CE 372

Prof. Wittig

Sophia Palumbo
Fall 2014
PS3

Ch. 3 Problems
Problem 2
The most likely endpoint for the Goethals Bridge project is Findings. The project is not
in a critical environmental area (CEA), but it is a Type I project because a structure will
be torn down and a new structure will be built. Environmental Assessment Forms (EAF),
a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), and a Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) will be completed for the Environmental Quality Review (EQR)
Process.
Problem 3
Three possible alternatives to the preferred project that will vary a component of the
design:
Instead of demolishing the bridge and then building a new one, a new bridge can
be built next to the old Goethals Bridge. The old bridge can be demolished once
the new bridge is completed.
Instead of constructing a new bridge, the existing bridges traffic lanes can be
widened and certain structural can be members replaced.
Renovate the old bridge, build a new bridge next to the old one, and have both
bridges in operation.
Problem 4
Action
Impacted
How attribute is
Direct or Temporary Beneficial
attribute
impacted
indirect
or
or adverse
permanent
Bridge
Water
Falling debris
Direct
Permanent
Adverse
demolition
Resources
during demolition
pollutes the Arthur
Kill
Re-route
Transit and Several MTA
Indirect
Temporary
Adverse
traffic
pedestrians Staten Island
during
express buses must
construction
find alternative
travel routes,
potentially
inconveniencing
customers and
increasing transit
volume on other
bus routes.
Constructio Noise
Noise from
Direct
Temporary
Adverse
n of new
construction
bridge
equipment will
disturb people in
the nearby

CE 372
Prof. Wittig

Sophia Palumbo
Fall 2014
residential area.

Problem 5
Action
Bridge demolition

Mitigation
Barges can promptly collect
debris as the bridge is being
demolished.

Re-route traffic during

construction

Alert MTA customers as

soon as possible of service
change, and increase
service on other Staten
Island express bus routes.
Place noise barriers walls or
screens around the
construction areas on land.

Construction of new bridge

Effect
This will decrease the
amount of debris polluting
the Arthur Kill during
demolition
People will be aware of the
service change well before
it occurs and will have
ample time to choose
different travel routes.
Noise barriers will decrease
the noise from the
constructions site in the
sites surrounding areas.

Problem 6:
Traffic and income are twice as important as air pollution, water use, or energy
use.
A linear scale from 0 to 1 will be used for calculating attribute important (I).
There is a maximum incremental impact magnitude criterion for each attribute.
The formula used, therefore, for calculating impact magnitude is
existing_ condition impacted_ condition
M
incremental _ criteria
Alternative 1 is no build, alternative 2 is omit train extension from preferred
project, and alterative 3 is use green methods to build preferred project.
The following table displays the M and I values corresponding to the project and each
alternative.
Attribute

Impactedattributefor
prefferedproject
Traffic (cars/hour) during
I =2/2 =1
construction
M =300/1000 =-0.3
Air pollution (ppb) during
I =1/2 =0.5
construction
M =50/100 =-0.5
Water use (m^3/d) duringuse I =1/2 =0.5
of finished project
M =8000/10000 =-0.8
I =1/2 =0.5
Energyuse (Mwatt) during
M =3000/10000 =-0.3
use of finished project

Impactedattribute
forAlternative1
I =2/2 =1
M =0 (-)
I =2/2 =1
M =0 (-)
I =1/2 =0.5
M =1000/10000=+0.1
I =1/2 =0.5
M =1000/10000=+0.1

Impactedattributefor
Alternative2
I =2/2 =1
M =150/1000=-0.15
I =1/2 =0.5
M =25/100 =-0.25
I =1/2 =0.5
M =8000/10000=-0.8
I =1/2 =0.5
M =3000/10000=-0.3

Impactedattributefor
Alternative3
I =2/2 =1
M =300/1000 =-0.3
I =1/2 =0.5
M =50/100 =+0.5
I =1/2 =0.5
M =2000/10000=+0.2
I =1/2 =0.5
M =1000/10000=-0.1

I =2/2 =1
I =2/2 =1
I =2/2 =1
I =2/2 =1
Average income ($/year)
M =7500/100000 =-0.75 M =1000/10000=+0.1 M =2500/10000=-0.25 M =10000/10000 =-1
duringuse of finished project

1 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.8 0.5 0.3 1 0.75 1.85

1 0 0.5 0 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.1 1 0.1 0.2
Alternative 1 =
Proposed project =

CE 372
Prof. Wittig

Sophia Palumbo
Fall 2014

1 0.15 0.5 0.25 0.5 0.8 0.5 0.3 1 0.25 1.075

1 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.5 0.1 1 1 1
Alternative 3 =
Alternative 2 =

The optimum project is no build. This is because this project alternative has the most
positive overall impact, and will therefore lead to the lowest overall impact on the
affected attributes.
Chapter 5 Reading Comprehension
Question 1:
Time The concentration of a pollutant may vary with time, because the
concentration is a function of source emission rates and the environmental
properties (which are both time-dependent). If environmental properties (such as
media density or flow rates) change during the modeling, the system is unsteady.
The system is steady if the environmental; properties do not change with time.
Source emission rate and location The source emission rate can be constant or
variable. The physical size of the source location and the strength of the source
also influence the concentration of a pollutant in the environment. A pollutants
concentration will hold higher importance if the source is in a critical
environmental area (CEA)
Receptor location If the receptor location is a CEA or the pollutant presents a
risk to a population in the receptor location, the pollutants concentration will hold
higher importance. The path to the receptor also influences concentration.
Convection The flow rate of a large mass of media, chemical reactions during
transport and the media itself affect the concentration of a pollutant. A system is
closed if the media and pollutant neither leave nor enter the control volume (CV).
An open system has media and the pollutant entering and/or leaving the CV
Dispersion Dispersion influences the rate at which the pollutant within media is
mixed within the area of a CV. Also, a pollutant can be dispersed while dissolved
in media or independent of the media. The direction of dispersion has a great
effect on pollutant concentration.
Mixing Mixing determines the dispersion across a CV, and dictates the
dimensions in which the pollutant is dispersed. Mixing, however, is not always
constant; dispersion of media and a pollutant in a CV for example can change
from 1D to 3D over time.
Reaction Reactions with other chemicals or water can lead to the formation or
decay of a pollutant, therefore directly influencing the concentration of the
pollutant.
Question 2:
Dispersion of media and/or pollutants can vary with the dimensions of the CV. The
numbers of 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D indicate the number of special dimensions in
which concentration or dispersion velocity vary.

CE 372
Prof. Wittig

Sophia Palumbo
Fall 2014

0D The properties of the CV are uniform, meaning that concentration is evenly

dispersed in the entire CV, and that the elements within the CV are moving, or
circling, at a constant rate. For 0D, the CV may have evenly proportioned
boundaries in the x, y, and z direction.
1D Properties in the CV vary in one dimension and remain uniform in the two
other dimensions. The CV, for example, may be longer in the direction of
convection, such as the CV for a pipe or stream.
2D The CV properties vary in two dimensions, and remain constant in one
dimension.
3D The CV properties vary in every dimension. Such CVs may include
diffusion, or may have a 3-dimensional profile where the concentration varies in
every dimension, such as a plume.