Chapter III— Environmental Quality (EQ) Procedures 



Section I— Introduction 



Section II — Definitions 



3.1.1 Purpose. 



This chapter provides an alternative set of proce- 

 dures that may be used for evaluating the effects of 

 alternative water resources plans on environnnental 

 quality (EQ). The EQ procedures in this chapter are 

 for Federal administrative purposes and do not 

 create any substantive or procedural rights in pri- 

 vate parties. The purpose of these procedures is to: 



(a) Establish a process for indentification and de- 

 scription of beneficial and adverse effects of alter- 

 native plans on significant natural resources and 

 historic and cultural properties (referred to herein- 

 after as natural and cultural resources). 



(b) Assist agencies in meeting the requirements 

 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 

 as amended (NEPA; Pub. L. 91-190; 42 U.S.C. 

 4321, et. seq.), as specified in the CEQ NEPA regu- 

 lations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508). Relationships 

 between the CEQ NEPA regulations and these pro- 

 cedures are noted in the text. Appendix B lists rela- 

 tionships that may aid in the preparation of an envi- 

 ronmental impact statement (EIS). 



(c) Provide a basic analytical framework for fo- 

 cusing the concurrent integration of other related 

 review, coordination, and consultation requirements 

 into the planning process. These other related re- 

 quirements include those mandated by the Fish 

 and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, as amended 

 (Pub. L. 85-624; 16 U.S.C. 661, et seq.), the Na- 

 tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amend- 

 ed (Pub. L. 89-655, 16 U.S.C. 470, et seq.); the En- 

 dangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Pub. 

 L 93-205; 16 U.S.C. 1531, e/ seq.); and the Coast- 

 al Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended 

 (Pub. L. 92-583, 16 U.S.C. 1451, et seq.). These 

 procedures for EQ evaluation are intended to rely 

 on and make use of, rather than duplicate, analy- 

 ses and documentation already used by agencies 

 for compliance with such requirements. 



3.1.2 Limitations. 



(a) These procedures are limited to evaluation of 

 effects on the ecological, cultural, and aesthetic at- 

 tributes of significant natural and cultural resources. 



(b) During the course of the EQ evaluation, the 

 planner should be aware that contributions or ef- 

 fects that can be measured in monetry terms are to 

 be monetized and included in the NED account. 



3.2.1 Definitions. 



EO account 



The EQ account may be used to describe that 

 part of the NEPA human environment that identifies 

 beneficial and adverse effects on significant EQ re- 

 sources and attributes. 



EO attributes 



EQ attributes are the ecological, cultural, and 

 aesthetic properties of natural and cultural re- 

 sources that sustain and enrich human life. 



(1) Ecological attributes are components of the 

 environment and the interactions among all its 

 living (including people) and nonliving components 

 that directly or indirectly sustain dynamic, diverse, 

 viable ecosystems. In this category are functional 

 and structural aspects of the environment, including 

 aspects that require special consideration because 

 of their unusual characteristics. 



(i) Functional aspects of the environment include 

 production, nutrient cycling, succession, assimilative 

 capacity, erosion, and other dynamic, interactive 

 processes and systems. Examples are the role of 

 wetlands as a potential sink for nutrients and pollut- 

 ants; the high productivity of marshes that is often 

 exported to other systems; and prime and unique 

 farmlands. 



(ii) Structural aspects of the environment include 

 plant and animal species, populations and commu- 

 nities; habitats; and the chemical and physical prop- 

 erties of air, water (surface and ground), and soil 

 and other geophysical resources. Examples are 

 water quality factors that support or are indicative 

 of trout fishenes; the substrate characteristics and 

 the aggregations of plants and animals that support 

 a rookery; the pH of the rainfall; pristine wilderness 

 areas; endangered, threatened, and other unique or 

 scarce plant and animal species; and rock strata 

 with scientific or educational uses. 



(2) Cultural attributes are evidence of past and 

 present habitation that can be used to reconstruct 

 or preserve human lifeways. Included in this cate- 

 gory are structures, sites, artifacts, environments, 

 and other relevant information, and the contexts in 

 which these occur. Cultural attributes are found in 

 archaeological remains of prehistoric and historic 

 aboriginal occupations; historic European and 

 American areas of occupation and activities; and 

 objects and places related to the beliefs, practices, 

 and products of existing folk or traditional communi- 



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