TEAM IMPACTors

Leader:
Pua, Marsolito T.
Members:
Raga, Jessilito D.
Taliman, Kate Alliah T.
Torotoro, Hannah Jane S.
 MITIGATION OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTS
 MITIGATION
 Mitigation is the action that aims to lessen the severity, seriousness or
painfulness of something. Hence, mitigation of environmental impact is an
important part of planning, design and operation facilities.
 Impacts may be classified as those that primarily occur at the system level and
those that primarily apply to individual facilities. Mitigating measures may consist
of facility design modifications, construction of artificial habitats or replacement
housing, and modifications to the operation of facilities or systems.
 SUB-TOPICS:
• NOISE
• ENCROACHMENT O N NATURAL HABITATS
• STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
• HAZARDOUS WASTES A N D SOIL
CONTAMINATION
 NOISE
 Noise is an important impact for most transportation system. Noise impacts around
the major airports are often severe while noise impacts of highway and rail system
tends to be less severe but are pervasive in urban and suburban areas.

 Mitigation of noise impacts includes control of noise at the source, location and design
of facilities to minimize noise impacts, construction of noise barriers, and insulation
receptors.

 In few extreme cases, noise mitigation for airports has even involved purchase of
impacted property and abandonment of incompatible land uses.
 MEASUREMENT OF SOUND
The basic unit of sound is the decibel,which is relatedto the pressure as follows:

Where:
P = the sound pressure of a particular sound
P0 = the standard reference pressure of 20N/m2

o The scale most often encountered in analysis of transportation-related noise is known as

A-weighted sound level (dBA). This scale correlates well with human response, and is
available as a built-in feature on most sound meters.
 In most cases, the noise levels dealt with in noise mitigation are averages over many
individual noise events, such as passage of individual vehicles or aircraft. One commonly
encountered average noise measure is the equivalent noise level Leq calculated as :

Where:
Li = sound pressure level i, dBA
Pi = percentage of time the sound pressure is in the interval Li
 For air transportation applications,the Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) uses day-night
average levelLdn (also designated as DNL):

 For highway applications, another commonly encountered measure is L10 which is the sound level in
dBA exceed to 10% of the time.
 AIRPORT NOISE MITIGATION
 Mitigation of air traffic noise has involved attempts to reduce noise at the source, location
and orientation of runways to route arrivals and departure over relatively uninhabited
areas, insulation of receptors, operational restrictions, installation of noise barriers to
mitigate the effects of operations on the ground, and in extreme cases, acquisition of
property impacted by noise.
 Efforts at reduction of noise at the source have focused on jet engine design. On takeoff,
when noise levels are usually maximum, primary jet noise predominates. The introduction
of fan jet engines resulted in a major reduction in jet noise. However, sideline noise levels
at 500 m remain in the 90 to 100 dB range.
 AIRPORT NOISE MITIGATION(cont.)
 Where incompatible land use remains, insulation of receptors may be
appropriate. Sound insulation techniques include insulation of roof and walls,
blocking of air paths such as cracks around doors, installation of storm doors
and storm windows, and installation of acoustical doors and windows.
 Operational policies aimed at mitigating airport noise include modifications to
flight paths and flight profiles, especially on takeoff, and curfews or other
restrictions on late-night operations.
 HIGHWAY A N D RAIL NOISE MITIGATION
 Highway noise is nearly continuous while rail noise is more sporadic. The most common mitigating
measures for highway and railway noise are noise barriers or modification of the profile to depress
the facility below ground level.
 In the case of highways, there are several potential sources of noise. At low speeds, engine and
exhaust noise predominate. At higher speeds, tire noise is more important. These different
potential sources mean that design of noise mitigation for highways must consider a variety of
vehicle types and noise propagation.

