Las Egm, Nev. 89119Delineation and remediation of subsurface contamhation have become a major focus of environmental science during the past five years. Conventional technologies available for subsurface investigations (e.g., monitoring wells and soil borings) always will be re-74a Emimn. Sci. TechnOl.. Vol. 22. No. 7,lSSn q u i d to confirm and monitor subsurface contamination; however, quicker and less expensive techniques are. useful for prehinary site evaluations. Soil-gas surveying is.a technique that is applicable to a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under a variety of geologic and hydrologic set-The most common uses of soil-gas data include planning monitoring well networks and defining plume boundaries for remedial action. Preliinary screening techniques are. effective in selecting locations for.detailed sampling and analysis. Site investigators can use tings.results from a preliinary soil-gas survey to drill monitoring wells at locations withii the boundaries of a VOC plume. Soil-gas investigations also can be used to identify sources of VOCs and to distinguish between soil and groundwater contamination (1). Chemical analysis of soil gases has recently been used to monitor solvent and fuel leaks from underground storage tanks.In order to effectively design soil-gas surveys and interpret their results, the subsurface transport and fate of VOCs must be understd. These phenomena can have a pofound impact on the presence and concentrations of VOCs

Animal-based products reportedly have substantial water footprints. One alternative to meat products is meat analogs, which are processed plant-based foods mimicking real meat products. As data for the water footprints of meat analogs are limited, the present study assesses their water consumption and their potential for contributing to eutrophication and ecotoxicity in fresh and marine receiving waters. Life cycle assessments, which encompassed the generation of ingredients to the packaging of products, were performed for 39 meat analogs. Estimates for consumptive water use, ecotoxicity, and eutrophication are reported per ton of product and per kilogram of protein. On average, 3800 m3 of water were consumed per ton of product, whereas 0.56 kg P equivalents. and 12 kg 1,4-DCB (1,4-dichlorobenzene)) equivalents. were potentially released to terrestrial freshwaters and 2.2 kg N equivalents. and 7 kg 1,4-DCB equivalents. to marine waters. The predominant driver for water consumption and marine ecotoxicity was processing the meat analogs, whereas producing the raw ingredients was the main driver for freshwater toxicity and eutrophication. For reducing the use of and potential impacts on water, meat analogs may represent a viable alternative to processed meat products.

The objectives of this paper are to characterize an "ideal" environmental impact assessment (e.i.a.); to review the contemporary status of e.i.a. for several major activities and areas of development; and to identify successes, failures, and future needs in e.i.a.The institutional procedures to be followed for e.i.a. have been formalized in a number of countries, but the scientific basis and methods are still developing. We propose that the following elements comprise an ideal e.i.a.: (1) definition of scientific objectives, (2) background preparation, (3) identification of main impacts, (4) prediction of effects, (5) formulation of usable recommendations, (6) monitoring and assessment, (7) sufficient lead time, (8) public participation, (9) adequate funding, and (10) evidence that recommendations were used.The "best available" predictive, preoperational e.i.a.'s involving aquatic resources (power plants, fossil fuels, recreation, reservoirs, wastewater treatment, forestry, and dredging and water diversion in estuaries) were reviewed and scored on a 0–5 scale for each of the elements identified above. Mean scores for the criteria which could be assessed (nos. 1–8) indicated that the quality of the best available e.i.a.'s does not exceed our defined average but improves when legally required documents are excluded from the calculations. The lowest means, for criteria within the scientist's control (nos. 1–5), were obtained for "Prediction of effects" and ' "Formulation of usable recommendations." Overall mean scores for each development area (criteria 1–5) indicated three broad groups which included studies of above average quality (wastewater treatment, recreation); studies of approximately average quality (estuarine impacts, power plants, reservoirs, and fossil fuels); and studies of below average quality (forestry practices).Environmental impact assessment has had the following successes: increased environmental awareness due to public involvement in e.i.a., some environmental protection, and elucidation of intriguing research problems. The list of failures of e.i.a. is, however, longer: "tokenism," unrealistic time constraints, uncertainty of program or development schedules, difficult access to e.i.a. literature, questionable ethics, lack of coordination among studies, and poor research design.Future organizational/administrative needs of e.i.a. include improved access to e.i.a. literature, increased accountability for e.i.a.'s and their authors, improved public input into project decisions and designs, and improved organization and presentation of e.i.a. reports. Future scientific/research needs include development of methods to define and quantify relationships between biological, esthetic, and economic impacts; support for independent biological inventory programs; adequate time frames; improved design of research; inclusion of monitoring and assessment in every e.i.a.; study of cumulative impacts on a regional or national scale; and improved communication between scientists and planners.Key words: environmental impact assessment, aquatic ecology, power plants, fossil fuels, recreation, reservoirs, wastewater treatment, forestry, dredging and water diversion (estuaries)

Shallow soil gas (<2 meters deep) was collected and analyzed for trichloroethylene (TCE) to determine the relationship with ground‐water contamination directly below. The gaseous TCE plume was mapped with 46 probes and spanned three orders of magnitude in concentration (<0.001 to 2 μg/1). TCE concentrations in water from five monitoring wells around the study site ranged from 4 to 2800 ppb and had a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.90 with TCE concentrations in shallow soil gas. Vertical borings were completed to the water table at four locations in order to obtain profiles of soil gas contamination, air porosity, and water saturation. Gaseous diffusion and air/water partitioning are probably the dominant mechanisms involved in transporting TCE from the ground water to the shallow soil gas.