Practice Test Geeks(CME) Certified Municipal Engineer Practice Test
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Environmental Engineering & Sustainability Flashcards

7 cards from real CME practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Environmental Engineering & Sustainability flashcards as text

  1. A municipal engineer is designing a stormwater retention pond. Which pollutant removal mechanism is LEAST effective in a wet retention pond?

    Answer: Volatilization of heavy metals

    Heavy metals are not significantly removed by volatilization; they are primarily removed through sedimentation and adsorption to settling particles.

  2. Under the Clean Water Act Section 402, which permit program regulates point source discharges of pollutants into navigable waters?

    Answer: NPDES

    The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) under CWA Section 402 regulates point source discharges into waters of the United States.

  3. A city is evaluating its solid waste program. The waste hierarchy preferred order from most to least preferred is:

    Answer: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Dispose

    The EPA waste management hierarchy prioritizes source reduction first, then reuse, recycling, energy recovery, and finally disposal as the last resort.

  4. Which greenhouse gas has the highest 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP) relative to CO₂?

    Answer: Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆)

    Sulfur hexafluoride has a 100-year GWP of approximately 23,500, the highest of any gas regulated under the Kyoto Protocol.

  5. A municipal engineer is assessing a brownfield site. Under CERCLA, which party is generally NOT liable for cleanup costs?

    Answer: A bona fide prospective purchaser who conducted all appropriate inquiry

    CERCLA provides liability protection for bona fide prospective purchasers who conduct all appropriate inquiry and comply with continuing obligations.

  6. In a life cycle assessment (LCA), the 'cradle-to-gate' system boundary includes:

    Answer: Raw material extraction through product manufacture only

    Cradle-to-gate encompasses raw material extraction through the factory gate, excluding distribution, use, and end-of-life phases.

  7. A wastewater treatment plant is experiencing elevated effluent total nitrogen levels. Which treatment process specifically removes nitrogen through biological nitrification-denitrification?

    Answer: Activated sludge with anoxic zones

    Activated sludge systems with anoxic zones allow nitrification in aerobic zones and denitrification in anoxic zones to biologically remove nitrogen.