Practice Test Geeks(CES) Certified Environmental Scientist Practice Test
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Pollution Control & Waste Management Flashcards

7 cards from real CES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Pollution Control & Waste Management flashcards as text

  1. Which stormwater management practice is classified as a 'green infrastructure' approach that mimics natural hydrology by infiltrating runoff on-site?

    Answer: Bioretention cell (rain garden)

    Bioretention cells use engineered soil media and vegetation to infiltrate and treat stormwater, mimicking natural water cycle processes.

  2. Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), which section requires facilities to report annual releases of listed toxic chemicals to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)?

    Answer: Section 313

    EPCRA Section 313 requires certain facilities to report annual toxic chemical releases and transfers to the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory database.

  3. What is the primary environmental concern associated with the application of biosolids (treated sewage sludge) to agricultural land?

    Answer: Accumulation of heavy metals and pathogens in soil and crops

    Land application of biosolids raises concerns about heavy metal bioaccumulation (e.g., cadmium, lead) and pathogen transmission regulated under 40 CFR Part 503.

  4. Which in-situ soil remediation technology uses electrical current to mobilize and extract contaminants (especially heavy metals) from fine-grained soils?

    Answer: Electrokinetic remediation

    Electrokinetic remediation applies low-level DC current across contaminated soil, causing ions and contaminants to migrate toward electrodes for extraction.

  5. A facility generates wastewater containing 50 mg/L of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). After treatment, the effluent contains 5 mg/L BOD. What is the BOD removal efficiency?

    Answer: 90%

    BOD removal efficiency = (50 - 5) / 50 × 100 = 90%, calculated as the fraction of influent BOD removed during treatment.

  6. Which type of municipal solid waste facility is specifically designed to separate recyclable materials from the mixed waste stream using mechanical and manual sorting?

    Answer: Materials recovery facility (MRF)

    A Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) uses conveyors, screens, magnets, and manual sorting to separate and recover recyclable materials from the mixed waste stream.

  7. What is the primary purpose of a vapor intrusion assessment at a contaminated site?

    Answer: To evaluate whether subsurface volatile contaminants are migrating into overlying buildings

    Vapor intrusion assessment evaluates whether volatile chemicals from contaminated soil or groundwater are entering overlying structures and creating inhalation risks.