Sara Bennett

Cumulative Effects Assessment Specialist, Regional Strategic Assessment, Alberta Environment at Government of Alberta
Location: Edmonton, Canada Area Industry: Environmental Services

Current Cumulative Effects Assessment Specialist, Regional Strategic Assessment, Alberta Environment at Government of Alberta Past Environment Specialist at Self-employed Monitoring and Evaluation Support Consultant at SMEC Environment Specialist at Landell Mills Ltd Environment Specialist at TCIL Environment and Social Considerations Specialist at Nippon Koei Instructor, Human Geography at The King's University College Task Manager, Land & Water Management Study at Dept Infrastructure Planning Natural Resources NSW dba Water Resources Consulting Services Senior Environmental Management Specialist at Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Canada Environment Specialist at Unocal Environment Specialist at Asian Development Bank Education City University MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography Colorado State University Midpark HS

Languages

English
(Native or bilingual proficiency)

French
(Limited working proficiency)

Bengali
(Elementary proficiency)

Experience
Cumulative Effects Assessment Specialist, Regional Strategic Assessment, Alberta Environment Government of Alberta Government Agency; Government Administration industry

June 2011 Present (3 months) Edmonton, Canada Area

Land-use Framework Branch, Strategy Division

Environment Specialist Self-employed Environmental Services industry

March 1989 May 2011 (22 years 3 months) Developing Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam

Environmental and social specialist on international development projects - independent consultant. Areas of work included environmental and social considerations, environmental management, environmental impact assessment (EIA), social impact assessment (SIA), strategic and cumulative impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), infrastructure, water resources, energy, power, oil & gas, transportation, roads, bridges, flood control, drainage, irrigation, agriculture, water quality, wetlands, biodiversity, project preparation, capacity building.

Monitoring and Evaluation Support Consultant SMEC Privately Held; Civil Engineering industry
April 2010 June 2010 (3 months)

Monitoring and Evaluation Support Consultant, Emergency 2007 Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project (ECRRP), Bangladesh (IDA). ECRRP is a USD109 million project developed after 2007 Cyclone Sidr that addresses cyclone rehabilitation and recovery and long-term disaster preparedness. As Environmental Safeguard Management Expert, responsible for (i) environmental safeguard-related elements of ECRRP monitoring and evaluation (M&E) databases and progress reporting; (ii) supervision of ECRRP compliance with its Environmental Management Framework, and of ECRRP components (Coastal Embankment Rehabilitation and Multipurpose Shelter Reconstruction) with their Environmental Management Plans; (iii) recommendations and follow-up to address any noncompliance issues.

Environment Specialist Landell Mills Ltd Privately Held; Management Consulting industry
March 2009 June 2009 (4 months)

Preparing the Water Resources Development Project (WRDP), Afghanistan (Asian Development Bank TA No. 7088). Project Preparation Technical Assistance (PPTA) to prepare a Multi-Tranche Financing Facility (MFF) for a USD180 million medium-term water resources and irrigation development program for Afghanistan. Deliverables consist of a Strategy and Road Map, Policy Framework, Investment Plan with Financing Plan, feasibility studies for the three Tranch 1 subprojects (USD80 million), and Project Development Facility design. As Environment Specialist, tasked to prepare an Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE) and Summary IEE for the Tranche 1 subprojects, and for the MFF, an Environmental Assessment and Review Framework (EARF) and Cumulative Impact Environmental Assessment (CEIA).

Environment Specialist TCIL Civil Engineering industry

September 2007 November 2007 (3 months)

Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Support Project (ETESP), Roads and Bridges Sector, Project Preparation Consultant Phase II (PPC2) Aceh Province, Indonesia (Asian Development Bank). ETESP is a USD 290 million multi-sectoral post-disaster reconstruction and rehabilitation grant that was put in place after the Dec 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. As the PPC2 Environment Specialist, prepared two subproject Initial Environmental Examinations (see http://www.adb.org/Documents/ETESP/2007/Ulee-Lheue.pdf).

Environment and Social Considerations Specialist Nippon Koei Privately Held; Civil Engineering industry

June 2006 November 2006 (6 months)

Special Assistance for Project Formation, Small Scale Water Resources Development in Greater Mymensingh, Bangladesh (funded by Japan Bank for International Cooperation). Technical assistance to prepare a JPY 5 billion (USD 42 million) participatory small-scale water resources project for the northeastern region of Bangladesh. As Environment and Social Considerations Specialist, assessed environmental dimensions of potential Project investment options; prepared four subproject IEEs; and designed the Project environmental and social management framework.

