NCEES Environmental Engineering 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: For the NCEES PE Environmental exam, the Clean Air Act (CAA) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) regulate:
- Greenhouse gas emissions from power plants only
- Six criteria pollutants including PM2.5, ozone, CO, NOx, SO₂, and lead (Correct answer)
- Toxic air pollutants from hazardous waste sites
- International transboundary air pollution agreements
Correct answer: Six criteria pollutants including PM2.5, ozone, CO, NOx, SO₂, and lead
NAAQS establish primary and secondary standards for six criteria pollutants: PM2.5, PM10, ozone, CO, NO₂, SO₂, and lead.
Question 2: In NCEES PE Environmental practice, the solid waste landfill liner system's primary function is to:
- Compact waste to increase density
- Prevent leachate migration into groundwater (Correct answer)
- Capture landfill gas for energy recovery
- Support heavy equipment during operations
Correct answer: Prevent leachate migration into groundwater
Liner systems (clay + geomembrane) prevent leachate from contaminating underlying soil and groundwater.
Question 3: On the NCEES PE Environmental exam, Darcy's Law for groundwater flow states that flow rate Q equals:
- Q = nAv (porosity times area times velocity)
- Q = KiA (hydraulic conductivity times hydraulic gradient times area) (Correct answer)
- Q = ghi/n (gravity times head times gradient divided by porosity)
- Q = T × S (transmissivity times storage coefficient)
Correct answer: Q = KiA (hydraulic conductivity times hydraulic gradient times area)
Darcy's Law: Q = KiA, where K is hydraulic conductivity, i is the hydraulic gradient, and A is cross-sectional area.
Question 4: In NCEES PE Environmental engineering, the log-removal credit for Cryptosporidium in drinking water treatment is governed by:
- Clean Water Act surface water treatment rule
- EPA Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR) (Correct answer)
- RCRA hazardous waste regulations
- CERCLA Superfund cleanup standards
Correct answer: EPA Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR)
The LT2ESWTR requires utilities to provide additional treatment for Cryptosporidium based on source water monitoring results.
Question 5: For the NCEES PE Environmental exam, the bioconcentration factor (BCF) for a contaminant in fish describes:
- The degradation rate of pollutants in sediment
- The ratio of contaminant concentration in the organism to that in water (Correct answer)
- The volatilization rate from water to air
- The lethal dose concentration for aquatic organisms
Correct answer: The ratio of contaminant concentration in the organism to that in water
BCF = Corganism/Cwater: a high BCF indicates a pollutant accumulates in organisms relative to its concentration in water.
Question 6: On the NCEES PE Environmental exam, the activated sludge process in wastewater treatment achieves BOD removal primarily through:
- UV disinfection of organic molecules
- Aerobic biological oxidation by suspended microorganisms (Correct answer)
- Chemical coagulation and sedimentation
- Anaerobic digestion in open lagoons
Correct answer: Aerobic biological oxidation by suspended microorganisms
Activated sludge uses aerobic microorganisms in suspension to oxidize dissolved and colloidal organic matter, reducing BOD.
NCEES Environmental Engineering 2
For the NCEES PE Environmental exam, the Clean Air Act (CAA) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) regulate: