Engineering and environmental consulting services
At IPMA we offer environmental consulting and engineering services which include advice, preparation of reports and researches, as well as all kind of paperwork related to environmental issues.
Environmental regulations and measures to curb the impact of business activity on the environment nationally and internationally have been growing in recent decades.
Environmental consulting
Nowadays, the awareness for environment care grows every day both in society and companies.
Hence the importance of environmental engineering and consultancy and to be able to count on an expert company in this field to carry out the research required when carrying out different types of projects.
The environmental consultancy deals with issues such as air and water pollution, environmental policies adopted, waste collection, etcetera. In summary, it seeks to analyse and evaluate each project or company, verify that it complies with the relevant environmental legislation and optimize the resources used in it, generating the minimum impact on the environment.
More and more companies identify environment care as an investment and not as an expense. And more and more are taking into account this factor to increase their levels of efficiency and productivity, in addition to being eligible for grants and subsidies from the administration in this area.
Among the main services IPMA offers within its environmental consulting area are:
Environmental studies and technical assistance in environmental matters.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Development hunting use and forestry plans.
Environmental reports and appraisals.
Ground contamination research.
Reforestation projects.
Mining projects.
Environmental impact studies
The environmental impact study is a technical document to evaluate the impact or effects on the environment of projects, plans or activities.
This type of reports is made when required by the regulatory authority to guarantee a high level of environmental protection throughout the territory of the State, in order to promote sustainable development.
In the case of Spain, the rule establishing the exclusive competence of the State in terms of basic legislation on environmental protection is the Law 21/2013 on Environmental Assessment.
In case of a negative resolution, the environmental impact study may condition the future of the project to be developed. Hence its importance and the need to have a team of experts in this field for its preparation, as is the case of IPMA technicians.
The preparation of the environmental impact study takes into account aspects such as the location and purpose of the project and an environmental inventory.
Likewise, an assessment and quantification of the foreseeable direct or indirect effects of the activity projected on the previous aspects related to the environment is carried out and preventive and corrective measures are proposed, as well as alternatives for the development of the project.
Urban projects, hydraulic works, mining projects, road construction, bridges or ports are some of the examples of actions requiring a prior environmental impact study to know the impact on flora, fauna and the environment in general where they are projected to develop.
Among our services you can find:
Ordinary Environmental Impact Assessment
Simplified Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental Activities Assessment
Customized study plans
Environmental survey. Environmental planning and control
The study or environmental impact report includes several contents and parts. The first is a general description of the project detailing the characteristics of the project, its purpose or intended use, as well as the dimensions, design and location.
In this last point it is essential to carry out an environmental research in order to know the ecological conditions and thus be able to carry out a correct and adequate environmental planning and control, taking into account the forecasts over time on the use of the soil and other natural resources, as well as its possible elimination or affectation if needed for the execution of the project.
For this, we’ll carry out an environmental identification or inventory of fauna, flora, biodiversity or human population and the possible direct or indirect significant effects on them derived from the action.
It will have to include a specific section if the project affects protected natural spaces.
During this environmental analysis, there must be an estimate on quantities and types of waste generated, such as discharges, emissions (acoustic, light, particle, odor, etc.) or energy resulting from the development of the project.
Likewise, the environmental expert must define the various reasonable alternatives of the project, including the zero or non-performance alternative, and detail the main reasons that justify the solution adopted, taking into account the effects of the project on the environment.
From IPMA we offer the following services:
Environmental alternatives research and location of projects.
Detailed diagnosis of ecological conditions.
Inventory of potential and existing species.
Landscape epidemiology.
Design and execution of detailed environmental monitoring plans.
Sound levels. Preventive and corrective measures.
Studies of noise pollution.
Ground contamination research.
Strategic noise mapping.
Geological and hydrogeological research.
Geotechnical studies.
Design and verification of compliance with good practice procedures.
Reports of affectation to LICs, ZEPAs and spaces of the NATURA 2000 Network.
Corrective activities for environmental effects
Once the environmental impacts of the project to be executed have been identified and assessed, the measures planned to prevent, reduce, mitigate or eliminate the significant negative environmental effects of the project must be determined and detailed, as well as the measures that can compensate for such effects, such as restoration actions.
Preventive measures avoid a certain effect in advance. For example, do not run a drilling infrastructure in an area where protected wildlife resides.
The aim of the corrective measures is to solve the effect. For example, the installation of acoustic screens to reduce noise pollution in a residential area near a road after making a noise map.
The compensatory measures do not correct, but they provide a benefit to compensate for a negative impact which is difficult to solve or unrecoverable. For example, in an area with high soil contamination in where a reforestation is to be carried out.
These measures should appear detailed at the same level as the rest of the project in the study and in an independent section.
As we mentioned above, if the project affects protected natural areas, a specific section must be included and if the existence of damage is proven, the project promoter must justify with a documentary proof the lack of alternatives, and the concurrence of compelling reasons of public interest of the first order. When its effects are long-term, an evaluation of its repercussions must be reflected.
To ensure compliance with these preventive, corrective and compensatory measures, an environmental monitoring plan must be established, which will be carried out during the execution and exploitation phases.
In our environmental consulting department, we work to adapt the projects with the necessary corrective measures and for this we have a wide range of services at your disposal.
IPMA
INGENIERÍA Y PROTECCIÓN DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE
Edificio Altagracia
C/ Segundo Mata, 1
28224 Pozuelo de Alarcón
MADRID – ESPAÑA