Instructor, Human Geography The King's University College Educational Institution; Higher Education industry
January 2002 May 2002 (5 months)

Instructor, Human Geography - Landscapes & Human Settlements (The King's University College, Canada)

Task Manager, Land & Water Management Study Dept Infrastructure Planning Natural Resources NSW dba Water Resources Consulting Services Civil Engineering industry
March 2000 June 2000 (4 months)

Red River Basin Water Resources Management Project, Viet Nam (for ADB). ADBTA No. 2871-VIE addressed basin-based integrated water resources planning and management for the Red River basin (RRB), through (i) support for the creation of a National Water Resources Council and a RRB Organization; (ii) development of basin environmental and social management system elements to enhance information and decision support of agencies with RRB water resources management responsibilities; and (iii) implementation of several studies of selected priority integrated water resources management issues in the basin. As Task Manager, Land & Water Management Study, I was responsible for a study of selected land use / water management issues in the RRB including the northern mountain provinces. I mobilized and led a team of three Vietnamese specialists (land use, water resources development, and public participation/social scientist), supported by geographic information system (GIS) and database specialists, to undertake extensive literature review; assembly, review, and analysis of basin statistics; field visits using basic rapid rural appraisal techniques including stakeholder consultation; presentation of two workshops to the Project Working Group composed of officials from RRB water resources planning agencies; and preparation of the study final report.

Senior Environmental Management Specialist Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Canada Privately Held; Civil Engineering industry
1989 2000 (11 years)

Coordinate environmental input to nhc's international projects, and provide input to nhc projects in the Asia-Pacific region. Based for nine years in Asia (1989-94, 1997-2000) and two years in Canada (199496).

Environment Specialist Unocal Public Company; UCL; Oil & Energy industry
January 1999 May 1999 (5 months)

Environmental Baseline Characterization and Stakeholder Consultation for Environmental Impact Assessment, Exploratory Gas Drilling, Bangladesh (for Occidental of Bangladesh). As Environment Specialist, mobilized and led a six-person team to characterize regional and site-specific social conditions, stakeholder concerns, and terrestrial/aquatic environment. Team members included a deputy task manager, agronomist/soil scientist, ecologist, sociologist, and GIS analyst. Work included water and soil collection for analysis at international and local laboratories; stakeholder information and consultation campaign; preparing baseline EIA chapters; and reviewing EIAs submitted by other consultants.

Environment Specialist Asian Development Bank Government Agency; Banking industry

April 1997 April 1997 (1 month)

Fact Finding Mission, Red River Basin Water Resources Management, Viet Nam (for ADB). Three-person Fact Finding Mission to design the proposed technical assistance project entitled "Red River Basin Water Resources Management," that addressed institutional development and capacity building related to integrated water resources planning in the Red River basin. As Environment Specialist, attended ADBGovernment of Viet Nam meetings, collected information required by ADB project officer, participated in discussions about the design of the proposed TA, and contributed to the aide-memoire.

Education
City University MA, Counselling Psychology
2002 2010

MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography PhD, Physical Oceanograpy

1982 1988

1988 Carroll L. Wilson Awardee

Colorado State University B.Sc., Chemistry Midpark HS HS diploma

Publications

Initial Environmental Evaluation, Tranche 1 Subprojects, Afghanistan Water Resources Development Project (ADBTA 7088)
Asian Development Bank 2009 Authors: Sara Bennett Environmental impact assessment of proposed water resources projects in three provinces of Afghanistan.

