXISTING
and prioritise issues should be outlined. This should ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS WITHIN
include: AND SURROUNDING THE SITE
relevant guidelines issued by government An overview of the existing environment should be
authorities, provisions of any relevant provided in order to place the proposal in its local
environmental protection legislation, and and regional context, and to provide baseline data
relevant strategic plans or policies; which may be used for subsequent monitoring.
relevant research or reference material, effluent General information to be provided for specific
or waste water treatment studies, and relevant issues identified as potentially important in the
preliminary studies or pre-feasibility studies. assessment of impacts from waste water treatment
proposals is discussed in the following subsections,
D.2 Alternatives and includes:
The EIA should include an assessment of the E.1 Water quality and hydraulics;
environmental impacts or consequences of E.2 Socio-economic and cultural environment;
adopting alternatives, including:
E.3 Waste management;
alternative location(s);
E.4 Air quality;
alternative schemes and layouts of the
development and services (these may be further E.5 Flora and fauna;
developed under mitigation section); E.6 Transport and access;
alternative management or operational practices E.7 Hydrology and groundwater;
(these may be further developed under E.8 Visual environment and landscape;
mitigation section); E.9 Risk and hazards.
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8 EIA Guidelines for Municipal Waste Water Treatment Works
focus on those water quality characteristics that may changes could result from secondary or cumulative
alter, and on the assimilation capacity of the water effects of the development (during construction
body to which the proposed works will discharge. and/or operation). Points to consider include:
Both positive and negative changes in water quality accidental, deliberate or managed discharge or
will need to be quantified, and therefore baseline release of materials,
data will be required. The existing microbiological, individual sources of change from works
chemical, biological and hydraulic conditions in the construction (e.g. spillage of fuels, suspended
water body to which the works currently discharges, solids such as cement dust, lubricants, etc.),
and if not the same, to which it will discharge
activities that alter flow regimes, erosion and
should the development be approved, must be sedimentation patterns and water chemistry,
assessed. Baseline data collected should be
sufficient that predicted conditions should the run-off from site and road areas.
development be approved may be calculated. For large size projects or projects in ecologically
The following water quality indicators and hydraulic sensitive areas, it is highly recommended that the
evaluation of the environmental impact for larger
conditions must be assessed for both the existing
treatment works, i.e. categorised in the high end of
and proposed effluents, and for both water courses the grey list projects and all black list projects, are
to which the works will discharge, and for any water analysed on the basis of a dynamic model.
course affected by existing discharges:
The modelling activity should preferably encompass
faecal coliforms (as indicators of faecal the water quality and hydraulic conditions for the
contamination), catchment (the sanitary drainage system), the
levels of dissolved oxygen and Biochemical treatment works and the receiving body. The
Oxygen Demand, modelling activity must consider both the existing
particulate matter (increased turbidity and and planned (future) conditions. It is
reduced light penetration), recommended that the modelling of the existing
conditions are validated against field measurements.
chemical contaminants from likely industrial or
agricultural sources such as metals, biocides and E.2 Social, Economic and Cultural Issues
hydrocarbons;
Social impacts of waste water treatment schemes
aquatic biological indicators (invertebrates); are often indirect and complex to assess, and
nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). consequently often not adequately addressed in
EIA. Baseline data collection should cover the
water quantity (daily inflow for small treatment
following:
works, dynamic inflow conditions for black list
treatment works (see section 2.2)) existing health of the local population (in
quantitative terms where possible) which may be
Data should be obtained from sufficiently far affected by provision or change to waste water
upstream of the proposed discharge (and existing treatment or collection (e.g. local incidence of
discharge, if any) to be able to estimate background water borne diseases);
conditions for the area/length of the watercourse
affected, or likely to be affected should the project existing potable water usage of the community,
be approved. Care should be taken that no other which may be affected after provision of waste
discharges exist between the proposed discharge water collection and treatment system;
point and the point used for sampling background existing charging structure and cost of waste
conditions. Samples should be taken as far water disposal, which may be affected by
downstream to permit assessment of the distance provision of different waste water collection and
over which the discharge will be assimilated by the treatment systems;
water course, or to the next discharge downstream if impacts of existing waste water disposal
any. systems which may be affected by provision of
Scoping should identify what may be likely sources different systems;
of industrial contaminants in the catchment area, existing and projected water treatment facilities
which may then require baseline measurement or for potable supply, which may be affected by
monitoring. provision of different waste water collection and
As well as the obvious direct changes in water treatment systems;
quality due to a changed or new effluent discharge,
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EIA Guidelines for Municipal Waste Water Treatment Works 9
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12 EIA Guidelines for Municipal Waste Water Treatment Works
reports, and approval or licence conditions, are fully actions to be undertaken if the monitoring
implemented. This should demonstrate that sound indicates a non-compliance with the defined
environmental practices will be followed during the criteria or an abnormality (e.g. inform WWTW
construction and operation of the development. It site manager in writing of parameter exceeded
should cover the following: and expected action to be undertaken);
management of construction impacts, (e.g. internal reporting procedures and links to
disposal of waste material, re-vegetation management practices and action plans (e.g.
management plans); WWTW site manager to review and remedy
disinfection processes if faecal coliform levels
management of operational impacts, (e.g. are above the specified maximum);
effluent and sludge quality and quantity
reporting procedures to relevant authorities
management, plant maintenance plans,
hazardous materials and fuel management, and, if appropriate, to the consent authority or
transport management, site security plans, the community.
emergency and contingency plans);
J. CONCLUSIONS
strategies and action plans to feed information
from the monitoring program into the This should be a summary of sections F, G and H
management practices; of the report (prediction and evaluation of impacts,
mitigation and alternative processes, and residual
Public awareness and training programmes for impacts), to emphasise:
operational staff;
which impacts are likely to be significant;
indicators of compliance with licensing and
approval requirements. how significant they will be;
which parts of the environment are likely to be
The Environmental Management Plan should affected;
describe the following monitoring details:
whether mitigation is possible;
the key information that will be monitored, its the likely success of mitigation measures adopted
criteria and the reasons for monitoring (e.g. or recommended to alleviate those impacts.
limits of parameters such as BOD, faecal
coliform bacteria, suspended solids, Ammonia This information can be presented either as text, or
and nutrients to be achieved in the effluent); as summary tables, if desired.
the monitoring locations, intervals and duration
of monitoring (e.g. sample for analysis of faecal
coliforms to be taken 10m upstream of
discharge, discharge itself, and 10m downstream
of discharge, once per week);
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