 For railways,squeal caused by wheels slipping on the rails on curves is also important.
 Measures to control highway noise at the source include the use of mufflers to reduce engine and
exhaust noise and use of quiet pavements to reduce the tire noise.
 HIGHWAY A N D RAIL NOISE MITIGATION (cont.)
 Attempts by rail systems to control squeal at the source have included various types of lubrication,
use of noise dampers on wheels, and use of rail facings (which are produced by inserting a special
alloy filler in a groove in the rail head).
 Mitigation of highway or rail noise involved shielding of receptors by means of design modification
barriers. Federal policy with regard to noise mitigation is set forth by Federal Highway Program
Manual and establishes two types of noise mitigation projects: Type 1 projects (consist of those
involving provision of noise barriers as a part of new construction) and Type II projects (involves
retrofitting of existing highways with noise abatement features).
 Noise barriers commonly consist of earth beams or walls constructed of wood, metal or concrete
(cast in place,precast panel or block). Berms and walls are sometimes combined.
 HIGHWAY A N D RAIL NOISE MITIGATION (cont.)
 The primary noise attenuation mechanism involved Fresnel diffraction, also referred to as barrier
attenuation. Barrier attenuation is primarily a function of the Fresnel number N, which is turn a
function of the difference in noise path lengths with and without the barrier and the wavelength of
the noise.

Let N = Fresnel number

= the difference in path lengths
= the wavelength of the sound (usually assumed to be 0.6 m for traffic noise)
The difference in path lengths is given by:

Where A, B and C are as shown in Figure 7.1.

The Fresnel number N is givenby:
i for walls and ℇ= 1 for each berms:

0 for N ≤ —0.1916 —0.635s

5(l + 0.6ℇ) + 20 log for ( —0.1916 —0.065ℇ) ≤ N ≤ 0

° 5(1 + 0.6ℇ) + 20 log for 0 ≤ N ≤ 3 5.03

(7.6)

𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 2𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋
20(1 + 0.15ℇ) for N ≥ 5.03

Equation (7.b) actually gives the maximum attenuation, which occurs where the
line from the source to the receptor is perpendicular to the barrier. In addition, N will
vary with vehicle type because noise sources will be at different heights for different
vehicles. In practice, barrier attenuation is calculated by determining Ai for each vehi-
cle class i for vehicles at all points relative to the receptor. This results in a complicated
Jg set of calculation which are usually performed by co pter. p
 NOISE / Highway and Rail Noise Mitigation … continued

The overall reduction in noise due to the barrier, which is known

as the insertion loss, also on the transmission loss (the reduction in
sound transmitted through the barrier), ground cover, reflections
where there are parallel barriers, and possibly other circumstances. In
particular, transmission loss should normally exceed barrier loss by at
least 10 dBA to ensure that the noise reduction is not significantly
affected by noise transmission through the barrier. For materials
commonly used in noise barriers, transmission loss tends to increase
with the density of the material. Typical values are around 20 dBA for
wood and 35 dBA for concrete. Also, barrier effectiveness may be
compromised where there are no overlapping barriers (e.g. at ramp
junctions) because of reflections resulting from parallel barriers.
 ENCROACHMENT O N NATURAL HABITATS
 Construction of transportation facilities of all types is apt to encroach on natural habitats. Both plant
and animal communities are affected. Habitats that are especially sensitive, and for which significant
impact mitigation may be required, include wetlands and those containing threatened or endangered
species. Other especially sensitive areas include old-growth forest, riparian vegetation, and coastal
zones.
 Transportation facilities may disturb natural areas directly by means of noise, visual intrusion, fumes,
and conflicts between wildlife and vehicles and indirectly providing for increased human access. It
almost always have impacts on both hydrology and water quality.
 Mitigation of impacts on natural habitats may include location and design modifications intended
to avoid or reduce the impact, acquisition and preservation of equivalent habitat, and
construction of artificial habitats.
 Design Modifications
• Facility designs may be modified in a number of ways to reduce environmental impacts. One goal of
the initial location studies is to identify environmental sensitive areas. Horizontal and vertical
alignments of facilities such as roadways or railways may be designed to limit the area of impact.
• Under normal circumstances, this means designing horizontal and vertical alignment to stay close to
the existing ground surface, so as to minimize earthwork. In extreme cases, it may also involve
extensive use of viaducts, tunnels, or retaining walls to further limit the area of impacts; Example:
Glenwood Canyon.
• A second area of facility design that is important for the mitigation of impacts on natural
habitat is drainage system. Proper design of drainage is important where the facilities are
built on existing wetlands and enables natural circulation of water be disturbed as little as
possible.
• In particular, facilities built on impermeable fill may block the flow of groundwater
resulting in extensive ecological changes. To prevent this, culverts and bridges must be
designed to control groundwater levels and preserve existing water circulation rather
than merely handling surface flows during storms.
• While transportation facilities create barriers to wildlife migration, structures may be used
to provide passageways for animals.
 CONSTRUCTION OF
ARTIFICIAL HABITATS
 Artificial habitat creation has been used in a variety of situations, including both wetlands
and threatened or endangered species habitat. However, it focused on the creation of
artificial wetlands.
 Wetlands are areas that are saturated or submerged often enough and for long enough
periods of time develop hydric soils or to support plants adapted for life in saturated soils.
Wetlands includes habitats such as tidal mud flats, saltwater marshes, freshwater marshes,
swamps, and bogs.
 Planning for the biological aspects of the created wetland includes determination of the
types of plants and animals to be included in or attracted to the completed project.
Construction of Artificial Habitats …Sample Pictures
 MANAGEMENT OF HABITAT IN
RIGHTS-OF-WAYS
To protect the existing habitats, transportation agencies have often
planted native species, especially wildflowers along roadsides. Although the
primary motive for doing this is usually aesthetics, it can also be used to help
preserve rare native plant species.
 STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

• Stormwater management is the effort to reduce runoff of rainwater or melted

snow into streets, lawns and other sites and the improvement of water quality,
according to the United States Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA).
• When stormwater is absorbed into the soil, it is filtered and ultimately replenishes
aquifers or flows into streams and rivers.
• This water often carries debris, chemicals, bacteria, eroded soil, and other
pollutants, and carries them into streams, rivers, lakes,or wetlands.
 Objective of Stormwater Management

• The objective in the detailed design of the stormwater management systems for
flood control the intensity of the peak discharges. It is also provide enough
detention time to allow the various physical, biological, and chemical mechanism
that remove pollutants.
• The actual design of stormwater management is a complicated process, involving a
wide range of hydrology and hydraulic engineering.
 In urban and developed areas, impervious surfaces such as pavement and
roofs prevent precipitation from naturally soaking into the ground. Instead, water
runs rapidly into storm drains, sewer systems and drainage ditches and can cause
flooding, erosion, turbidity (or muddiness), storm and sanitary sewer system
overflow, and infrastructure damage. However, stormwater design and “green
infrastructure” capture and reuse stormwater to maintain or restore natural
hydrology.
 STORMWATER IN RURALAREAS
• Flooded agricultural land after a storm event. erosion (see also 2050-soil degradation).
Source:ARC (2010) Picture on the right. • Furthermore, this water could be used for
• In rural areas,the cumulative impact of agriculture and drinking water.
countryside living subdivisions, roads and
buildings causes an increase in peak flow rates,
and the volume of water that is discharged
after storm events.This leads to 2 key effects:
flooding and stream erosion (ARC 2010).The
main problem in rural areas is impermeable
surfaces (e.g.caused by roads and buildings)
and overstrained sewer systems . In rural
areas and agricultural land it can lead to
 STORMWATER MANAGEMENT IN URBAN
AREAS
• Any urban development will affect or make an soil to the impact of rain, which may lead to
impact on its environment.Construction of increased erosion. Natural meandering
roads or buildings significantly changes the watercoursesmay be canalized to more
hydraulic properties of an area. effectively route flows through the development.
• Typically, pervious layers are rendered less
permeable or even impermeable. Depressions
are raised to prevent ponding. Surfaces and
conduits are constructed to drain runoff more
efficiently. Natural vegetation is often removed,
causing reduced interception and transpiration
by plants. Limited vegetation cover exposes the
 Facilities commonly used for stormwater
management include the following:
• Detention basins. Two types are dry ponds
(depressions which are dry) and wet ponds.
(or permanent ponds are more effective in
removing contaminants).
• Infiltration trenches.
These are stone-filled dry pond
trenches that allow rain-
water to fill the stone voids
and then infiltrate the wet pond
 Facilities commonly used for stormwater management … continuation

