1. Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA)
Imelda Winters
Environmental Health Officer

2. What will be covered
1. Definitions in relation to Environmental Impact
Assessment
2. The Purpose of EIA
3. The HSE policy in relation to EIA
4. The Stages of EIA
5. Examples of projects that require EIA
6. What Environmental Health do when an EIA is
received

3. What is an Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) & Statement (EIS)?
 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a
process of anticipating the effects on the
environment caused by a development
 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is the
document produced as a result of that process,
where environmental effects are found that are un
acceptable. They can be avoided or reduced to an
acceptable level during the design process

4. The Purpose of EIA
 It is the law: EIA is a key instrument of EU Environmental
Policy. EIA requirements originated from the EU Directive
85/337/EEC as amended by Directive 97/11/EEC.
The Directive is designed to ensure a fully comprehensive
assessment is made of projects which are likely to have
significant effects on the environment

5. Purpose of EIA
 EIA is a key part of the planning process
 EIA ensures that a development is
environmentally sustainable
 It provides for an objective and scientific basis for
assessing environmental effects
 It provides for Environmental Protection

6. The policy of the HSE in relation to
Environmental Impact Statements
(EIS)
The HSE is has been defined as a Statutory Consultee as
defined by the Planning and Development Act 2000 and
The Planning & Development Regulations 2001. Under this
legislation The HSE has a third party role to play

7. The policy of the HSE in relation to
Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)
 The HSE response to an EIS should reflect broad
range of health issues associated with a specific
development.
 This may include elements of Environmental
Health, Public Health and Emergency Response
Management
 It is important that all the relevant disciplines within
the HSE are engaged in preparing an appropriate
response

8. The policy of the HSE in relation to
Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)
 A fundamental principle in the preparation of
responses is that the HSE will uphold its role as an
independent, credible commentator on such
developments
 A centralised receipt, distribution and final corporate
response of EIS has been established

9. Stages of EIA
1. Consider the Proposed Development:
Alternatives considered Existence of project
Location Construction
Design Operation
Process Change
Decommissioning
Characteristics of project
Layout
Design
Size and scale
Consider other developments

10. Stages of EIA
2. Consider the Existing Environment and
significant effects on:
 Human Beings
 Flora & Fauna
 Soil
 Water
 Air
 Climatic Factors
 The Landscape
 Material Assets (to include Architectural and Archaeological
Heritage)
 The inter-relationship of all of the above

11. Existing Environment
Human Beings
 Health & Safety
 Economic Activity
 Social Patterns
 Land-use
 Employment
 Settlement Patterns

12. 2. Existing Environment
Flora & Fauna
Flora
Aquatic/terrestrial/marine
Communities
Habitat Requirements
Protection status
Fauna
Habitats
Mammals/birds/fish/insects/
reptiles
Breeding/feeding/roosting
areas
Routes/passages
Population management/stability
Critical resources
Protection status

13. 2. Existing Environment
Soil
 Mineral Soils
 Peat's
 Estuarine sediments
 Agricultural capability
 Engineering characteristics
 Geology (including surficial bedrock deposits &
weathering and chemical characteristics)
 Aquifers

14. 2. Existing Environment
Water
Ground/surface/estuarine/marine water
Physical
Chemical
Biotic
Beneficial uses

15. 2. Existing Environment
Air
Air Quality :
Potential pollutants
Suspended particles
Odour
Noise
Vibration
Radiation

16. 2. Existing Environment
Climatic Factors
Climate change
CFC’s
Acid rain
Thermal pollution
Pollution Transport

17. 2. Existing Environment
The Landscape
Landscape character
Landscape context
View & prospects
Historical Landscapes

18. 2. Existing Environment
Material Assets (including Architectural &
Archaeological heritage & Cultural Heritage)
Archaeological Heritage
Folklore/Tradition/History
Architecture/Settlements
Monuments/ Features
Designed Landscapes
Natural Resources of Economic Value

19. Stages of EIA
3. Identify Likely Significant Impacts
“Do Nothing” scenario
Predicted Impacts
“Worse Case” scenario
Indirect Impacts

