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Freshwater Management
Series No. 7
Phytotechnologies
A Technical
Approach in Environmental Management
IV. IMPORTANT
CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE APPLICATION OF PHYTOTECHNOLOGIES
An understanding of the potential and limitations of phytotechnologies is
crucial for their successful application. Limitations include insufficient
knowledge and expertise regarding plant selection and the factors which influence
plant growth, ecosystem interactions, and potential uses, as well as public
and regulator y acceptance. Each application of phytotechnology involves site-specific
considerations and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The developers
and proponents of phytotechnology systems must be able to demonstrate how phytotechnology
will meet environmentalperformance objectives and minimize risk to both human
and environmental health.
When phytotechnology applications are being considered, regulatory personnel,
the public and stakeholders should be involved at the conceptualization stage.
Regulators are responsible for testing, evaluating and reporting on the performance
of technologies. The public and other stakeholders will gain confidence in
the application of a given phytotechnology if they have access to data which
demonstrates that it is appropriate for a given site. All concerned require
demonstrated evidence that phytotechnologies will meet performance expectations
and regulatory standards with minimal risk to human health and the environment.
To determine if a particular phytotechnology application is appropriate,
the following criteria should be considered and evaluated by regulatory personnel,
site owners and stakeholders:
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Overall protection of human health and the environment – It
is essential to determinewhether the phytotechnology eliminates, reduces
or controls threats to public health andthe environment. |
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Compliance with regulatory requirements – This is important
to ensure that theproposed phytotechnology application meets environmental
statutes, regulations, andother requirements that pertain to the site. |
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Long term effectiveness – This must consider the ability
of the phytotechnology toprotect, human health and the environment over
time and the reliability of such protection,including the degree of certainty
that its application will prove successful. |
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Short term effectiveness – This should consider the length of time
needed to implementthe phytotechnology and the risks it may pose to workers,
residents and the environmentduring implementation. |
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Implementability – This should consider the technical and administrative
feasibility ofimplementing the phytotechnology, and its practicality, the
requirements forimplementation, and the availability of goods and services
that may be needed. |
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Cost – It is necessary to take into account the overall capital
costs, as well as the ongoing operation and maintenance costs. |
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Government and community acceptance – This involves the determination
of the overall acceptability of the studies and evaluations that are undertaken,
as well as the necessary approvals for the phytotechnology application
to proceed. |
The application of phytotechnology involves more than going to a site and
planting seedlings, grass or some other type of plant. Phytotechnology is an
in situ approach that requires careful cons ideration of site-specific characteristics.
A checklist should be used to plan and review the effectiveness of the technology,
thereby providing the site owners, technology proponents, designers, regulators,
and other stakeholders with a common set of data requirements and expectations.
The checklist should include:
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Site visit |
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Baseline site characterization and review of site characterization
data, including an agronomic assessment of the site |
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Determination of the environmental objectives for the site
and how the phytotechnology will achieve environmental goals |
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Project expectations of the site owner, regulators, stakeholders, and
the public, including the identification of stakeholder and public concerns |
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Experience and expertise of the phytotechnology design team |
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Proposed phytotechnology system design and estimated time to undertake
the project |
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Feasibility studies for plant selection using laboratory tests and greenhouse
studies |
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Operations and maintenance plan |
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Plan to deal with any secondary wastes (i.e., contaminated plants) that
may be generated |
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Overall monitoring plan |
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Contingency plan. |
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