|
Question
on Checklist |
Purpose of question |
Type
of Data Needed |
Data
Source |
Critical
Threshold or Quantitative Data for Decision Making |
|
Water Quality Considerations/Impacts |
||||
|
What is the source of water for the proposed project? ·
If municipal, does the project fall within existing service areas? ·
What is the estimated daily water demand for the project? ·
Does this exceed existing production capacity in municipal
facilities? |
To
ensure that development does not outstrip capacity in existing capital
facilities (both water and sewer) To
ensure that safe water is provided for all residents |
Coverage
/ service area for municipal water services |
TCRPC
for service boundaries Board
of Water & Light (517)702-6494 DEQ Source Water (517)
241-1359 Center for Geographic Information |
No
standardized threshold. Will vary
according to municipal facility. |
|
What
is the water quality in the proposed project area? Is the water considered safe (potable)? |
To
ensure that water for project is safe |
Water
chemistry data |
ICHD MDEQ wellviewer.rsgis.msu.edu |
|
|
Are
there nearby sources of potential water contamination? ·
Are there underground storage tanks? ·
Are there gasoline pipelines? ·
Is there a nearby known source of contaminated soil? (E.g., a Superfund site; state-identified
toxic brownfields) |
To
ensure that water wells or local water sources are not placed near areas of
contamination |
Location
of underground storage tanks; gasoline pipelines; Superfund sites;
state-designated toxic sites |
EPA – surf your watershed http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/state.cfm?statepostal=MI MDEQ wellviewer.rsgis.msu.edu |
(need
to illustrate buffer as a safety zone within which development should not
take place) |
|
Are
there any abandoned water wells on the site? |
To ensure that abandoned
wells are identified and capped before digging up the land and causing
pollutants to penetrate through open wells. |
Location
of abandoned wells; requires physical inspection |
Property records history. Don’t think there
are any maps on this |
Property must be located
outside the wellhead protection map |
|
Will
the water supply require on-site treatment, such as iron removal? |
To ensure good water
quality, appearance and taste. |
Water chemistry data |
ICHD MDEQ wellviewer.rsgis.msu.edu |
0.3mg/l for iron in
drinking water According to DNR |
|
Question
on Checklist |
Purpose of question |
Type
of Data Needed |
Data
Source |
Critical
Threshold or Quantitative Data for Decision Making |
|
|
Water Quality Considerations/Impacts |
|||||
|
Does
the proposed project fall onto land classified as a wetland? ·
What is the size of the affected wetland? (>5 acres requires state permitting) ·
Is the developer proposing adequate mitigation measures? |
To
enhance protection of wetlands to meet a no net loss standard |
Land
cover; identification of wetlands |
Permit consolidation Unit,
DEQ 373-9244 http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-glm-water-pcu-JointPermitApp.PDF Local wetland inventories ( Wetland inventory
maps http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3313_3687-11178--,00.html |
-
under 2 acres must be permitted unless local ordinance in place -
over 5 acres require permits -
contiguous to |
|
|
Does
the project fall within a wellhead protection zone? |
To
ensure that water sources are protected from contamination |
Wellhead
protection data layer |
ICHD MDEQ |
|
|
|
Is
the project located on a known floodplain? |
To
ensure adequate buffers for rivers; to protect private property from flood
damage |
Floodplains/FEMA
data |
FEMA Shapefiles from TCRP |
|
|
|
Will
the project create bodies of water (e.g., detention ponds) that might provide
habitat for mosquitoes? ·
Has the developer submitted a plan based on best management practices
for managing water and soil erosion during construction? |
To
prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases such as West Nile Virus |
Best
Mgmt. Practices advice |
|
Best
Management Practices handbook can be hotlinked to this question |
|
|
Will
the proposed project affect groundwater recharge? ·
What is the percentage of the land parcel covered by impervious
surfaces? ·
Does the project affect the overall % of impervious surfaces within
the watershed? (Unit issue: city?) |
To
raise awareness on imperviousness/water recharge; give data to planner to ask
developer for design / site development changes to maintain environmental
quality |
%
covered with impervious from site plan submitted by developer impervious
surface baseline for unit of analysis
(watershed? city?) |
Geological Maps and Data
from DEQ Rsgis at MSU http://www.rsgis.msu.edu/datadocs.htm |
-
use NEMO % standards, e.g., 15% = impaired watershed, etc. -
Alt. use standards established in Plan and |
|
|
Question
on Checklist |
Purpose of question |
Type
of Data Needed |
Data
Source |
Critical
Threshold or Quantitative Data for Decision Making |
|
|
Wastewater Considerations/Impacts |
|||||
|
Does
the project fall within the service area of a municipal sewage system? ·
What is the estimated load to the sewer system generated by the
project? ·
Does the municipal sewage system have sufficient capacity to service
the development? |
To
ensure that wastewater is properly treated and that facilities have capacity
to handle new demands created by development |
Sewer
cover for metropolitan areas Soils |
TCRPC |
No
standardized threshold. Will vary
according to municipal facility. |
|
|
Does the project propose an on-site wastewater system? ·
Are the soils appropriate for septic? ·
Is animal waste disposed of safely? |
To
ensure that groundwater is protected; to ensure safe disposal of waste for
human health |
Sewer
cover for metropolitan areas Soils |
Soil
Surveys (NRCS) Sewer
cover (Tri-County) MDEQ,
Permit Consolidation Unit 373-8148; or Groundwater Program Section 373-8148 National Resource Conservation Service http://soildataviewer.nrcs.usda.gov/ |
(Indicate
soils that cannot support septic) |
|
|
Air Quality Considerations/Impacts |
|||||
|
Does the project entail demolition activities? ·