Subproject Initial Environmental Examination, Roads and Bridges Sector, Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Support Project (ETESP), Aceh, Indonesia
Asian Development Bank 2007 Authors: Sara Bennett IEE for a proposed road/causeway reconstruction subproject on Ulee Lheue Island, an area that was comprehensively destroyed by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The relationship between vertical, diapycnal, and isopycnal velocity and mixing in the general ocean circulation
Journal of Physical Oceanography January 1986 Authors: Sara Bennett On ocean general circulation scales, vertical velocity w is extremely small, O(10-5) smaller than the horizontal velocity in scale. Nevertheless, it is of great importance to advective-diffusive and vorticity balances. In order to better understan the relationship between the cross-isopycnal (diapycnal) velocity, the mixing, and w, in a nonideal ocean in which some mixing and density sources are present, the velocity vector is decomposed into isopycnal and diapycnal components. Applyign this decomposition to the exact continuity (mass conservation) equation, it is shown that while the diapycnal divergence is in princpek the

first correction to the isopycnal divergence for general circulation scales, the observational uncertainties in the isopycnal velocy are large enough that the diapycnal divergence cannot in practice be determined. Using these results, the horizontally averaged near-vertical (diapycnal) velocity computer by Wunsch et al. in a model of the South Pacific (28-43 dec S) is reconsidered. It is shown that the calculation of diapycnal velocity from isopycnal mass convergence is not consistent with uncertainties in the isopycnal velocity and that the implied mixing cannot be accounted for with simple diffusion models and salt fingering alone.

Eastward flow through the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 11N and its influence on the abyss of the eastern basin
Journal of Physical Oceanography August 1991 Authors: Sara Bennett, M.S. McCartney (1st author), M.E. Woodgate-Jones (3rd author)

Where three oceans meet: the Agulhas retroflection region

Ph.D. dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanography Institution Joint Program in Oceanography 1988 Authors: Sara Bennett The Agulhas Retroflection south of Africa lies at the junction of the S. Indian, S. Atlantic, and Circumpolar Oceans. A March 1985 survey, including hydrographic stations, subsurface current path survey, and contemporaneous sea surface temperature (SST) satellite infrared image, plus historical data, are used to characterize the region. In 1985, Agulhas transport was 56 to 95 Sv (1 million m/s; relative to 2400 dbar), up to 1.5 times the interior transport from linear theory and observed winds. Return Current transport was 54 and 65 Sv. The current retroflected in two branches. The surface warm core retroflected upstream of the second branch, while an SST front, and the subsurface current path survey, followed it. A cold ring, with 64 Sv transport but no SST anomaly, and a ware recirculation lay between the branches. Curvature vorticity at anticyclonic turns in the path exceeded the gradient wind maximum, so other dynamics must locally contribute. Salt, oxygen, and potential vorticity fronts on isopycnals in the current's upper approx. 300 m are observed, as are deep western boundary filaments of Red Sea Water and N. Atlantic Deep Water influences. The current meets baroclinic barotropic instability necessary conditions. Thermocline water (>8C) transport into the S. Atlantic is 2.8 to or = 10 Sv Atlantic export of deep water.

Land use and water management study, Red River Basin, Viet Nam
Red River Basin Water Resources Management Project (Asian Development Bank TA2871-VIE) August 2000 Authors: Sara Bennett This desk study of short duration investigated selected issues in the Red River Basin related to interactions among land use, water resources, and water resource management. The main study objectives were to increase understanding of environmental processes affecting water resources management in the Basin and to demonstrate the advantages to the management of actual situations in the Basin of integrated water resources management over a conventional sectoral approach. The study focused on selected land usewater management issues in five basin zones (Mountains, Midlands, Coastal, Delta, and Urban): Conversion of agricultural land to other uses in the delta Role of water and water resources development in well-being of mountain communities Afforestation and use of production forest lands (mountain) Rapid uncontrolled groundwater irrigation development (midlands) Land use changes and canal lining programme (basin-wide) Agricultural diversification in a major irrigation scheme (delta) Encroachment on water control infrastructure (delta) Special problems and opportunities of the coastal zone Future trends in urban water demand

Water quality management in Viet Nam

In: Reaching the Unreached - Challenges for the 21st Century, 22nd Water Engineering & Development Centre (WEDC) Conference, New Delhi India 1996. Pp. 31-33, 206 pp. preprint volume. 1996 Authors: Sara Bennett, Nguyen Thai Lai, Head, Bureau for Water Environ Mgmt (Vice Minister, Min Nat Res Environ 2011) Since the adoption in 1986 of the policy of doi moi (economic renovation) and particularly since the lifting of the U.S. embargo in 1994, the role of market forces and private enterprise has been expanding rapidly. Agricultural output has been increasing, driven in part by increased use of pesticides and fertilizers. Industrial development is being actively promoted, particularly through joint ventures between domestic and foreign firms. Environmental laws are beginning to be passed and enforced, but historically industrial wastes have been discharged to the environment without treatment. There will be numerous implications for water quality management, similar to those experienced by other developing countries in Asia, but occurring if anything even more rapidly as the economy appears set to undergo a particularly rapid transformation.

