3.2 PUBLIC UTILITIES AND SERVICES 



In assessing the demand for utility services, the demand for each 

 service (water, sewers, solid waste, and electricity) must be determined. 

 Table 5 shows demand figures used in selected environmental studies. After 

 demand is estimated, it should be compared to the capacity for the existing 

 water, sewer, solid waste, and electric service systems and facilities in 

 the study region. 



3.3 TRANSPORTATION 



Assessment of transportation needs (mainly roads and highways) is 

 extremely difficult; needed information on local road travel is frequently 

 unavailable. Highway transportation is measured by average daily traffic 

 and peak hour volumes which are then compared to highway capacity. Increased 

 population and industrial activity can cause congestion as the capacity of a 

 highway, a constant, is attained or exceeded. The capacity of a highway is 

 expressed in a number of vehicles passing a point each hour. 



Highway congestion typically results from two changes in travel patterns. 

 One is congestion around new industrial or commercial facilities where 

 vehicles congregate. Second is congestion around new supporting development 

 stimulated by highway access. 



Transportation projects typically consist of expanding and improving 

 portions of existing facilities. Short sections of highways may be 

 constructed in new locations. Typical projects include widening two-lane 

 highways to four lanes, straightening curves, constructing turning bays, or 

 improving traffic signals. The usual goal of these projects is to improve 

 the smoothness and rate of traffic flow. 



Example 7 is a discussion of local transportation from one of the few 

 studies made to date of the impact of a proposed major OCS-related onshore 

 facility (a platform construction yard) on a community. Cape Charles, 

 Virginia, is a fishing and agricultural center on the eastern shore of 

 Chesapeake Bay, near the southern end of the Delmarva Peninsula. 



3.4 SCHOOLS 



Determining the impact of added population on school demand requires: 



1. An estimate of elementary, junior high, and high school age children 

 by location. The national average figure for all school children 

 per household is 0.63 [23], 



2. Application of these estimates to local or state standards for 

 school area and classroom size. Alternatively, school acreage 

 needs may be estimated by reference to widely used planning 

 standards (Table 6). 



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