Environmental Engineering Flashcards

What is the purpose of a NPDES permit in the United States?

Answer: To control the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters

The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program under the Clean Water Act controls water pollution by regulating point source discharges into US waters.

Bioremediation of contaminated soil uses which mechanism for cleanup?

Answer: Microorganisms to degrade contaminants

Bioremediation harnesses the metabolic activity of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi) to break down or immobilize hazardous contaminants in soil and groundwater.

What does the term 'non-point source pollution' refer to?

Answer: Diffuse contamination from multiple spread-out sources such as agricultural runoff

Non-point source (NPS) pollution comes from diffuse sources like agricultural runoff, urban stormwater, and atmospheric deposition rather than a single discharge point.

Trickling filters in wastewater treatment work by which mechanism?

Answer: Growing a biofilm of microorganisms on media that treat wastewater as it trickles past

Trickling filters are packed beds of media (stone, plastic) covered with a microbial biofilm; wastewater distributed over the top trickles down and is treated by the attached biomass.

Which solid waste management strategy ranks highest in the EPA's waste management hierarchy?

Answer: Source reduction (waste prevention)

The EPA's waste management hierarchy ranks source reduction (preventing waste generation) as the most preferred strategy, followed by reuse, recycling, recovery, and then disposal.

A Superfund site in the US is a location contaminated with hazardous substances designated for cleanup under which law?

Answer: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), also known as Superfund, gives the EPA authority to clean up contaminated sites and compel responsible parties to fund cleanup.