# Environmental Engineering - Processes Backlog

## Overview

This document outlines the Phase 2 processes backlog for the Environmental Engineering specialization. These processes represent key workflows, methodologies, and best practices used by environmental engineers across water and wastewater treatment, air quality management, site remediation, solid waste management, and sustainability domains.

## Process Categories

### Water and Wastewater Treatment

| ID | Process Name | Description | Priority | Complexity |
|----|--------------|-------------|----------|------------|
| WW-001 | Water Treatment Plant Design | Systematic approach to designing municipal and industrial water treatment facilities including source characterization, process selection, pilot testing, and detailed engineering design | High | High |
| WW-002 | Wastewater Process Optimization | Methodology for optimizing biological and physical-chemical treatment processes to improve effluent quality, reduce energy consumption, and minimize chemical usage | High | Medium |
| WW-003 | Membrane Treatment System Design | Design and implementation of membrane filtration systems (MF, UF, NF, RO) for water and wastewater applications including pretreatment requirements and concentrate management | High | High |
| WW-004 | Stormwater Management Planning | Development of integrated stormwater management plans incorporating green infrastructure, detention/retention, and water quality treatment | Medium | Medium |
| WW-005 | Water Reuse System Implementation | Planning and design of water recycling and reuse systems for potable and non-potable applications including risk assessment and regulatory compliance | High | High |

### Air Quality Management

| ID | Process Name | Description | Priority | Complexity |
|----|--------------|-------------|----------|------------|
| AQ-001 | Air Permit Application Development | Comprehensive process for preparing air quality permit applications including emission inventory, dispersion modeling, control technology evaluation, and regulatory compliance demonstration | High | High |
| AQ-002 | Air Pollution Control System Design | Selection and design of air pollution control equipment (scrubbers, baghouses, ESPs, thermal oxidizers) based on emission characteristics and regulatory requirements | High | High |
| AQ-003 | Emission Inventory Development | Systematic approach to identifying, characterizing, and quantifying air emission sources for regulatory compliance and planning purposes | High | Medium |
| AQ-004 | Continuous Emission Monitoring Implementation | Design and deployment of CEMS and COMS for regulatory compliance including QA/QC procedures and data management | Medium | Medium |
| AQ-005 | Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy | Development of GHG reduction plans including baseline assessment, reduction opportunities, implementation roadmap, and monitoring/verification | High | Medium |

### Site Remediation

| ID | Process Name | Description | Priority | Complexity |
|----|--------------|-------------|----------|------------|
| REM-001 | Environmental Site Assessment | Phased approach to site investigation including Phase I historical review, Phase II sampling, and Phase III delineation for contaminated site evaluation | High | Medium |
| REM-002 | Human Health Risk Assessment | Quantitative evaluation of potential health risks from site contamination including exposure pathway analysis, toxicity assessment, and risk characterization | High | High |
| REM-003 | Remediation Technology Selection | Systematic evaluation and selection of remediation technologies based on site conditions, contaminant characteristics, and remediation objectives | High | High |
| REM-004 | Groundwater Remediation Design | Design of groundwater treatment systems including pump-and-treat, in-situ treatment, and monitored natural attenuation | High | High |
| REM-005 | Brownfield Redevelopment Planning | Integrated approach to assessing, remediating, and redeveloping contaminated properties for beneficial reuse | Medium | High |

### Solid and Hazardous Waste Management

| ID | Process Name | Description | Priority | Complexity |
|----|--------------|-------------|----------|------------|
| SW-001 | Landfill Design and Permitting | Comprehensive design of municipal solid waste landfills including liner systems, leachate collection, gas management, and closure planning | High | High |
| SW-002 | Waste Characterization and Classification | Systematic approach to sampling, analysis, and classification of wastes under RCRA and state regulations | High | Medium |
| SW-003 | Waste-to-Energy Facility Planning | Evaluation and planning of thermal treatment facilities for energy recovery from solid waste | Medium | High |
| SW-004 | Hazardous Waste Management Program | Development of comprehensive hazardous waste management programs including generator compliance, treatment, storage, and disposal | High | Medium |

### Sustainability and Climate

| ID | Process Name | Description | Priority | Complexity |
|----|--------------|-------------|----------|------------|
| SUS-001 | Life Cycle Assessment Methodology | Application of ISO 14040/14044 LCA methodology to evaluate environmental impacts of products, processes, and systems | High | High |
| SUS-002 | Corporate Sustainability Program Development | Design and implementation of comprehensive corporate sustainability programs including goal setting, implementation planning, and reporting | High | Medium |
| SUS-003 | Carbon Footprint Assessment | Quantification of organizational and product carbon footprints using GHG Protocol methodologies | High | Medium |
| SUS-004 | Climate Vulnerability Assessment | Evaluation of infrastructure and system vulnerability to climate change impacts including extreme weather, sea level rise, and temperature changes | High | High |
| SUS-005 | Environmental Management System Implementation | Development and implementation of ISO 14001-compliant environmental management systems | Medium | Medium |

## Process Summary

| Category | Count | High Priority | Medium Priority |
|----------|-------|---------------|-----------------|
| Water and Wastewater Treatment | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Air Quality Management | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Site Remediation | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Solid and Hazardous Waste Management | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Sustainability and Climate | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| **Total** | **24** | **19** | **5** |

## Implementation Notes

### Dependencies
- WW-001 (Water Treatment Plant Design) should be implemented early as it provides foundational process design patterns
- AQ-001 (Air Permit Application) and REM-001 (Environmental Site Assessment) are prerequisites for many downstream processes
- SUS-001 (Life Cycle Assessment) supports multiple sustainability processes

### Integration Points
- Water and air quality processes integrate with regulatory compliance workflows
- Remediation processes connect with risk assessment and stakeholder communication
- Sustainability processes cross-cut all other categories

### Tools and Technologies
- Key software: EPANET, SWMM, AERMOD, MODFLOW, openLCA
- GIS integration required for spatial analysis processes
- Database systems for monitoring data management

## Prioritization Criteria

Processes were prioritized based on:
1. **Regulatory Impact**: Processes critical for compliance with major environmental regulations (CWA, CAA, RCRA, CERCLA)
2. **Industry Demand**: Frequency of use across municipal, industrial, and consulting sectors
3. **Foundational Value**: Processes that enable or support other workflows
4. **Climate Relevance**: Alignment with climate change adaptation and mitigation needs
5. **Technical Complexity**: Balance of comprehensive coverage with implementation feasibility

## Next Steps

1. Develop detailed process specifications for high-priority items
2. Create process templates and checklists
3. Integrate with regulatory compliance tracking
4. Build connections to modeling and analysis tools
5. Establish quality assurance checkpoints
