UkrainianProfessional Education

Abstract

An environmental impact assessment is a key document submitted to initiate the formal institutional decision-making process for the implementation of a planned activity. Today, there is a growing body of research on environmental impact assessments (EIAs), much of which is based on practice or aimed at its development. This procedure is widely used in developed countries and is being actively implemented in developing countries, confirming its effectiveness. The main advantage of the EIA procedure is the ability to comprehensively consider the impact of infrastructure projects and technical alternatives on the environment at the early stages of design. It is important to reflect in the EIA report the criteria used to evaluate technical alternatives in order to ensure the transparency of the process and enable the public to understand the rationale for choosing the most environmentally acceptable alternative for a specific infrastructure project. The issue of assessing the impact of infrastructure projects on water bodies is particularly relevant, as aquatic ecosystems are most vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts and require special approaches to assessment. The lack of unified criteria for assessing technical alternatives complicates the process of making environmentally sound decisions. The article is devoted to the development of a system of criteria for assessing the planned activities of infrastructure projects at the design stage as part of the environmental impact assessment procedure. The peculiarities of forming criteria for different types of infrastructure objects are considered, with a special emphasis on the impact on water objects. A methodology for comparing technical alternatives based on multicriteria analysis is proposed. A system of indicators for assessing the impact on the aquatic environment has been developed, including the quality of surface and groundwater, the hydrological regime, and morphological changes in watercourses. A practical example of the application of the developed criteria for evaluating alternative solutions for an infrastructure project is presented. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the development of a comprehensive system of criteria adapted to the specifics of different types of infrastructure facilities. Particular attention is paid to the criteria for assessing the impact on the hydrological regime, water quality, and morphology of watercourses, which allows for a more accurate prediction of the environmental
consequences of the planned activity

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