The Civil Engineer's Responsibility in Impact Analysis

Ways are suggested for engineers and others to make environmental impact analysis more effective by giving specific consideration to the following points: incorporating the analysis as an integral part of the total planning process; recognizing risks in the analysis and decisions; focusing on important issues; recognizing and accounting for the reliability of information; pursuing levels of detail in the analysis consistent with levels in other parts of the planning process and with the importance of the respective issues; making costs of the analysis consistent with other planning costs; expressing criteria for selection of professional experts and for dealing with nonexpert opinion, insofar as possible eliminating inconsistency of evaluation procedures among various water programs, the engineer's assuming an appropriate role in the public arena, combining EIS with other required environmental documents, and taking adequate time for the analysis.