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Freshwater Management
Series No. 7
Phytotechnologies
A Technical
Approach in Environmental Management
IV. Important
Considerations For The Application of Phytotechnologies >
F. Contingency Planning
One of the important considerations in applying the phytotechnology system
is the need to prepare a contingency plan in case the intended phytotechnology
application does not meet environmental goals. The plan should cover a wide
range of possible failure mechanisms (drought, floods, disease, animals). It
may take several years of monitoring to determine that the phytotechnology
is not meeting performance expectations. Each contingency plan will be site-specific,
depending upon numerous factors, including:
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Regulatory requirements, |
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Funding, |
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Type of phytotechnology application, |
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Site environmental conditions (growing season, amount of rain, etc.), |
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Time required to meet specified environmental objectives. |
If the phytotechnology application is not achieving the expected goals, the
site owner, regulator and stakeholders should consider implementation of the
contingency plan.
G. Expertise
The development and implementation of phytotechnologies requires a multi-disciplinary
team. The team should include personnel with expertise and experience in the
following disciplines:
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Soil Scientist/ Agronomist – to evaluate the ability
of the soil conditions to support plants that can function in a manner
which will address objectives and expectations, |
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Plant Biologist/Botanist – to evaluate the range of
plants that might be applicable and to conduct greenhouse tests using soil
and water samples from the site to ensure the plants will grow successfully, |
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Hydrologist – to undertake groundwater modelling, including
modelling on the fate and transport of any contaminants of concern, |
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Regulatory Specialist – to determine the requirements for sampling,
analysis, maintenance and monitoring, |
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Environmental Engineer – to undertake the overall phytotechnology
system design and to ensure all project costs are captured, |
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Risk Assessor/ Toxicologist – to evaluate the risk of the proposed
phytotechnology application in relation to alternatives, |
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Ecologist/Ecosystem Modeller – to ascertain the relationships between
the plants and their environment as well as the ecosystem itself in order
to forecast changes in ecosystems and related processes. |
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