PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AND PROSPECTS OF USING CERTAIN QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTIONS DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS

Below is a brief overview of several quantitative methods for selecting the locations of hydraulic engineering constructions (HEC) to minimize the related environmental costs. These methods were developed and tested by Eco-Express-Service, a company with over twenty years of experience in the industry and extensive expertise in designing HECs. We conduct the following: 1) A multidimensional cluster analysis of the expected human impact; 2) An assessment of the ecological-economic risk in the form of the expected value of the predicted harm to the environment; 3) An express estimation of the expected “environmental cost” of construction activities. Each of these methods is justified, described and illustrated by a specific example. Their use allows to solve such important practical tasks as quantification, classification and the quantitative comparative assessment of the expected impact on the marine environment. This becomes especially important when choosing the optimal location for an HEC and implementing environmental safety measures. An important point is that all of these methods can be recommended for use as Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) “instruments”.