CEP Water Quality & Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which stormwater management approach mimics natural hydrology by infiltrating, filtering, and evapotranspiring runoff near its source?
- Combined sewer systems
- Low Impact Development (LID) (Correct answer)
- Gray infrastructure channelization
- Retention basin end-of-pipe treatment
Correct answer: Low Impact Development (LID)
Low Impact Development uses distributed, small-scale practices like bioretention, permeable pavement, and green roofs to manage stormwater close to the source.
Question 2: Under CWA Section 404, which agency issues permits for dredge and fill activities in waters of the United States?
- U.S. EPA
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Correct answer)
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- NOAA Fisheries
Correct answer: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers administers the Section 404 permit program for dredge and fill activities in waters of the United States, including wetlands.
Question 3: What is a groundwater recharge zone?
- An area where groundwater is extracted for municipal supply
- A zone where water infiltrates from the surface to replenish an aquifer (Correct answer)
- A contaminated plume in an aquifer
- A subsurface layer of impermeable rock
Correct answer: A zone where water infiltrates from the surface to replenish an aquifer
A groundwater recharge zone is an area where precipitation or surface water infiltrates through permeable soils and rock to replenish an underlying aquifer.
Question 4: Which water quality parameter measures the amount of oxygen required by microorganisms to decompose organic matter in water?
- Dissolved oxygen (DO)
- Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (Correct answer)
- Total suspended solids (TSS)
- Total dissolved solids (TDS)
Correct answer: Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
BOD measures the amount of oxygen consumed by biological decomposition of organic matter over a standard five-day period at 20°C.
Question 5: What is the primary cause of saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers?
- Sea level rise only
- Excessive groundwater pumping that reduces freshwater head pressure (Correct answer)
- Agricultural irrigation practices
- Deforestation of coastal watersheds
Correct answer: Excessive groundwater pumping that reduces freshwater head pressure
Excessive groundwater extraction lowers the freshwater head in coastal aquifers, allowing denser saltwater to migrate landward and contaminate the aquifer.
Question 6: Which type of wetland performs the most significant water quality function by removing nutrients through plant uptake and denitrification?
- Tidal salt marshes
- Inland freshwater marshes
- Constructed treatment wetlands (Correct answer)
- Playa lakes
Correct answer: Constructed treatment wetlands
Constructed treatment wetlands are specifically designed to maximize water quality improvement through controlled conditions that optimize plant uptake, sedimentation, and microbial denitrification.
Question 7: What federal program requires municipalities with separate storm sewer systems serving populations over 100,000 to obtain NPDES permits?
- Phase I MS4 program (Correct answer)
- Combined Sewer Overflow policy
- Pretreatment standards program
- Effluent guidelines program
Correct answer: Phase I MS4 program
The Phase I MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) program, established in 1990, requires large and medium municipalities to obtain NPDES permits for stormwater discharges.
CEP Water Quality & Management 3
Which stormwater management approach mimics natural hydrology by infiltrating, filtering, and evapotranspiring runoff near its source?