Environmental implications of East Rapti Irrigation Project for Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal
1989 Authors: Sara Bennett This unpublished 1989 paper was the basis for a 1990 Asian Wetland News article. ERIP was eventually revised, and became a case study used for environmental training by the Government of Nepal.

Water resources management and the energy industry in Alberta, Canada

Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology 44 (8) 2005 Authors: Sara Bennett, S. Gordon (1st author), H. Wiebe (2nd author), R. Jacksteit (3rd author) The challenges associated with managing Alberta's water resources are increasing as a result of population growth, agricultural expansion, and industrial development, including the energy industry. This challenge is being addressed through creative initiatives at the provincial and local levels, and reflects the involvement of many stakeholders. The road ahead will involve: continued development of stakeholder-driven water management initiatives; ongoing refinement and clarification of water management objectives; and, an improved understanding of the aquifer system, including its connection to surface water. Water is an essential resource for Alberta's energy industries, which produce 70% of Canada's crude oil and 80% of its natural gas, and these industries have done much to minimize the use of water. Nevertheless, the challenge to the energy sector will be continued development of water conservation and water quality management technologies.

Role of deepwater rice (Oryza sativa) to maintain aquatic environment in deeply flooded wetlands.
In: Proceedings, 10th European Weed Research Society Symposium on Aquatic Weeds, Lisbon. 1998 Authors: Sara Bennett, Q. R. Islam (1st author) Replacement of deepwater rice (DWR) by modern rice in wetlands seriously impedes plant diversity and conservation in Bangladesh. Many DWR varieties have been lost and the remainders are in danger of extinction. Modern rice production has increased chemical fertilizers and pesticide uses. Due to continuous submergence, deepwater habitat is characterized by anaerobic conditions which inhibit normal plant growth. The DWR plants are adapted to withstand these extreme conditions. They survive deep flooding with rapid elongation. The plant elongation involves production of internodes on culm from early growth stage and elongation of the internodes with gradual rise of water level. The present study suggests that the elongation capacity can be evaluated by culm length, number of elongated internodes and plant age when elongation can start. DWR provides adequate supply of easily digestible protein with high biological value. The DWR fields provide shelter for fish and their food, refuge for wildlife and base of food chain. The aquatic environment prevailing in wetlands has great potential for extensive cultivation of DWR. Selection

of DWR varieties according to the elongation ability and their cultivation would be especially beneficial to meet the continuously expanding needs of food production, conserve plant diversity, and stabilize traditional ecosystem in wetlands.

Wetland resources specialist study, Northeast Region of Bangladesh

Northeast Regional Water Management Project, Bangladesh Flood Action Plan 6 1995 Authors: Sara Bennett, Derek Scott, Ansarul Karim, Istiak Sobhan, Anisuzzaman Khan, S.M.A. Rashid In its original form, the haor basin of northeast Bangladesh would have consisted of a rich mosaic of permanent and seasonal lakes and ponds with abundant aquatic vegetation, surrounded by vast areas of swampy ground with tall reeds and seasonally flooded grasslands. Swamp forest, dominated by Barringtonia acutangula hijal, Pongamia pinnata koroch, would have covered the river levees, and provided a secure refuge for terrestrial wildlife during the monsoon floods. On higher ground, this would have given way to scrub jungle and dense stands of bamboo. Wildlife would have been abundant - Marsh Crocodile, Otter, Rhinoceros, Wild Buffalo, and Swamp Deer grazing in the marshes; Asian Elephant, Gaur, Sambar Deer, Hog Deer, and Wild Boar roaming the forests and grasslands; and Tigers and Leopards, and smaller cats and other types of predators hunting their preferred habitats. Birds would have been everywhere - teeming flocks of migrant ducks and herons, egrets, storks, ibises, whistling-ducks, comb ducks, pygmy geese and many more species. Today, most of the permanent water bodies have survived but all the other major natural ecosystems have almost completely disappeared. Vast areas seasonal floodplain have been converted to rice monoculture, while areas less suitable for rice are now heavily grazed by domestic livestock or cultivated for wheat and other crops. The swamp forests have been reduced to a few small patches, often no more than ten or twenty widely scattered and now very old trees. All land above the monsoon flood level is occupied by homesteads. Despite these losses, the NERP wetland investigations found nine wetland sites in the region (Figure 2) that meet one or more Ramsar Convention criteria (Tables 2.1a and 2.1b) for international significance. Further study might well show that other regional wetland also qualify. Many other sites would meet reasonable criteria for national significance (which have not been formulated in Bangladesh as yet).

