Environmental Feasibility Studies by McFadden Engineering
July 28, 2023
A feasibility study is an analysis of the likelihood of a project being successful. The “success” of the project is primarily dependent on ROI and whether the return is high enough for a project to be considered worthwhile. While a good return is seemingly the benchmark for a successful study, there are multiple factors for completing a feasibility study, including environmental regulations, impacts and possible repercussions. This month’s blog focuses on the steps needed to conduct a successful environmental feasibility, and how McFadden can conduct your company’s next environmental feasibility study.
Step One: Identify Regulatory Aspects of Project
Step one involves the identification of all regulatory aspects relevant for obtaining the needed environmental approvals. This requires an analysis of the project location and application as well as federal, state, county and local regulatory components. The following are questions that must be answered prior to step two.
- What are the stages for environmental approval?
- What is the level of detail and time required in each of those stages?
- What is the scope of the environmental assessment needed for the project stage approvals?
- How long will the regulatory process take, considering the overall project scope?
Step Two: Identify Environmental Impacts of Project
Step two involves thorough due diligence to identify, describe and quantify the environmental impacts of the project. McFadden Engineering offers expertise in the following services making the impact analysis a digestible process for your company.
- Environmental Compliance
- Environmental Engineering
- Site assessment and Remediation
- Water Quality and Hydraulic Modeling
An analysis of the project’s environmental impact on the area including direct and secondary impacts, immediate or long-term effects and temporary or permanent consequences is necessary for a comprehensive impact analysis.
Step Three: Develop Strategy to Mitigate Impacts and Overview of Project Environmental Plan
Step three involves development of a strategy to mitigate project environmental impacts including the development of plans to minimize the most significant environmental effects. These include feedback of project technical requirements to alter aspects of the design and determine if modifications can reduce environmental costs. As well as a cost assessment of the necessary items identified in steps one and two to calculate overall project environmental ROI.
At McFadden Engineering, our team of talented engineers and geologists have more than a century of combined civil and environmental experience. Our company is a combination of engineering and environmental experts working together to generate environmentally sound solutions to water, wastewater and civil engineering problems. To learn more about our work, contact us at 251-470-6870.