18-Env-A1 Principles of Environmental Engineering · May 2014
Nivaar worked solution (AI-drafted; not reviewed by a licensed engineer)
National Exams — May 2014 — 04-Env-A1 / Principles of Environmental Engineering. 3 hours duration; closed book with an 8.5×11 in double-sided aid sheet; Casio or Sharp approved calculator only. Any five questions constitute a complete paper (first five answers marked); all seven are solved below for completeness. Each question is worth 20 marks.
Reference texts. Davis & Cornwell, Introduction to Environmental Engineering (6th ed.); Metcalf & Eddy, Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery (5th ed.); MWH’s Water Treatment: Principles and Design (3rd ed.); Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (Health Canada); Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) water-quality guidelines; Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA); Andrews, Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience (professional ethics).
Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.
The three drivers — industrial growth, suburban population growth and rising energy use — each load the same three environmental receptors (airshed, water resources, solid waste) differently, which is why the exam frames the answer as a 3×3 matrix: it forces a distinct impact-and-solution pair to be identified for every driver/receptor combination rather than one generic answer repeated three times.
| 2 Impacts & 2 Solutions | (i) Industrial Growth | (ii) Suburban Population Increase | (iii) Increased Energy Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Shed | Impacts: $\text{SO}_2$/$\text{NO}_x$ and particulate emissions from new plants; VOC emissions from solvent/process use. Solutions: flue-gas desulphurization and selective catalytic reduction; vapour-recovery/emission-control permitting. | Impacts: increased vehicle-kilometres travelled raising mobile-source $\text{NO}_x$/CO; wood-heating and dust from land clearing. Solutions: transit-oriented development to cut vehicle trips; land-clearing dust-control bylaws. | Impacts: greenhouse-gas emissions from added fossil generation; regional haze/acid deposition from power-plant stacks. Solutions: renewable/low-carbon generation portfolio; demand-side efficiency programs that avoid new capacity. |
| Water Resources | Impacts: industrial effluent loading (BOD, metals) to receiving streams; process cooling-water withdrawal. Solutions: pretreatment/discharge permits (effluent limits); closed-loop cooling-water recirculation. | Impacts: impervious-surface stormwater runoff and combined-sewer overflow risk; septic/sewer capacity strain. Solutions: low-impact development (bioswales, permeable pavement); staged sewer/treatment-plant capacity expansion. | Impacts: thermal pollution from once-through power-plant cooling; water consumption for hydro/thermal generation. Solutions: cooling towers to cut thermal discharge (see Q3(iii)); water-efficient generation technology selection. |
| Solid Waste Impacts | Impacts: industrial process waste and packaging volumes; hazardous by-product waste. Solutions: industrial waste-minimization/pollution-prevention programs; regulated hazardous-waste manifest and treatment. | Impacts: rising municipal solid waste generation per new household; construction/demolition debris from new subdivisions. Solutions: curbside recycling/organics diversion programs; C&D waste diversion and reuse requirements. | Impacts: ash and scrubber residue from fossil generation; spent-fuel/decommissioning waste if nuclear is used. Solutions: beneficial reuse of fly ash (e.g., in cement); dedicated long-term waste-management planning. |
Read down any column, the pattern is the same driver working through three different pathways; read across any row, the same receptor absorbing three different drivers — which is the practical value of the matrix for a planner allocating monitoring and mitigation budget across a growing region.