the surrounding soil. These have relatively small

storage capacity, and hence are of little value in
flood control, but effective for water quality
management.
• Porous pavements. These are pavements consis-
ting of a layer of open-graded asphalt over a deep
base of large aggregate that serves as a reservoir
for detaining rainwater.
• Vegetative filter strips. Strips of land covered with
grass or other vegetation. Water is spread evenly Infiltration trenches

along the strip by means of a concrete or earthen

 Facilities commonly used for stormwater management … continuation

ditch located along a contour, and allowed to sheet across. They are
often used in conjunction with infiltration trenches, since they tend to
prevent clogging of the trench.
• Grassed swales. These are shallow grassed trench es
commonly used in roadway drainage. Standard
drainage ditch for rural highways and roadway Grassed swales

medians. Much like vegetative filter strips.

• Wetlands. Natural or artificial wetlands have been sometimes
proposed for water quality management. Effective in removing
nutrients from stormwater by means of biological uptake, and they
also provide for settling of particulates and other contaminants.
 H A Z A R D O U S WA ST E A N D SO I L
C O N TA M I N AT IO N

• Hazardous waste and soil contamination are often present in the right-of-way of transformation
facilities. Under current laws, transportation agencies are often responsible for remediation of
these hazards, even though they may result from the actions of previous landowners. Such as
disposal and restriction of handling.
• All forms of problem waste will require some sort of remediation; however, the level of
investigation and analysis required in order to develop mitigation may be less if wastes are not
legally defined as hazardous.
• Legislations governing responsibility for hazardous waste remediation includes the Resource
Recovery Act of 1967(RCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Comprehension
and LiabilityAct of 1980 (CERCLA).
• Under CERCLA, owners of contaminated property are subjected to “strict” liability which
means that they are responsible for the cost remediation whether they acted knowingly or
reasonably or not. Enforcement of such laws mentioned above is the responsibility of EPA
or the state resource agencies.
• Transportation construction may potentially contain all types of hazardous wastes. Mainly
petroleum, asbestos, lead and other metals.The main sources of hazardous waste and soil
contamination are service stations and various industrial use.
 The process of investigating potential right-of-way for hazardous
substances begins with:
1. A drive- by examination to determine whether there are properties that are likely to have
problems.

2. An investigation of past ownership and use of lands.

3. If these investigations result in suspicion to any properties are contaminated,sampling will
be undertaken to identify the nature and extent of the problem.
4. If hazardous wastes are confirmed the preferred solution is to alter the location of
transportation facility to avoid them,if not possible, remediation must be undertaken
 R E M E D IAT IO N O PT IO N S
• 3 WAYS OF REMEDIATION
1.Landfilling
 contaminated materials are deposited in an approved landfill.
 posses the risk of continuingenvironmentaldamage and possible future financial
liability.

2.Containment
 sealing of hazardous waste or contaminated soil by capping, slurry walls, or sheet piles,
or encapsulation in concrete vaults or bridge abutments.
 3.Treatment
 Incineration(now banned in the Philippines)
 Solidification
 Bioremediation
 Vacuum extraction
 Aeration or land farming
 Contaminated soils are spread to allow petroleum to evaporate. Also, aeration is
combined process of fertilization and cultivation in which microbes break don petroleum.

SELECTION OF WASTE MANAGEMENT METHODS DEPENDS O N THE WASTE TO BE

TREATED, AS WELL AS TECHNICAL A N D LEGAL MATTERS MUST ALSO BE
CONSIDEREDPRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS .
“Everything is possible for one
who believes”

Mark 9:23