This Division contains information on site selection and on site maintenance and restoration during the construction process.
Long before construction begins, you will choose the appropriate site. When the ancient Romans selected a site for housing, they paid careful attention to the health-giving qualities of the land. To test a potential homesite, cattle were confined to graze in the area for a specific period of time, after which they were slaughtered and the innards examined. If the animals had unhealthy livers, the site was abandoned.
Unfortunately, the health consequences from the natural conditions of almost any site today pale in comparison to the potential hazards created by humans. Keep the following guidelines in mind when choosing a site:
• Choose a location where the air is relatively unpolluted.
• Evaluate levels of light and noise pollution.
• Determine the direction that prevailing winds blow and how they change seasonally. Consider what is upwind from you.
• Avoid industrial areas, power plants, agricultural lands with heavy pesticide use, and other major pollution producers.
• Avoid proximity to high-voltage power lines, microwave relay stations, and cellular phone and broadcast towers. In general, distances of one-tenth mile from high-voltage power lines and one-half mile from microwave cellular and broadcast towers are adequate. Many public utilities will provide free site measurements for background electromagnetic field levels. Ensure that measurements are taken at a time when power lines in the area are operating at peak load, or have the field calculated based on peak load projections. Utility companies should provide this information in writing.
• Avoid sites adjacent to parking lots and traffic corridors.
• Crest locations generally have better air quality and more air movement than valley sites.
• If you are considering a site in a populated area, analyze the present use and future development of your neighborhood. How are nearby empty lots zoned? Do the neigh
bors use pesticides? Is there smoke from woodstoves and fireplaces in the winter?
• Investigate water quality in the area.
Professional Assistance in Site Selection
You may require assistance in selecting your site, especially when remedies to suspected
