Thermal Pollution Question?

Question

A company wants to build a factory by a river that runs through your city, creating new jobs, but also generating waste thermal energy. What steps would you take to find out whether the enviornment will be damaged? Should the company be allowed to build its factory?

Answer 1

No company can build on the water without meeting the EPA clean water act which regulates any type of discharge - thermal or chemical into the water.  Also there are zoning and EPA requirements that would not allow you to build on undeveloped land within 50' of a river or stream or within a 100 year flood plain.

The heat from the plant would increase water temperature, therefore effecting marine life.

HOWEVER, the factory could do a few things to build their property, meet EPA requirements and also contain any waste energy from entering the environment.

1.)  Build the plant outside of any EPA/local zoning areas

2.) Instate Construction Pollution Prevention measures set forth within the EPA clean water act, file a NPDES permit and abide by local zoning requirements

3.)  Create a plan to protect and restore natural habitat by limiting site disturbance and installing native vegetation, vegetative swales, retention ponds and pervious pavement to limit water runoff to the stream

4.) Use nearby water source to generate on-site renewable energy to power to use within the plant for electric, HVAC systems.

2.) Create a system that cools the waste thermal energy prior to release into the environment if the waste needs to be discharged.

So it depends on the residents of the town, but there are measures that the company can take to build the plant if that is an option.

Hope this answered your question.

Answer 2

Usually, when a factory is to be built, they need the clearance from the government organization or department that deals with Environment. The factories will get clearance only if the emissions and the wastes generated are well below the prescribed limits. Earlier on when there was a trade off between jobs and pollution, jobs used to get priority but nowadays due to increased enviromental awareness, tough checks are made before permission is given to build the factory or plant.

As a concerned citizen one can go to the concerned department and ask for particulars regarding the pollution and emissions caused by the proposed factory and if something is out of order you can definitely question the local government officials.

Answer 3

No natural energy factory should legally be built with old technology.