Assimilative capacity

Assimilative capacity is the ability for pollutants to be absorbed by an environment without detrimental effects to the environment or those who use of it.^[1] Natural absorption into an environment is achieved through dilution, dispersion and removal through chemical or biological processes.^[1] The term assimilative capacity has been used interchangeably with environmental capacity, receiving capacity and absorptive capacity.^[2] It is used as a measurement perimeter in hydrology, meteorology and pedology for a variety of environments examples consist of: lakes, rivers, oceans, cities and soils. Assimilative capacity is a subjective measurement that is quantified by governments and institutions such as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of environments into guidelines.^[3][4] Using assimilative capacity as a guideline can help the allocation of resources while reducing the impact on organisms in an environment.^[5] This concept is paired with carrying capacity in order to facilitate sustainable development of city regions.^[1] Assimilative capacity has been critiqued as to its effectiveness due to ambiguity in its definition that can confuses readers and false assumptions that a small amount of pollutants has no harmful effect on an environment.^[6]