What type of information should be presented in the environmental setting section of ecological risk assessments?
The environmental setting sections of both Screening Level Ecological Risk Assessments (SLERA) and Baseline Ecological Risk Assessments (BERA) should focus on providing detailed habitat descriptions which include: • identification of dominant vegetation; • identification of potential receptors based on field observations (time, date, conditions should be noted) and literature identifications based on locale and habitat type (the inclusion of checklists are appropriate); • topography; • descriptions of habitats adjacent to the site along contaminant migration pathways (especially important when evaluating aquatic systems); and, • apparent function of observed habitats • on-site • adjacent • along migration pathways. While not required, BTAG encourages the inclusion of photographs of habitats and key topographic features as part of the ecological risk assessment report.
