CFP Environmental Impact Assessment 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which Clean Water Act section specifically regulates the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, including fish-bearing streams?
- Section 401
- Section 402
- Section 404 (Correct answer)
- Section 303(d)
Correct answer: Section 404
CWA Section 404, administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, regulates permits for dredge and fill discharges into waters of the US, protecting aquatic habitats.
Question 2: When assessing cumulative impacts on a fish population, which factor is MOST critical to include beyond the direct project effects?
- The applicant's financial capacity
- Past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions in the watershed (Correct answer)
- The distance to the nearest hatchery
- Current sportfish license fee structures
Correct answer: Past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions in the watershed
NEPA requires cumulative impact analysis to consider all past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions that may affect the same resource, reflecting total watershed-level stress.
Question 3: Which metric from the Physical Habitat Simulation (PHABSIM) model is used to determine instream flow requirements for fish?
- Weighted Usable Area (WUA) (Correct answer)
- Habitat Suitability Index (HSI)
- Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI)
- Rapid Geomorphic Assessment score
Correct answer: Weighted Usable Area (WUA)
PHABSIM calculates Weighted Usable Area (WUA) at various flow levels, combining hydraulic simulations with habitat suitability criteria to define flow needs for target fish species.
Question 4: A proposed dam will inundate 50 miles of salmon spawning habitat. Under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, which agency must be consulted?
- Environmental Protection Agency only
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers only
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the relevant state fish and wildlife agency (Correct answer)
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission only
Correct answer: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the relevant state fish and wildlife agency
The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act requires federal agencies to consult with USFWS and the state fish and wildlife agency whenever waters are impounded, diverted, or otherwise controlled.
Question 5: In impact significance determination, which combination of factors typically elevates an impact to 'significant' under NEPA's context and intensity criteria?
- Low controversy, reversible, local scale
- High controversy, irreversible, affects unique or endangered resources (Correct answer)
- Moderate controversy, mitigable, regional scale
- Low controversy, beneficial, national scale
Correct answer: High controversy, irreversible, affects unique or endangered resources
CEQ regulations identify high public controversy, irreversibility, and effects on unique or endangered resources as key intensity factors that elevate an impact to 'significant.'
Question 6: Which tool is used to map Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) designations when preparing an EIA for an offshore energy project affecting marine fisheries?
- NOAA's EFH Mapper GIS database (Correct answer)
- USFWS National Wetlands Inventory
- EPA WATERS geographic database
- USGS StreamStats
Correct answer: NOAA's EFH Mapper GIS database
NOAA Fisheries maintains an EFH Mapper GIS tool that displays EFH designations by species and life stage, which must be consulted under the Magnuson-Stevens Act for federal actions affecting EFH.
Question 7: An EIA identifies that a proposed bridge crossing will temporarily increase stream turbidity. Which mitigation measure hierarchy step should be evaluated FIRST?
- Compensatory mitigation through stream restoration offsite
- Minimization using silt fencing and cofferdam work windows
- Avoidance by relocating the crossing to avoid the stream entirely (Correct answer)
- Monitoring and adaptive management post-construction
Correct answer: Avoidance by relocating the crossing to avoid the stream entirely
The mitigation sequence requires first evaluating avoidance of impacts entirely before considering minimization, rectification, or compensatory mitigation.
CFP Environmental Impact Assessment 3
Which Clean Water Act section specifically regulates the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, including fish-bearing streams?