Initial environmental examination, Northeast Regional Water Management Plan

Northeast Regional Water Management Project, Bangladesh Flood Action Plan 6 1994 Authors: Sara Bennett This report presents the Initial Environmental Evaluation of the Northeast Regional Water Management Plan. The Plan is the final product of Phase I (1991-93) of the Northeast Regional Water Management Project (NERP), Component 6 of the Flood Action Plan (FAP) and one of five FAP regional water management studies. The information presented here derives primarily from mainstream regional planning work, rather than from separate EIA/IEE efforts. This reflects the nature of the regional planning exercise, which exhibited numerous features typical of EIA/IEE. The regional planning process and team were multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral. Specialist studies in each discipline formed the foundation for the planning process. A central role in planning decisions was played by 'environmental' themes (best use, optimal resource utilization, future opportunities and threats, trade-offs, socioeconomic, gender, and age equity, cultural and institutional factors in resource management, and so on). A public consultation programme (documented in detail in this volume) was undertaken to ensure incorporation of local input. The regional planning phase of the project included project-by-project IEEs of potential projects identified during the planning. A master list of important environmental components (IECs) and generalized project activities were generated during the regional planning process and these, augmented by project-specific additions as and

when needed, was used for all the IEEs, both project and Plan. Assessment methodologies were also developed out of knowledge gained during the regional planning process.

Climate change and Asian farming systems

Proceedings, Asian Farming Systems Research/Extension Symposium, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok 1991 Authors: Sara Bennett, Atiq Rahman, Saleem ul Huq Climate changes predicted as a result of anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gases include various specific effects of relevance to farming systems of the Asia-Pacific region: sea level rise, higher tropical surface temperatures, increased tropical cyclone frequency and severity, and changes in cloud cover and precipitation. Increased ultraviolet radiation due to ozone layer depletion by chlorofluorohydrocarbons (CFCs) may also affect elements of farming systems. These climatic changes have numerous implications for farming systems. Many are rather obvious: rising sea level, in the absence of defensive measures, would gradually inundate coastal farmland, forcing shifts to more salt-tolerant activities like shrimp farming and, ultimately, coastline retreat; more and stronger cyclones would cause more crop damage; and changes in precipitation would reduce economic returns on existing water resources infrastructural investment in affected areas, to name but three examples. Other effects more subtle effects are also possible, such as changes in natural plant propagation rates and species mix and in plant disease patterns. For the future, it will be important to work towards an integrated understanding of climatic, demographic, economic, and technological change. Methodologies need to be developed for weaving climate change considerations appropriately into long-term farming system monitoring programs, and into our understanding of the future evolution of rural economies in general and of farming systems in particular.

Impact of climate change on the Bengal delta of Bangladesh - Proposal to the Carroll L. Wilson Award Committee
1988 Authors: Sara Bennett Over the next century, sea level is expected to rise, and the intensity of tropical storms to increase, due to global warming associated with the greenhouse effect. At the same time, land use in the densely-populated and upland watershed will be rapidly evolving. Many massive water control and land reclamation projects are planned, underway, or completed... The interrelationships between sea level rise, storm intensity increase, and changes in land use must be understood in order for policy decisions affecting the delta to be made wisely.

Recommendation
Sara Bennett is an astute and energetic student who has translated her learning ability into solid accomplishments for 35 years. She still is an astute student; she has not ceased to learn throughout her career. Among her many accomplishments and and the recognitions she has received, she is one the first students to be inducted into Midpark High School's hall of fame. I'm proud to have know her these 35 years and to count her as a friend. Jeffry J. Smith, MBA, PMP April 12, 2010 1 st Jeffry Smith, Student, Midpark High School, studied with Sara at Midpark HS