Table 3.4.4— Example Techniques — Continued 



(1) Planners should recognize that indicators, 

 units, guidelines, and techniques are highly interde- 

 pendent and that the specification of one influ- 

 ences the specification of the others. For example, 

 if "dissolved oxygen" and "coliforms" are selected 

 as indicators of the ecological attribute of a river re- 

 source and a State's water quality standards for 

 dissolved oxygen and coliforms are selected as 

 guidelines, then the units, such as milligrams per 

 liter (mg/l) for dissolved oxygen and most probable 

 number (MPN) of coliforms, would follow. 



(2) If either a unit, a guideline, or a technique 

 cannot be specified for an indicator, then the indi- 

 cator should not be used. 



(g) Appendix A provides an example documenta- 

 tion format for recording the results of this activity. 



3.4.5 Inventory resources phase. 



This phase is performed to collect and develop 

 information, within the previously defined evaluation 

 framework, for use in assessing the effects of alter- 

 native plans. In the first activity, the trend and exist- 

 ing conditions of identified EQ resource attributes 

 are measured or otherwise described. In the 

 second and third activities, future without-plans and 

 with-plan conditions of identified EQ resource attri- 

 butes are estimated. 



3.4.6 Survey existing conditions activity. 



(a) This activity is performed to collect informa- 

 tion that measures or otherwise describes the trend 

 and existing conditions of the identified EQ re- 

 source attributes. The trend condition is the record- 

 ed historic measurement or other description of an 



attribute. The existing condition is the most recent 

 measurement or other description of an attribute as 

 it existed at the latest date of the trend condition. 

 Trend and existing conditions of attributes should 

 be described in terms of the quantity and quality in- 

 dicators and their related units, as specified in the 

 previous activity. 



(b) This EQ evaluation activity is an integral part 

 of the planning process Step 2 (inventory and fore- 

 cast). It should begin with a review of that informa- 

 tion base to determine whether or not information 

 for the identified EQ resource attributes is included. 

 Relevant trend condition information should be col- 

 lected where it is readily available. If existing condi- 

 tion information for an attribute (in terms of its 

 specified indicators) is not included in Step 2 or, if 

 such information is invalid or out of date, an infor- 

 mation collection program should be developed and 

 implemented to provide the necessary information. 



(c) Information collection programs should pro- 

 duce information in accordance with the evaluation 

 framework developed in the previous activity, in- 

 cluding the use of specified techniques to develop 

 information for each indiator in terms of its speci- 

 fied unit. Information collection programs should 

 use professionals with expertise relevant to each 

 EQ resource attribute for developing and analyzing 

 information, in accordance with the CEQ NEPA reg- 

 ulation requirements related to cooperating agen- 

 cies (40 CFR 1501.6) and scoping (40 CFR 

 1501.7(a)(4) and (6)). Information collection pro- 

 grams should be initiated early enough to ensure 

 that required information is available when needed 

 for EQ evaluation. The EQ information base should 

 be reviewed dunng each stage of EQ evaluation to 

 progressively focus it at the proper level of detail 

 and completeness necessary for evaluation. 



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