ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Overall, environmental engineering entails the: - Correct Answers -Protection of
Human/Public Health- the impact of waste streams on public health and its protection.
Protection of the Environment - the quality, availability and protection of environmental
resources (air, water and land), and everything that lives in it.
Examples of Environmental Engineering Applications to Protection of Public Health -
Correct Answers -• Disease Cholera - Infection of the small intestine
• Caused by the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae • Habitat: Aquatic Environment
• Humans serve as host for bacterium multiplication Examples of Environmental
Engineering Applications to Protection of Public Health Vibrio cholerae micrograph.
Taken by Department of Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin
• Symptoms - Profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, circulatory collapse and shock
• Symptoms can start immediately to five days after ingestion and if left untreated, 25-
50% of typical cholera cases are fatal.
Key scientific principles of Environmental Engineering - Correct Answers -Math
Chemistry
Physics
Biology
Career Options for Environmental Engineers - Correct Answers -• Consulting firms
• Industry
• Government agencies
• Universities and national laboratories
• Non-profit organizations
Tort Law - Correct Answers -civil wrong recognized by law as grounds for a legal
lawsuit.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) - Correct Answers -the
federal governing body authorized to enforce all major environmental regulations
Was formed on July 10th, 1970 by the executive order of President Nixon
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) - Correct Answers -Established in 1970
Requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision-making
processes
, federal agencies prepare a detailed statement known as an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS)
Clean Air Act (CAA) - Correct Answers -established in 1970
Seeks to protect human health and outdoor environment from both stationary and
mobile sources of emissions
Requires EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for a set of
criteria pollutants
Criteria Pollutants - Correct Answers -Nitrogen dioxide (NO2),
Sulphur dioxides (SO2),
Particulate matters (PMs),
Ground-level Ozone,
Carbon monoxide,
Lead
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) - Correct Answers -Mandatory federal law for
protecting public potable water supplies from harmful contaminants
Does not protect private well or spring water
Primary Standards to protect tap water by setting maximum contaminant levels (MCLs)
for naturally occurring and man-made chemicals/contaminants
Secondary Drinking Water Regulations: Nonenforceable guidelines regulating
contaminants that may cause cosmetic effects (such as skin or tooth discoloration) or
aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, or color) in drinking water
Clean Water Act (CWA) - Correct Answers -1948
CWA establishes a structure for:
1. Regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the U.S. from any "point source"
discharge
2. Regulating water quality standards for surface waters
NPDES Permit - Correct Answers -The CWA made it unlawful to discharge any
pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit - National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System was obtained.
Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA) - Correct Answers -This Act gives EPA
the authority to control hazardous waste from the "cradle-to-grave" - includes the
generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) -
Correct Answers -Also known as Superfund
CERCLA began a process of identifying and cleaning up the many sites of uncontrolled
hazardous waste disposal at abandoned sites, industrial complexes, and federal
facilities
ppm conversion - Correct Answers -Solids
EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Overall, environmental engineering entails the: - Correct Answers -Protection of
Human/Public Health- the impact of waste streams on public health and its protection.
Protection of the Environment - the quality, availability and protection of environmental
resources (air, water and land), and everything that lives in it.
Examples of Environmental Engineering Applications to Protection of Public Health -
Correct Answers -• Disease Cholera - Infection of the small intestine
• Caused by the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae • Habitat: Aquatic Environment
• Humans serve as host for bacterium multiplication Examples of Environmental
Engineering Applications to Protection of Public Health Vibrio cholerae micrograph.
Taken by Department of Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin
• Symptoms - Profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, circulatory collapse and shock
• Symptoms can start immediately to five days after ingestion and if left untreated, 25-
50% of typical cholera cases are fatal.
Key scientific principles of Environmental Engineering - Correct Answers -Math
Chemistry
Physics
Biology
Career Options for Environmental Engineers - Correct Answers -• Consulting firms
• Industry
• Government agencies
• Universities and national laboratories
• Non-profit organizations
Tort Law - Correct Answers -civil wrong recognized by law as grounds for a legal
lawsuit.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) - Correct Answers -the
federal governing body authorized to enforce all major environmental regulations
Was formed on July 10th, 1970 by the executive order of President Nixon
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) - Correct Answers -Established in 1970
Requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision-making
processes
, federal agencies prepare a detailed statement known as an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS)
Clean Air Act (CAA) - Correct Answers -established in 1970
Seeks to protect human health and outdoor environment from both stationary and
mobile sources of emissions
Requires EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for a set of
criteria pollutants
Criteria Pollutants - Correct Answers -Nitrogen dioxide (NO2),
Sulphur dioxides (SO2),
Particulate matters (PMs),
Ground-level Ozone,
Carbon monoxide,
Lead
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) - Correct Answers -Mandatory federal law for
protecting public potable water supplies from harmful contaminants
Does not protect private well or spring water
Primary Standards to protect tap water by setting maximum contaminant levels (MCLs)
for naturally occurring and man-made chemicals/contaminants
Secondary Drinking Water Regulations: Nonenforceable guidelines regulating
contaminants that may cause cosmetic effects (such as skin or tooth discoloration) or
aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, or color) in drinking water
Clean Water Act (CWA) - Correct Answers -1948
CWA establishes a structure for:
1. Regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the U.S. from any "point source"
discharge
2. Regulating water quality standards for surface waters
NPDES Permit - Correct Answers -The CWA made it unlawful to discharge any
pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit - National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System was obtained.
Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA) - Correct Answers -This Act gives EPA
the authority to control hazardous waste from the "cradle-to-grave" - includes the
generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) -
Correct Answers -Also known as Superfund
CERCLA began a process of identifying and cleaning up the many sites of uncontrolled
hazardous waste disposal at abandoned sites, industrial complexes, and federal
facilities
ppm conversion - Correct Answers -Solids