If yes, has the site been examined for asbestos or lead? ·
Are there plans for mitigating dust? |
To
ensure that contaminated materials removed from site are property disposed
of; to ensure that demolition activities do not generate airborne
contaminants |
Age
of structure (proxy); plat map, if possible |
Assessor’s
office for all counties |
|
|
|
Question
on Checklist |
Purpose of question |
Type
of Data Needed |
Data
Source |
Critical
Threshold or Quantitative Data for Decision Making |
|
Air Quality Considerations/Impacts |
||||
|
Will
the project result in increased stationary air emissions? ·
If yes, are emissions controlled contaminants? (E.g., VOCs, mercury, etc.) ·
Has the developer obtained necessary permits? |
To
ensure air quality for immediate neighbors and Tri-County Area |
|
Window to Environment - EPA http://www.epa.gov/enviro//wme/ |
|
|
Will the project result in increased mobile-source air emissions (i.e., automobiles)? ·
What increase in traffic volume is projected for peak hours? ·
Are non-motorized transportation alternatives (e.g., bike paths)
available for those who do not own or do not want to use their cars? ·
Has the project accommodated public transit (e.g., bus stops) in its
design? |
To
ensure air quality for immediate neighbors and Tri-County Area |
Locations
of public transit and non-motorized trails |
TCRPC http://www.epa.gov/enviro//wme/ |
2000 vehicles/day For residential Max 1000 ft for toxic
emissions |
|
Is
the proposed use compatible with adjacent uses? |
To
prevent negative impacts from nuisance and incompatible uses |
Zoning
layer |
TCRPC |
|
|
Is
the site near known areas affected by radon? |
To
ensure that development does not take place in radon affected areas |
Radon
data |
ICHD |
|
|
Is the project located on or near formal disposal sites? ·
Has the site been assessed for possible dangers from methane? |
To
ensure that development does not take place on dangerous/contaminated lands |
Location
of waste transfer stations, land fills, hazardous waste disposal sites |
DEQ EPA http://www.epa.gov/enviro//wme/ |
|
|
Question
on Checklist |
Purpose of question |
Type
of Data Needed |
Data
Source |
Critical
Threshold or Quantitative Data for Decision Making |
|
Solid and Hazardous Waste Disposal |
||||
|
(For
residential, commercial or non-hazardous waste projects) |
||||
|
Is
the proposed project located near any facility handling or disposing of
hazardous waste? |
Prevention: to ensure that projects are not located on
or near sites that present threats to human health |
Location
of waste transfer stations, land fills, hazardous waste disposal sites |
DEQ EPA http://www.epa.gov/enviro//wme/ |
|
|
Are
there plans in place to prevent the release of hazardous materials into the
environment in the case of fire? |
Prevention: to ensure that facility managers and “first
responders” are adequately prepared to respond to emergencies with potential
human health impacts |
Direct
question to operator of the facility or appropriate governmental regulator |
No
GEO data |
NA |
|
Is
there historic evidence of solid or hazardous waste disposal or releases on
or adjacent to the site? |
Prevention: to ensure that projects are not located on
or near sites that present threats to human health |
Location
of waste transfer stations, land fills, hazardous waste disposal sites |
http://www.epa.gov/enviro//wme/ |
|
|
(For
hazardous waste facility projects) |
||||
|
Is
the proposed waste handling or disposal activity compatible with adjacent
existing or zoned uses? |
To
ensure that specific projects do not present a threat to nearby neighbors or
general human health |
Zoning
layer National
EPA Standards (do they exist?) |
TCRPC |
|
|
Is
the proposed waste handling or disposal activity compatible with the County
Solid Waste Management Plan? |
To
ensure that specific projects do not present a threat to nearby neighbors or
general human health |
|
|
Need
Waste Mgmt. Plan |
|
Is
the facility near vulnerable resources (e.g., nursing home) that may require
contingency planning for extra protection in the event of an on-site fire? |
To
ensure that specific projects do not present a threat to nearby neighbors or
general human health |
Nursing
home/hospitals layer Schools |
TCRPC |
|
|
Question
on Checklist |
Purpose of question |
Type
of Data Needed |
Data
Source |
Critical
Threshold or Quantitative Data for Decision Making |
||
|
Solid and Hazardous Waste Disposal |
||||||
|
(For
hazardous waste facility projects) |
||||||
|
Are
minority or disadvantaged populations at greater risk of exposure to
environmental hazards from this project? ·
What percentage of the adjacent population lives below the poverty
line? ·
What percentage of the adjacent population is of a minority ethnic or
racial group? |
To
ensure that equity considerations and differential impacts of development are
taken into consideration in planning processes |
Poverty,
demographic, income data from Census Bureau |
US
Census Bureau http://factfinder.census.gov/jsp/saff/SAFFInfo.jsp?_pageId=gn7_maps&_submenuId=maps_0 |
|
||
Noise Considerations/Impacts
|
||||||
|
Is
the project likely to generate noises that will create a nuisance to
neighboring uses? |
To
prevent negative impacts from nuisance and incompatible uses |
Use
specific, supplied by developer |
www.scorecard.org |
|
||
|
Does
the generated noise violate your local noise ordinance? ·
If no ordinance exists, does the project exceed health standards for
noise? |
Noise
source and bldg. materials vary; to ensure that potential noise stays within
healthy limits |
Use
specific |
www.scorecard.org |
Distance
from noise corridor, such as internal ambient noise not to exceed 45 decibels |
||
|
Are
there engineered or non-engineered measures that can be employed to mitigate
nuisance noises? ·
Consider: setbacks, sound
walls, vegetative barriers, operational practices |
Raise
awareness of developers and municipal reviewing agencies of importance of
noise reduction. |
Design
Guidelines |
|
Can
use Chadde’s new Design Guidelines, get copy to Bill |
||
Social Capital
|
||||||