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1 files changed, 65 insertions, 53 deletions

diff --git a/assignment2/significance.tex b/assignment2/significance.tex
index fa41258..4a99e26 100644
--- a/assignment2/significance.tex
+++ b/assignment2/significance.tex
@@ -37,66 +37,78 @@ re-litigated'', resulting in ``decision-making processes [that] are
 litigious, resource-consuming and create
 uncertainty'' \parencite[p. 18][]{freshwater-reform}.
 
-Since the National Policy Statement for Freshwater
-Management \parencite{2011TODO} the ``national values of fresh water''
-have been made explicit, but their postulation does not give rise to a
-guideline by which the significance of activities affecting these
-values could be determined. For example, the statement made in the
-NPSFM that water is valued for ``cleaning, dilution and disposal of
-waste'' conflicts with the statement about respecting water's
-intrinsic values such as ``the natural conditions of fresh water, free
-from biological or chemical alterations resulting from human
-activity'' \parencite{2011TODO}.  Resolving this ambiguity, the NPSFM
-intends a limits-based regime to be established where regional
-councils are expected to collaborate with the community to translate
-individual values and freshwater objectives into enforcable limits for
-individual waterbodies \parencite[][p. 14]{npsfm-guide}.
-
-
-- freshwater reform: collaborative approach to planning
-  - talk about drawbacks mentioned in \textcite{lawrence-approach}
-      \begin{quote}
-        The collaborative approach is viewed as too quickly equating
-        public concerns and issues with impact significance, at the expense of
-        other sources of insight and knowledge.
-      \end{quote}
-
-- significance decisions must be made on a sound information base,
-which rarely exists
-
-
-
+Since the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (2011)
+the ``national values of fresh water'' have been made explicit, but
+their postulation does not give rise to a guideline by which the
+significance of activities affecting these values could be
+determined. For example, the statement made in the NPSFM that water is
+valued for ``cleaning, dilution and disposal of waste'' conflicts with
+the statement about respecting water's intrinsic values such as ``the
+natural conditions of fresh water, free from biological or chemical
+alterations resulting from human activity'' \parencite{nps}.
+Resolving this ambiguity, the NPSFM intends a limits-based regime to
+be established where regional councils are expected to collaborate
+with the community to translate individual values and freshwater
+objectives into enforcable limits for individual
+waterbodies \parencite[][p. 14]{npsfm-guide}.  The implementation and
+enforcement of this National Policy Statement---and pending its
+implementation, decisions relating to the significance of project
+impacts on the environment---crucially depend on a sound information
+base derived from regular monitoring.  The National River Water
+Quality Network enables the measurement of various water quality
+indicators (e.g. temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nutrients
+etc.) at 77 sites and has been used to measure nation-wide water
+quality trends \parencite{nrwqn}. In total there are about 600
+monitoring sites \parencite{water-quality}.
+
+%According to the \emph{Environment New Zealand 2007} report ... % say something about water quality trends?
+
+Following a limits-based approach and with the help of a monitoring
+network, it would be practical to impose absolute limits for a variety
+of water health indicators. Whether a residual impact on the physical
+environment is significant or not then is a matter of setting measured
+water trends against the expected level of the impacts of a proposed
+activity.
+
+In the case of the planned dairy factory, the significance of the
+impact of discharging warm water into the river not only depends on
+the absolute value of the temperature difference between wastewater
+and river water, but also on the cumulative temperature increase due
+to human activity reflected in the mean temperature of the affected
+body of water. Case studies can be used to estimate the magnitude of
+the impact. If the limit on water temperature would be exceeded by the
+plant's wastewaster discharge, the impact would be rated as
+significant and in need of mitigation to avoid significant effects on
+the aquatic ecosystem. The same approach is applicable for any impact
+that affects quantifiable environmental properties, such as the
+release of organic and inorganic compunds, or the contamination with
+residual antibiotics and pesticides.  According to the description,
+the river is already used as a sink for the wastewater of another
+dairy factory; dairy farming is said to have expanded in this area,
+indicating that the inflow of organic and inorganic components from
+farm effluent and non-point sources has also increased. It is likely
+that under these circumstances, the cumulative impacts of wastewater
+discharge would be deemed significant.
 
 
 (third part of lawrence): important to assess significance of
 *positive effects* to see if they are worth the negative impacts.
 
+- positive effects can be quantified, but it is not clear how to weigh
+  potential economic benefits against expected negative impacts on the
+  biophysical environment without imposing market norms on intrinsic
+  ecosystem values.
+
+- other impacts cannot easily be quanitifed
 
+%  - talk about drawbacks mentioned in \textcite{lawrence-approach}
+%      \begin{quote}
+%        The collaborative approach is viewed as too quickly equating
+%        public concerns and issues with impact significance, at the expense of
+%        other sources of insight and knowledge.
+%      \end{quote}
 
-\subsection{}
 
 - significant impacts:
   - likelihood
-  - effects that affect sensitive parameters
-
-  
-
-WASTEWATER
-
-temperature:
-
-  According to the project description, an existing dairy factory
-  discharges wastewater that is two degrees warmer than the river
-  water. If the planned factory has a comparable wastewater output, the
-  water may have to be treated before discharge to avoid significant
-  effects on the aquatic ecosystem.
-
-organic/inorganic compounds:
-contamination with antibiotics / pesticides:
-
-  According to the description, the river is already used as a sink for
-  the wastewater of another dairy factory; dairy farming is said to have
-  expanded in this area, indicating that the inflow of organic and
-  inorganic components from farm effluent and non-point sources has also
-  increased. Under these circumstances, the cumulative effects of
-  wastewater discharge must be addressed.
+  - effects that affect sensitive parameters
\ No newline at end of file