Question

You are on the planning board of a small township (population 2000) in the eastern United States. The town appeals to hikers, canoeists, and fishers. This year, three major land-use proposals came up for the board’s review: a shopping plaza, a factory that makes paper, and a housing development. Read the following descriptions of the projects and look at the map of the township. Then answer the question that follows.

Proposal #1 - The shopping plaza would cover about 1 1/2 hectares northeast of town where the truck farm is now. It would include a supermarket, small shops, and parking. It would create some jobs and generate traffic drawn from neighboring towns.
Proposal #2 - The paper factory would be on a site of about 3 hectares approximately 4 km west of town where the gravel pit is now. It would include wood storage, the factory, a water-pumping station, an access road, and employee parking. A great quantity of water is used in making paper. This water would be pumped from the river and then distributed into the air as steam or restored as clean, warm water into the river.
Proposal #3 - The housing development would replace most of the cornfields northwest of the town between the river and the highway. Forty houses would be built on 0.5-hectare lots. A U-shaped access road would connect to the road currently located between the highway and the town. Which proposal(s) might have positive effects on the river?
a) Proposal #1
b) Proposal #2
c) Proposal #3
d) Proposal #1 and #2

Answer 1

The paper factory proposal (Proposal #2) might have positive effects on the river due to its water usage and restoration process.

Step-by-step explanation:

Proposal #2 - The paper factory might have positive effects on the river. The factory would use water from the river in its operations and then either release it back into the river as clean, warm water or distribute it into the air as steam. This process of using and restoring water can contribute to maintaining the water quality and ecosystem of the river. Therefore, Proposal #2 could have positive effects on the river.