20. Stages of EIA
4. Mitigation Measures
Avoidance
Reduction
Remedy

21. Projects that require an EIA
Annex I of the EIA Directive (85/337/EEC)
pin points projects were Environmental
Impact Assessment is mandatory
Annex II of the EIA Directive (85/337/EEC)
identifies projects that require EIA on a case bycase by
case analysescase analyses.. If a project has Significant effects on
the environment by virtue of size, nature or location
then an Environmental Impact Assessment is required

22. Examples of mandatory
projects (Annex I)
1. Nuclear power station
2. Waste water treatment plants with a capacity
exceeding 150,000 population equivalent
3. Pipelines for the transport of gas, oil or chemicals
with a diameter of more than 800 mm and a length
of more than 40 km
4. Dams and other installations designed for the
holding back of permanent storage of water where
a new or additional amount of water held back or
stored exceeds 10 million cubic meters

23. Examples of projects (Annex II) likely to
have “significant effects” on environment
1. Installations for the slaughter of animals where the
daily capacity would exceed 1,500 units
2. Construction of more than 500 dwellings/
construction of caravan park providing more than
400 spaces
3. All installations for production of pesticides and
pharmaceutical products, paint and varnishes,
elastomers and peroxides using a chemical or
biological process

24. Examples of Likely “significant
impacts” on typical Landfill site
Water Pollution:
Surface water: risk of pollution due to potential
leakage of lechate to rivers/lakes/streams
causing Q rating deterioration
Ground water: risk of contamination to a
regionally important aquifers

25. Examples of Likely “significant
impacts” on typical Landfill site
Air Pollution:
Odours (from tipping areas & smell of gas from
neighbouring dwellings)
Potential Fire Hazard (oxygen influx)
Dust complaints from residents

26. Examples of Likely “significant
impacts” on typical Landfill site
Geology/soils impact:
Potential risk of contamination to soil due to
potential interaction of lechate from landfill

27. Examples of Likely “significant
impacts” on typical Landfill site
Nuisance impact:
Pest infestation/ bird nuisance
Noise impact:
Heavy machinery with inappropriate silencers.
Increased traffic at different stages of
project

28. Examples of Likely “significant
impacts” on typical Landfill site
Impact on Human Beings:
Smell nuisance from gaseous emissions and
dust nuisance from machinery
Noise Nuisance affecting concentration of
children in schools and sleep disturbance in
neighbourhoods

29. What does Environmental Helath do
when an EIA is received?
1. The Office of the Assistant National Director
Environmental Health and Emergency Planning (AND EH
and EP) receives notification of request for consultation
from source.
2. The office will log all information and send it on to the local
Principle Environmental Health Officer. There will be a
required response date

30. What does an EHO do when an EIA is
received?
3. The Office of the AND EH and EP will inform the
designated contact in the office of the Regional Director of
Operations (RDO), Assistant National Director of
Emergency planning, the Assistant National Director of
Health Protection and will request that they forward any
submissions to the local PEHO

31. What does an EHO do when an EIA is
received?
4. The Local PEHO will allocate the request to the relevant
EHO/SEHO
5. The relevant EHO/SEHO will review and complete
assessment using tools that have been created by the
EIA working group:
- “Tool for assessment of EIS by Environmental Health
Officers”
- “Environmental Health Audit Tool for
scoping”
- “EIS Report Aide Memoir”
- Explanatory notes for EIS”
- “EIS Report Template”
- “Standard operating procedures”

32. What does an EHO do when an EIA is
received?
6. The report must be quality assured by the national support
officer
7. The standard cover letter and Environmental health report
is signed off by the PEHO and issued to the body seeking
consultation. A copy of report is sent to the office of the
AND EH and EP

33. Useful Guidance Documents
 EPA “Guidelines on information to be contained in
Environmental Impact Statements” (EPA Wexford 2002)
 EPA “Advice notes on current Practice” (EPA Wexford 2003)
 NRA Environmental Impact Assessment of National road
schemes “A practical Guide” (national Roads Authority
(2008))
 EPA “Environmental Impact Assessment Guidance for
consent Authorities regarding Sub-threshold Development”
 Best practice Guidance “The control of dust ad emissions
from construction and demolition” London Council, Mayor of
London