Use Attainability Analysis

Getting the Scientific Data

     A Ecological Baseline Study (EBS) is the process of characterizing the wetlands to determine if they can meet the needs of a specific city or town. The purpose of an ecological baseline study is to measure pre-project conditions against which monitoring data can be compared to after project implementation. The ecological baseline study characterizes the hydrology, soils, water chemistry, and vegetation of the wetland area under consideration, in much more detail than a feasibility study. The baseline study also contains information about planning and geomorphology, as well as listing the criteria and regulatory issues by which the wetland treatment system will be judged. An ecological baseline study lasts for one year and is a major part of the permit application for wetland discharge.

      To maximize the effectiveness of your assimilation project you must know if the rate of application will balance the rate of decay or immobilization. The primary mechanisms by which this balance is achieved are physical settling and filtration, chemical precipitation and adsorption, and biological metabolic processes resulting in eventual burial, storage in vegetation, and denitrification.

     "A Ecological Baseline Study (EBS) is not merely a characterization. The EBS is the basis for granting a sanitary wastewater permit and determining biological conditions for inclusion in the permit."

     Suitability of the wetlands must be addressed in the EBS to assure state and federal agencies the treated wastewater effluent can be adequately assimilated. Examples include land use/land cover, pollutant assessment, cultural resources, and institutional factors. In combination, the functional, cultural and institutional requirements will impact all elements of implementation; from size of wetlands, discharge rate, design of the distribution system to operational cost. A well-designed assimilation project will maintain the integrity of the wetlands, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat.