American Fisheries Society 141st Annual Meeting

Symposium

Protecting Fish at Power Plant Cooling Water Intakes:

New Developments and Science on Clean Water Act §316(b)

September 5-6, 2011

Summary

This symposium was conducted over a two day period during the 141st
American Fisheries Society (AFS) Meeting in Seattle, Washington.  The
symposium was sponsored by the AFS Bioengineering Section.  The Monday,
5 September session started at 1:15 PM with an introduction and
presentation by Doug Dixon (EPRI) on the draft 316(b) rule for existing
facilities.  The first session ended at 5:15 PM, and the symposium
resumed at 8:00 AM on Tuesday and continued until 3:00 PM.  There were a
total of 37 platform presentations.  Although it is somewhat difficult
to categorize all presentations, the majority focused on intake
technologies, impingement/entrainment surveys, source water surveys, and
economic benefits.  Most speakers were representing
engineering/consulting firms or utilities.  All presentation abstracts
are provided below, as are summaries of topics and speakers.

Presentation Topic Summary

Topic	Number of Presentations

Technologies (fish protection/return)	16

Impingement/Entrainment Surveys (local or cumulative)	5

Source Water Surveys	4

Economic Benefits (or cost-benefit)	4

Draft 316(b) Rule	3

Closed Cycle Cooling Perspectives	2

Entrainment Survival	1

Adverse Environmental Impact	1

Climate Change	1



Speaker Summary

Speaker	Number of Presentations

Consulting or Engineering Firms	24

Utility Companies	7

Electric Power Research Institute	2

Alden Research Laboratory	2

Government Agencies (Nuclear Regulatory Commission)	1

Legal Firms	1



Protecting Fish at Power Plant Cooling Water Intakes:

New Developments and Science on Clean Water Act §316(b),

Part 1

Introduction

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 20, 2011
released a proposed rule for public comment implementing
technology-based standards for fish protection at existing power plants
and other facilities that use cooling water in accordance with the
requirements of §316(b) of the Clean Water Act.  This regulatory
action affects almost 1,300 facilities (power plants, pulp and paper
mills, iron mills, chemical plants) around the U.S. that use cooling
water. These industries, federal and state regulatory and resource
agencies, non-governmental organizations and the public will all need
the latest information on technologies and related information for
protecting fish and shellfish at cooling water intakes – this includes
traveling and fixed screens, barrier nets, behavioral systems, closed
cycle cooling systems, and other methods for reducing, excluding or
collecting and returning fish and shellfish to source water bodies.
Information will also be needed on methods for characterizing
impingement and entrainment and for determining the performance of
technologies.  Methods for economic analysis to determine the
cost-benefit for compliance activities may also be needed. This
symposium will gather practitioners with expertise in fish
protection/bioengineering at cooling water intakes to present and
discuss the latest scientific developments in this field. 

Overview of Draft EPA 316(b) Rule for Existing Facilities 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 1:15 PM

 HYPERLINK "mailto:ddixon@epri.com" Douglas A. Dixon , Electric Power
Research Institute, Gloucester Point, VA 

David Bailey, Electric Power Research Institute, Springfield, VA 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing a revised
regulation to implement the fish and shellfish protection requirements
of Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act.  The regulation will specify
technology-based performance standards for existing facilities that use
surface water for cooling. This will primarily affect the electric power
industry; however, pulp and paper, iron and steel and other
manufacturing operations that utilize surface water for some level of
cooling will also be affected.  A draft Rule for public review and
comment is expected March 14, 2011 (after posting of this abstract) and
the final rule July 27, 2012.  Technology-based performance standards
will be issued for reducing impingement (entrapment of fish and
shellfish on intake screens) and entrainment (passage of eggs, larvae,
and juvenile fish and shellfish through cooling systems).  The
standards may be applicable according to several factors including but
not limited to the water flow volume withdrawn, plant capacity
utilization, and plant location on sensitive water bodies.  The
standards will require in-scope facilities to install technologies to
attain the fish protection requirements.  Applicable technologies can
exclude organisms, reduce their number, or collect and safely return
them to the source water body.  Example technologies include behavioral
systems, barrier nets, traveling water screens, cylindrical wedge wire
screens and, the most expensive approach, retrofits of closed cycle
cooling systems (cooling towers.  This presentation will review the
full scope of the regulation that is proposed by EPA in March 2011. 

Installation, Operation, and Performance of the Gunderboom® Marine Life
Exclusion System at Cooling Water Intakes 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 1:30 PM

 HYPERLINK "mailto:tenglert@hdrinc.com" Thomas L. Englert , Ferm, HDR
Engineering Inc., Pearl River, NY 

Andrew J. McCusker , Gunderboom, Inc., Scarborough, ME 

William D. Saksen , Ferm, HDR Engineering Inc., Pearl River, NY 

John A.D. Burnett , Ferm, HDR Engineering Inc., Park City, UT

 

Electric utilities and other industries that withdraw water for cooling
purposes are under increasing pressure from state and federal regulatory
agencies to reduce losses of fish due to entrainment and impingement. 
New draft regulations from USEPA scheduled to be published in March 2011
may require reductions in losses of 80% or more.  The Gunderboom Marine
Life Exclusion System™ (MLES™), a full-water-depth filter barrier
that effectively limits aquatic biota from entering cooling water intake
structures may provide such reductions. The technology was developed
during a six year (1995-2001) research and development program conducted
at the Lovett Generating Station, having a once-through flow of 465 MGD
and located on the lower Hudson River.  Seasonal deployments, scheduled
to coincide with the presence of fish eggs and larvae, were used to
develop and improve the technology. Resulting design changes increased
the flow- through capacity of the fabric, and incorporated an automated
Air-Burst™ cleaning system, and improved anchor system that allowed
operation of the MLES™ under extreme flow and weather conditions. 
Ichthyoplankton monitoring was conducted during the program to measure
the system’s effectiveness at reducing entrainment. Paired samples
were collected at protected (i.e. within the MLES™) and unprotected
intakes during 1995, 1998, 2000 and 2004 through 2007. Results from the
ichthyoplankton monitoring program indicate that the Gunderboom MLES™
was greater than 80% effective at reducing entrainment.  Results of the
monitoring studies are discussed along with some specialized studies to
measure the potential for impingement of organisms on the filter
fabric.  These studies have potential implications for other
technologies as well, such as fine slot wedgewire and travelling
screens.  Effectiveness of the filter fabric technology is compared to
other technologies and a current installation of the MLES™ on the
Taunton River in MA, in its fourth year of operation, is described. 

Evaluation of an Angled Intake Structure at a Once-Through Cooled Power
Plant 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 1:45 PM

Robert H. Reider, DTE Energy, Detroit, MI 

Matthew Thomas, Golder Associates Inc., Tampa, FL 

Darlene Ager, Kinectrics Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada

 

The Belle River Power Plant (BRPP) is a 1270 MW, two-unit, base-load,
coal-fired facility located on the west side of the St. Clair River
approximately 46 miles north of Detroit in St. Clair County, MI.  The
plant utilizes a once-through cooling water system with a shoreline
intake structure. The design of the cooling water intake structure was
based on a review of available fish protection technologies at
facilities located on flowing water and on hydraulic modeling studies
with the objective of minimizing fish entrapment. Features include an
intake structure angled 20 degrees relative to the river flow, flush
mounted traveling screens to eliminate embayments, guide vanes to
enhance parallel water flow and a design approach velocity of 15.2 cm/s.
Impingement and entrainment sampling was conducted in 2005-2006 at BRPP
and at an adjacent facility that could be considered a calculation
baseline facility (CBF) per USEPA 316(b) Phase II Rule criteria. In
comparing the sampling results at the two facilities there were
reductions in fish impingement of 96.9% in total number and 99.4% in
total biomass at BRPP when compared with the CBF. In terms of
impingement density (number per unit volume of water pumped by plant)
the reduction was 97.7%. Total entrainment of larval and juvenile fish
showed a 96.4% reduction at BRPP when compared with the CBF. In terms of
larval and juvenile density the reduction was 97.8%. These reductions in
impingement and entrainment exceed the performance standards identified
in the 2004 316(b) Phase II rule. 

Integrated Fish Protection System to Address Entrainment and Impingement


Monday, September 5, 2011: 2:00 PM

Paul Patrick, Kinectrics Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada

 

Extensive research has been conducted on various fish protection systems
in an attempt to reduce both entrainment and impingement. Since the
technology for impingement reduction is often different from entrainment
technologies, integrated systems are often used as retrofit designs to
address the different life history stages of fish, notably larvae,
juvenile and adult fish. The proposed system at BayShore involves a
unique “reversed” louver array to address impingement and debris
(and to a lesser extent entrainment), fine mesh screens in the pumphouse
to address entrainment and residual impingement, and a fish return
system involving fish pumps and a transport system. The “reversed”
louver array is critical as the initial component of the proposed fish
diversion system and includes specific design features such as frame
angle, slat angle, slat length, slat spacing and a bottom overlay. The
primary function of the louver is to divert juvenile and adult fish
which may eventually become impinged on the traveling screens. Another
function of the louver is to divert or minimize debris so that less
material ends up on the traveling screens. Fine mesh screens are another
critical component of the integrated system at BayShore. It’s main
function is to divert organisms which include eggs and larvae unharmed
towards the transport system. The final component of the integrated
system is a fish pump and transport system. Factors considered important
include location, type of pump, size, impeller speed, expected fish
densities, sweep velocity along louver to pump, attraction velocity (if
required), and quantity of flow. A pilot project was carried out in the
field from April to October 2010 on the louver array, and a fine mesh
screen component. Results on entrainment, impingement and biofouling
will be presented including a discussion of how the proposed unique
system will operate at the BayShore Plant. 

The Use of a Porous Dike Structure for Reducing Fish Impingement at a
Power Plant Employing Once-Through Cooling 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 2:15 PM

David T. Michaud, We Energies, WI

 

In 2000, We Energies announced its intent to repower its Port Washington
Power Plant site. The historic 380 MW coal-fueled plant was to be
replaced with a two unit, natural gas-fueled combined cycle plant. Both
the historic and new plant would have similar cooling water supply needs
(814 MGD, or 565,000 gpm). Following a rigorous review of alternatives,
the company selected, based on previous successful use at a now
decommissioned station, a porous dike to enclose the existing intake
channel to reduce impingement of trout and salmon. Engineering and
hydraulic testing studies were conducted to assure that the proposed
structure could both supply the required cooling water flow and
withstand waves generated by storm events. Construction was initiated in
May, 2008 and was completed by the end of September, 2008.  A two-year
biological (impingement and entrainment monitoring) and operational
performance evaluation study commenced in January, 2009 and was
completed in December, 2010. Performance thus far, has been excellent.
Initial operational / biological observations, to date, suggest that:
(1) dislodged Cladophora, which caused forced outages in the past, has
been substantially reduced; no forced outages have occurred since the
dike was placed into service; (2) cooling water supply has not been
impacted by winter icing conditions; (3) approach velocity measurements
near the face of the dike confirm predictions (e.g., near ambient lake
conditions; (4) winter impingement of gizzard shad has been virtually
eliminated; summer impingement of alewife has also been substantially
(e.g. greater than 90%) reduced; and (5) results of entrainment
monitoring  have not yet been concluded. 

AquaSweepTM Separator Inertial Separation – An Alternative to
Screening of Aquatic Life and Closed Loop Cooling Tower Retrofit to Meet
316(b) Requirements 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 2:30 PM

 HYPERLINK "mailto:b.murphy@c-watertechnologies.com" Brian R. Murphy ,
C-Water Technologies, Inc., Evergreen, CO

 

The protection of aquatic life from impingement and entrainment (IM&E)
by power plant cooling water intake structures (CWIS) has been a topic
of study and implementation for several decades. A wide array of
screening techniques have been employed with varying degrees of success.
While IM&E reductions approaching 90% for “large” aquatic organisms
such as adult fish have been successfully demonstrated by a number of
technologies – IM&E reductions for small aquatic organism such as eggs
and larvae in an economical and maintainable fashion has been more
elusive. 

Section 316(b) final draft regulation by the EPA is schedule for
publication in March 2011 with enactment in July 2012. This regulation
is anticipated to have a significant impact on the power generation
industry by requiring reductions in IM&E of once through cooling (OTC)
intakes to levels that have only been demonstrated by closed cycle
cooling towers (CCCT). The cost of converting existing U.S. power plants
which use OTC to CCCT has been estimated at more than $100 billion. 

The AquaSweep Separator is based on the principle of inertial separation
– not screening – to separate small aquatic life from the CWIS. By
definition, screening requires the largest “hole” in the screen to
be smaller than the smallest aquatic organism being excluded. Inertial
separation relies on the inertia of the aquatic life to guide it away
from the water flow entering the CWIS. By employing inertia, the largest
“hole” in the AquaSweep Separator can be larger than the smallest
aquatic life being excluded. A direct benefit is a smaller cross
sectional area of active separator face when compared to the active
screen face required for other technologies. In addition to
AquaSweep’s benefits of a smaller footprint, its larger “holes”
are less likely to clog with debris and are easier to clean given their
linear geometry. 

This presentation will show the footprint, conversion cost, and
maintenance benefits of the AquaSweep separator when compared with
screening technologies and CCCT conversion. Computational fluid
dynamics modeling by CH2M Hill and aquatic life studies performed by
Alden Research Laboratory results will also be presented. 

Velocity Cap Effectiveness at Scattergood Generating Station (Los
Angeles, CA) 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 2:45 PM

D. Shane Beck, MBC Applied Environmental Sciences, Costa Mesa, CA 

Eric Miller, MBC Applied Environmental Sciences, Costa Mesa, CA 

John Hedgepeth, Tenera Environmental, San Luis Obispo, CA 

John R. Steinbeck, Tenera Environmental, San Luis Obispo, CA

 

Velocity caps are used at many coastal power plants in southern
California to reduce the amount of fish entrained into cooling water
intake systems. Historical laboratory and field studies indicated
velocity caps reduced fish entrapment by >80%. Field studies were
conducted at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s
Scattergood Generating Station in 2006-7 to estimate the entrapment
reduction resulting from use of the velocity cap. To determine velocity
cap effectiveness, impingement samples were collected during periods
with the generating station operating in normal flow, where cooling
water was withdrawn from the intake structure with the velocity cap, and
in reverse flow, where cooling water was withdrawn from the discharge
structure without the velocity cap. Hydroacoustic surveys were conducted
during day and night in both normal and reverse flow conditions to
determine if there were any significant differences in nearshore fish
densities between the intake and discharge structures. The Scattergood
velocity cap reduced fish impingement abundance by 97.6%, and fish
impingement biomass by 95.3%. No significant differences in fish
densities were detected between the intake and discharge structures,
indicating differences were attributable to the use of the velocity cap.


NEPTUN: The Electronic Barrier That Effectively Repels Fish From Surface
Water Intakes and Manages Fish Movement in a Down and Upstream Waterway 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 3:30 PM

Piotr Parasiewicz, Fishways Global, LLC, Livonia, MI 

The protection of fish communities at man-made facilities and barriers
has a long history of significant expenditure of scientific and monetary
resources. Beyond creating fishways, considerable investment is made to
protect fish by blocking their access to turbines, water intakes, and
directing them to less risky areas. The anticipated success of
electrical fish barriers and guidance structures has been limited due to
current design limitations. However, a device with a fundamentally new
design feature has been successfully deployed in Poland. The device is
called "NEPTUN." NEPTUN is an electric-electronic 3-phase barrier,
producing a smooth non-uniform pulsed electric field of low voltage. It
uses arrays of positive and negative electrodes and gradually increases
the intensity of the electric field between the electrodes from positive
to negative. Unlike other devices NEPTUN does not stun fish, but
affects their neuromuscular system at the informational level, allowing
them to escape from the area of the electric field. The basic field
installation consists of steel electrodes attached to the river bottom
so that they can move from the vertical to an angle of + / - 90 degrees.
A buoy attached at the end of the electrode keeps it in an upright
position. Groups of electrodes are powered by remotely controlled
generators. Specialized software controls the parameters of the
electric field, creates statistically-mastered changes, and controls the
switching of each group of electrodes. The system supports sensors for
monitoring temperature and conductivity of the water which can be used
to automatically adjust the properties of the electric field. With
an average power input of 0.43 to 0.45 kWh and electricity consumption
of 0.0018 kW/m2, "NEPTUN" has a low operating cost. Additionally, the
system maintenance is minimal. 

Laboratory Evaluations of Fine-mesh Traveling Screens – 5 Years of
Research 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 3:45 PM

 HYPERLINK "mailto:jblack@aldenlab.com" Jonathan Black , Alden Research
Laboratory, Inc., Holden, MA 

Daniel Giza, Alden Research Laboratory, Inc., Holden, MA 

Brian McMahon, Alden Research Laboratory, Inc., Holden, MA 

Douglas A. Dixon, Electric Power Research Institute, Gloucester Point,
VA 

Biological performance – primarily the 48-hour survival of collected
larvae – was evaluated in the laboratory with fine-mesh traveling
screens.  The first year of testing used small acrylic, tabletop,
flumes to evaluate the effects of approach velocity, duration of
impingement, and fish length on the survival of six species of
freshwater fish.  These data were used to select variables for further
evaluation with fully-operational fine-mesh traveling screens in a large
flume.  In Years 2-4, survival of larvae was assessed with screens from
three different manufacturers using 0.5 to 2.0 mm screen meshes.  Test
variables included approach velocity (0.5 to 2.0 ft/s), duration of
impingement (2 to 8 minutes), and fish length (5-28 mm) with eight
species (bigmouth buffalo, bluegill, common carp, golden shiner, white
sucker, channel catfish, hybrid striped bass, and rainbow smelt). 
There was considerable variability in survival depending upon species,
especially with the earliest life stages.  In general, smaller fish
(<12 mm) had poor survival while larger fish (>12 mm) had good
survival.  This increase in survival appears to coincide with
development of scales and increased musculature.   In general, there
was a trend toward decreasing survival as duration of impingement or
velocity was increased, but these relationships were not always
significant.  Duration of impingement was rarely a significant
predictor of survival.  In a fifth year of testing, a screen that
removes organisms directly from the screen panel with a fish-friendly
pump was evaluated.  The variables tested included velocity (0.5 to 4.0
ft/s) and fish length (11-52 mm).  Fish species tested included:
bigmouth buffalo, bluegill, common carp, and white sucker.  Survival
with this screen exceeded 65% and for two species survival was greater
than 89% for all conditions tested.  A similar pattern of increasing
survival as fish grew larger was observed with this screen as with the
previously tested screens. 

Biological Testing of Geiger MultiDisc™ Rotary Screens at Salem
Generating Station 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 4:00 PM

 HYPERLINK "mailto:Kenneth.Strait@pseg.com" Ken Strait , PSEG Power
Sustainability, Public Service Enterprise Group, PSEG Power, LLC,
Hancocks Bridge, NJ 

PSEG Nuclear, LLC installed a Geiger MultiDisc™ rotary screen with a
fish collection and return system in the Salem Generating Station intake
structure in 2006 and conducted biological testing of the pilot
installation through November 2010. The modifications were intended to
improve the capabilities of the cooling system to handle the high
detrital load present in the Delaware Estuary during certain periods of
the year. Latent impingement mortality (“LIM”) and entrainment
length-frequency data for the rotary screen were collected for
comparison to the existing long-term data on impingement/entrainment
mortality of the other eleven Ristroph-modified traveling screens (6.35
x 12.7-mm woven wire mesh). Biological testing was conducted with both
8.0-mm and 9.5-mm drilled plastic plate panels on the MultiDisc™
rotary screen. Results for the 8.0-mm mesh indicated higher LIM values
than for the Ristroph screens. In order to estimate expected entrainment
losses associated with the rotary screen, transfer factors were computed
for each species/length class using the ratio of concentrations behind
the rotary screen to concentrations behind a Ristroph screen. By
applying these transfer factors to entrainment concentrations measured
behind the Ristroph screens, and applying the measured rotary screen LIM
values to impinged organisms, PSEG was able to estimate the combined
impingement and entrainment losses for an overall comparison of a
Ristroph screen to the rotary screen. The estimated
impingement/entrainment losses were converted to biomass using a
Production Foregone Model to determine that the average combined biomass
loss (with entrainment survival) through the 8.0-mm mesh rotary screen
would be slightly less than through a Ristroph-modified screen. The LIM
and entrainment length-frequency data from biological testing of the
9.5-mm mesh are currently being analyzed and these results, including an
estimate of combined impingement and entrainment losses using a
Production Foregone Model, will be presented for an overall comparison
of biological effects. 

Intake Technologies used at the Brunswick Steam Electric Plant to
Achieve a Reduction in Impingement Mortality to a Level Similar to that
of Closed Cycle 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 4:15 PM

Tom Thompson, Progress Energy Carolinas, Inc., Raleigh, NC 

The Brunswick Steam Electric Plant (BSEP) is located near the mouth of
the Cape Fear River Estuary in North Carolina.  The BSEP consist of two
nuclear units.  Once-through cooling water is withdrawn from the
estuary and discharged to the Atlantic Ocean.   To reduce impingement
mortality, a fish diversion structure was built across the mouth of the
intake canal in 1982 and a fish return system including traveling
screens, spray wash, and return flume was completed in 1983.  
Although reduced in scope and frequency in recent years, impingement
monitoring has been conducted since the units came on line in 1977. 
Survival studies of impinged organisms were conducted from 1984 to
1987.  Long-term data can be compared to baseline annual impingement to
assess the effectiveness of the diversion structure in reducing
impingement.   Survival results provide additional insight regarding
the overall effectiveness of the diversion structure and return system
together in reducing annual impingement mortality.  Reductions in the
annual number of the historically dominant species impinged compared to
baseline due to the fish diversion structure ranged from 55 % to 99 %
depending on species.  When survival study results are included the
reduction in annual impingement mortality due to both the fish diversion
structure and return system ranges from 77 % to 99% depending on
species.  Annual variability in the effectiveness of these mitigation
technologies was evident.   However, mean annual reductions in
impingement mortality ranged from 94 % to 99% for the historically
dominant species.  Installation of the fish diversion structured
resulted in a shift in species composition from primarily larger
fin-fish to penaeid shrimp and blue crab (taxa exhibiting > 90% survival
in the fish return system).  Use of these mitigation technologies can
be used to achieve reductions in impingement mortality approaching that
of closed cycle cooling for many species. 



Larval Avoidance Enhances the Entrainment Reduction Performance of
Cylindrical Wedgewire Screens 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 4:30 PM

Mark Mattson, Normandeau Associates Inc., Portsmouth, NH 

A laboratory study was conducted in 2010 to estimate parameters of an
avoidance/exclusion model that addresses three distinct mechanisms by
which cylindrical wedgewire (CWW) screens can reduce entrainment:
hydraulic bypass, avoidance, and mechanical exclusion.  CWW screens
with slot widths of 2, 3, 6, and 9 mm were tested at flume velocities of
0.08, 0.15, and 0.30 m/sec, with through-slot velocities of 0.08 and
0.15 m/sec.  Tests were conducted by releasing neutrally buoyant beads,
fish eggs of approximately 1 and 3 mm diameter, and fish larvae with
robust (Atlantic tomcod, striped bass) and slender (white sucker) body
forms at a location of known high probability of entrainment immediately
upstream of the test screen.  The length, body depth, and number of the
test subjects carried past, entrained through, or excluded and retained
on the CWW screen was recorded.  Tests were done with both live and
dead larvae, and under ambient daylight and nighttime conditions. 
Avoidance curves, expressing the relationship of probability of
avoidance with fish length, and exclusion curves, expressing the
relationship of probability of exclusion with greatest body depth, were
fit to data for each set of test conditions using nonlinear
regression.  Avoidance was typically higher during the day, for the
smaller slot sizes, for the lower through-slot velocity, and at higher
ratios of flume/slot velocity.  Exclusion of live larvae was reduced as
slot velocity increased on 2 mm CWW screens.  Exclusion of white sucker
eggs (3.3 mm diameter) by 2 mm CWW screens was nearly 100% at either
through-slot velocity, but was somewhat lower (70%-95%) with 3 mm CWW
screens.   The probability of being swept off, if excluded, was higher
for the white sucker eggs than for fish larvae, was higher for the low
slot velocity (0.08 m/sec), and increased with increasing flume
velocity.  The 2010 laboratory study confirmed that avoidance of the
CWW screens tested occurs for fish larvae, and that expected avoidance
capability has an exponentially increasing relationship with length. 
The performance of CWW screens for reducing entrainment was a
combination of the potential for bypass, avoidance and exclusion. 
Selection of an optimal slot width CWW screen should account for these
three performance components. 

Laboratory Evaluations of Fish Return Systems – What Designs Work 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 4:45 PM

Ray Tuttle, Alden Research Laboratory, Inc., Holden, MA 

Daniel Giza, Alden Research Laboratory, Inc., Holden, MA 

Brian McMahon, Alden Research Laboratory, Inc., Holden, MA 

Guidelines for fish conveyances and other fish handling systems have
been developed by federal, state and professional organizations. These
guidelines were developed through an understanding of the hydraulic
conditions likely to produce injury and mortality to adult fish.
 However, little information exists on the effects of fish return
systems on larval or early juvenile survival. The Electric Power
Research Institute (EPRI) funded laboratory studies on factors affecting
larval fish survival through a fish return system.  Initially, the
effects velocity and height of discharge were evaluated.  Two 21.6 m
(71 ft) pipes were pitched such that a velocity of 0.6 m/sec (2 ft/sec)
and 1.8 m/sec (6 ft/sec) could be achieved.  Discharge heights
evaluated were sub-surface, 0.6 m (2ft), and 1.2 m (4 ft).  The system
was modified to a length of 131 m (430 ft) and several 90 degree drops,
a sweeping curve, and a serpentine section were added. The test velocity
was 1.8 m/sec (6 ft/sec) with a sub-surface discharge.  Testing also
included three replicates (50 fish) with each combination of species
(6), lifestage, and release locations plus controls.  A summary of the
results is as follows: 

Survival (48-hr) for all species was poor (20-60%) during the transition
from yolk-sac to post-yolk-sac larvae.  Survival ranged from 70-100%
after the fish were approximately 12 mm in length.  

Velocity had no effect on survival within length groups. 

Except for common carp, discharge height [subsurface to ≤1.2 m (4 ft)]
had no effect on survival within length groups among species. 

Increasing the length and adding drops and bends did not affect survival
within length groups. 

Based on these results, transit of fish ~12 mm through a well-maintained
fish return system should not result in increased mortality.  The
influence of debris and roughness were not assessed. 

Selecting BTA in the Real World 

Monday, September 5, 2011: 5:00 PM

James McLaren, ASA Analysis & Communication, Inc, Washingtonville, NY 

Bill Dey, ASA Analysis & Communication, Inc, Washingtonville, NY 

Although the National Rulemaking for Section 316(b) has yet to be
finalized, several state regulatory agencies have been moving ahead to
establish BTA for existing cooling water intakes within their
jurisdiction.  One of these regulatory agencies is the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and one of the early
facilities to have completed the BTA selection process is located on
Long Island.  Entrainment and impingement at this facility is dominated
by common inshore marine species of Long Island Sound, including tautog,
cunner, and Atlantic menhaden.  The selection of BTA began with a
screening of all reasonable intake and operational alternatives to
determine those feasible at this facility that also will reduce current
levels of entrainment and impingement.  One key factor in selecting BTA
at this facility is the load-following (cycling) operation during the
warmer months when entrainment is expected to be highest and low
anticipated operation during the colder months when impingement is
expected to be highest.  This operating mode opens the door for
considerable reductions in cooling water flow when generating load is
low.  A detailed review of the potential for both entrainment and
impingement survival also was conducted to include in the evaluation
process.  Analysis of the potential benefits of each of the feasible
alternatives revealed that variable-speed drives (VSDs) on the existing
cooling water pumps and continuous screen operation, coupled with
entrainment and impingement survival, would reduce entrainment to more
than 90 percent of the level of cooling towers and impingement to a
level equivalent to cooling towers.  Further, when taking into account
installation times, VSDs actually would provide greater reduction in
entrainment than cooling towers for more than 40 years into the future. 



Protecting Fish At Power Plant Cooling Water Intakes:

New Developments and Science on Clean Water Act §316(b),

Part 2

Sponsored By: AFS Bioengineering Section 

Introduction

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 20, 2011
released a proposed rule for public comment implementing
technology-based standards for fish protection at existing power plants
and other facilities that use cooling water in accordance with the
requirements of §316(b) of the Clean Water Act.  This regulatory
action affects almost 1,300 facilities (power plants, pulp and paper
mills, iron mills, chemical plants) around the U.S. that use cooling
water. These industries, federal and state regulatory and resource
agencies, non-governmental organizations and the public will all need
the latest information on technologies and related information for
protecting fish and shellfish at cooling water intakes – this includes
traveling and fixed screens, barrier nets, behavioral systems, closed
cycle cooling systems, and other methods for reducing, excluding or
collecting and returning fish and shellfish to source water bodies.
Information will also be needed on methods for characterizing
impingement and entrainment and for determining the performance of
technologies.  Methods for economic analysis to determine the
cost-benefit for compliance activities may also be needed. This
symposium will gather practitioners with expertise in fish
protection/bioengineering at cooling water intakes to present and
discuss the latest scientific developments in this field. 

Hydrolox Fish Friendly Polymer Screens - Designed for Compliance with
316(b) 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 8:00 AM

Tim Woodrow, Intralox Inc., New Orleans, LA 

This  presentation willdocument the results of numerous independent
laboratory and in-field tests, and highlight the value that Hydrolox
screens have consistently provided for many companies and organizations,
all while providing a platform for 316(b) compliance.  Hydrolox
determinedly researched and tested existing steel mesh screens in order
to understand how cooling water intakes might be made more effective. It
then challenged its engineers and designers to come up with a design
that could both protect aquatic life and radically reduce operational
and maintenance costs. The result is a strong, modular screen with
superior resistance to abrasion, bio-fouling and impact that also saves
a high percentage of aquatic life. To validate the ability of the
polymer screening technology to protect aquatic life, several studies on
impingement and or entrainment have been conducted.  The presentation
will cover impingement results from Alden Laboratory and from an
independent environmental testing company at a NY power station, the
results of an entrainment study by Alden Laboratory under the
sponsorship of EPRI, and the results from a 2 year study on impingement
and entrainment on the River Thames in England. These studies
demonstrate that Hydrolox screens provide a high survivability rate
across a diverse range of species in a variety of challenging
environments. 



Fish Deterrent and Protection Using Non-Physical Barriers & Special
Intake Screens 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 8:07 AM

Kaveh Someah, OVIVO Water Inc., Salt Lake City, UT 

With today’s new legislation of 316 (b) regarding the reduction in
mortality of juvenile fish, there are numerous ways to increase
survivability with proven technology. This paper will discuss two (2) of
those methods; a) Fish Guidance and b) Fish Recovery. The first method
of “Fish Guidance” utilizes years of research followed by a number
of successful and proven installations of “guiding” or deterring
fish via the proper combination of stimuli. Fish will respond to certain
queues yet over time, seemed too have acclimated and ignored what was
previously a nuisance to them. This was primarily due to only one type
of stimuli or a set frequency being utilized. The proper combination
sound, air and light have been successfully employed to deter
populations of fish from a particular destination. The use of a Sound
Projection Array (SPA), which utilizes an altering frequency of sound to
repel fish and warn them of impending danger causes them to steer away
from paths such as circulating water intakes, thus reducing the quantity
of fish drawn into the cooling water system. Other methods include a
BioAcoustic Fish Fence (BAFF), which utilizes an SPA combined with a
bubble curtain, which captures the sound thus increases the dispersion
to the surface and can guide migratory fish around an intake structure.
Other installation may also use strobe lights to provide a visual queue
or warning of the approaching deterrent system. Certain installations
require the use of all three to properly guide various species past
structures. Levels as high 73-95% deflection have been attained in many
installations. The second method of “fish recovery” uses
specifically designed cooling water intake traveling screens to recover
fish drawn into the intake system and release them virtually unharmed
away from the intake. Traveling screens are used to prevent debris from
clogging a plants condenser. Fish normally impinged against the mesh and
would otherwise find themselves in the debris washed from the screens
are now captured in a hydraulically stabilized “fish bucket” which
provides both shelter and a quick, safe removal from the screens. The
stabilized shape literally draws the fish into the bucket vs.
impingement via exhaustion against the mesh. As the screen rotates, low
pressure fish sprays remove fish from the screens, placing them into a
dedicated fish return trough. Survival rates vary by species but for
many installations have been as high as 85-90%. 

Fine Slot and Mesh Size Screen Alternatives for Protecting Fish Eggs and
Larvae at Cooling Water Intakes 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 8:15 AM

 HYPERLINK "mailto:john.burnett@hdrinc.com" John A.D. Burnett , Power
and Energy, HDR Engineering Inc., Park City, UT 

Thomas Englert, Ferm, HDR Engineering Inc., Pearl River, NY 

Stephen McKelvie, Ferm, HDR Engineering Inc., Boston, MA

 

State and Federal regulators are in the process of implementing major
changes to the regulations that apply to existing cooling water intake
systems with the goal of further reducing injury to fish at these
facilities.  These regulatory changes have been met with increased
interested in fish protection technologies, other than very costly
cooling towers, that can achieve the required reductions.  Facility
owners face many challenges as they work to determine exactly which
technologies and/or operational measures to implement at their
facilities.  An important area of compliance alternative selection is
estimation of the site-specific fish protection performance that can be
achieved by each alternative technology being considered. This paper
compares and contrasts two potential retrofit technologies – narrow
slot wedgewire and fine mesh travelling screens – that have the
potential to meet the anticipated performance standards for entrainment
and impingement reductions.  Because of the small size of eggs and
larvae, the slot size/mesh size of the screens must be on the order of
2.0 mm or smaller in order to meet the targeted reductions in
entrainment.  Innovative approaches to estimating pre-installation
entrainment and impingement reduction performance were developed to make
predictions about each technology’s potential to meet the standards. 
Similarly, screening technology design, configuration, operation and
maintenance solutions were developed along with cost estimates as a part
of the technology selection process.  Trade-offs in terms of fish
protection, operational reliability, and costs are examined. 

Role of Entrainment Survival in the BTA Selection Process 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 8:30 AM

John Young, ASA Analysis & Communication, Inc, Washingtonville, NY

 

That some fish eggs, larvae, and early juveniles can survive passage
through the cooling water systems of steam electric facilities has been
known for more than 30 years.  The studies leading to this reveal that
survival varies with species-, size, and temperature exposure, with
survival estimates ranging from near zero for newly hatched delicate
species to almost 100 percent for hardier species and life stages.  In
this paper, we review key developments in the evolution of sampling
gear, study designs, and analytical techniques that led to reliable
estimates of entrainment survival.  Despite the past successes, some
skepticism remains about the role of entrainment survival in the BTA
selection process.  We demonstrate that failure to consider entrainment
survival where it exists may 1) overestimate of the potential for
adverse environmental impact and, hence, the benefits (both biological
and economic) of alternative intake technologies designed to reduce
entrainment losses, and 2) lead to the selection of intake alternatives
that actually increase the impacts to individual fish populations. 
This phenomenon will be illustrated for fine-mesh traveling screens, a
technology gaining some interest as potential BTA.  Consideration of
entrainment survival in the BTA selection process is receiving
increasing acceptance within at least one regulatory agency (New York
State Department of Environment Conservation) and necessitated
site-specific confirmatory studies which were conducted this summer. 
Preliminary results of this effort will be described. 

Evaluation of Cooling Water Intake Technology Alternatives with
Consideration of Engineering, Costs, and Biological Efficacy on a
Narrow, Sediment-Laden, and Barge-Heavy River 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 8:45 AM

 HYPERLINK "mailto:lorin.hatch@hdrinc.com" Lorin K. Hatch , HDR Inc.,
Minneapolis, MN 

John Larson, HDR Inc., Minneapolis, MN 

Compliance with the Clean Water Act Section 316(b) Phase II Rule and
also meeting the fully-permitted cooling intake capacity at a riverside
power plant in Minnesota has presented unique challenges. The existing
traveling screens (3/8" slot size) at the screenhouse are several
decades old and are not adequate for meeting the Phase II Rule
requirements, while the size of the eight existing bays within the
screenhouse limit the number and size of wedgewire screens that could be
placed within each bay. There are also space limitations in the area
outside the screenhouse, which is located on a 300 to 500 feet wide
river bend that experiences barge traffic during the open water season.
Barges have been noted to come within several feet of the screenhouse
sheet piling, and tugboat motors generate a large amount of turbulence
(and hence sediment) when driving the barge around the river bend near
the screenhouse when heading upstream. Given these conditions, HDR
conducted a study to determine the feasibility of locating wedgewire
screen units at the existing screenhouse. Options considered included 1)
placement of all screen units inside of the screen house, 2) placement
of all screen units outside of the screen house in the area between the
log boom and the screen house wall, and 3) a hybrid in which screen
units were placed both inside and outside of the screen house.
Considerations also included 2.0 vs. 0.5 mm slot sizes, debris removal,
and fish recovery. 

Abundance and Composition of Fish and Shellfish Impinged and Entrained
at Power Plant Intakes Based on a Survey of Over 220 Power Plants 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 9:00 AM

Greg Seegert, EA Engineering, Deerfield, IL

 

In response to EPA’s 2004 Phase II 316(b) Rule, most of the nation’s
once-through power plants conducted impingement and, where required,
entrainment studies, hereafter referred to as IM&E.  EPRI determined
that the data collected during these studies represented a unique
opportunity to characterize IM&E at the nation’s power plants.  A
web-based survey was used to collect information including plant
location and operating characteristics, sampling methodology and, most
importantly, IM&E results.  Responses were received from 240 plants
representing approximately 56% of the in-scope facilities.  Results
were stratified by both geographic area and waterbody type (e.g.,
estuaries, oceans, large/small rivers, the Great Lakes, reservoirs). 
Initial compilation of the data indicates that IM&E vary widely. 
Estimated annual impingement losses ranged from less than 1000 fish to
approximately 70 million fish.   Estimated entrainment losses ranged
from zero eggs and larvae per year to approximately 36 billion
organisms per year.  It was found that clupeids (threadfin shad in the
southeast and the southwest and gizzard shad elsewhere) dominated
impingement at most freshwater plants. Impingement results differed
greatly among East Coast plants, those on the Gulf Coast, and those in
California.   White perch, blue crab, Atlantic croaker, and bay
anchovy were the most commonly impinged organisms at coastal areas,
except the West Coast.  Entrainment results also differed widely
depending on region and waterbody type. Few threatened or endangered
species were collected in impingement or entrainment samples.  It was
found that only a small percentage of these plants have any fish
protection devices in place.  There were little or only
weak relationships between IM&E rates and plant size, which is a
reasonable surrogate for pumping rate.  We concluded that both IM&E
rates and composition are determined by unknown site-specific or, at
most, region-specific factors. 

Coastal Fish Populations Fluctuate Independent of Once-Through-Cooling
Water Use in Southern California: The SONGS Case 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 9:15 AM

 HYPERLINK "mailto:emiller@mbcnet.net" Eric Miller , MBC Applied
Environmental Sciences, Costa Mesa, CA 

D. Shane Beck, MBC Applied Environmental Sciences, Costa Mesa, CA 

Kim Anthony, Southern California Edison, Rosemead, CA 

Power plant once-through-cooling has been a contentious issue since the
1972 passage of the Federal Clean Water Act. The greatest debate centers
around the impacts of impingement and entrainment of marine life,
especially fishes, on the natural environment and source populations.
Considerable work has been done to document the impingement and
entrainment at a specific or suite of power plants using statistical
modeling and often temporally brief studies. Few monitoring programs,
however, have been maintained over extensive periods to document
long-term (decadal or greater) trends in both impingement and
entrainment, but also natural variation in the source populations and
the environment. Of studies that meet these criteria, few encompass
substantial changes in cooling water flow volumes. Southern California
is unique in the presence of an extensive time series of juvenile/adult
fish entrapment monitoring at local power plants and an independently
executed ichthyoplankton sampling program. Both of these time series
overlap the commercial startup of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating
Station’s (SONGS) Units 2 (1983) and 3 (1984), which resulted in an
additional 2400 million gallons of daily cooling water circulation
without an immediate reduction in the remaining facilities with offshore
intakes in southern California. By utilizing ichthyoplankton data from
the extensive California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations
(CalCOFI) nearshore station sampling (1950-2009) and brief (1978-1986)
sampling directly offshore of SONGS, we derived the long-term patterns
in the 16 most common species occurring in both time series. Comparisons
of these trends with long-term cooling water flow volumes resulted in
clear evidence of no relationship between ichthyoplankton densities and
cooling water flow volumes. Extrapolating the larval densities recorded
at the CalCOFI nearshore stations in 2006 indicates ~ 9 trillion larvae
were along the southern California coast. We chose 2006 as this was the
year that the majority of studies were completed from which the State
Water Resources Control Board compiled an overall statewide estimate of
19 billion larvae entrained by once-through-cooling. Based on these
estimates, ~0.08% of the source larvae was entrained by southern
California’s offshore once-through-cooling intakes. 

Relationships Between Entrainment and Larval Drift At a Large-River
Power Plant Based on 2600 Samples Collected During a 2-Year Period 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 9:30 AM

John Thiel, Dairyland Power Cooperative, La Crosse, WI 

Greg Seegert, EA Engineering, Deerfield, IL 

From April through August 2002 and again during this same period in
2003, larval samples were collected from the Mississippi River and the
intake to the Madgett Power Plant to assess possible impacts associated
with possibly adding another unit to the plant.  Samples from the river
were collected using paired 0.5 m diameter, 500 micron plankton nets
from transects upstream and downstream of the intake.  Samples were
stratified by depth and position across the river and collected on a
diel basis.  In addition to the collections along the transects, a
location within the intake’s zone of influence was also sampled. 
Seventeen sampling periods were established each year and concurrent
with each one, a 24 hr entrainment sample was also collected. 
Ultimately, about 2600 samples were collected.  Larval densities peaked
both years the second week of June.  The drift was dominated by
freshwater drum, gizzard shad, and emerald shiner “types”.  Drum
and shad were also common in the entrainment samples.  However, the
study showed that a number of other species that were common in adult
fish collections we made during this same period were not well
represented in the entrainment samples, probably because of life history
characteristics of these species.  For example, walleye and smallmouth
bass, which are the two most popular sport fish in this area, were
common as adults in the river but were rare to uncommon in the drift and
the entrainment samples.  In 2002, we estimated that about 19.9 billion
eggs and larvae drifted past the plant’s intake but < 1% of these were
entrained, a biologically inconsequential number. 

Using CODAR Data on Surface Currents to Estimate the Source Water Area
for Fish Larvae Potentially Subject to Entrainment by the Diablo Canyon
Power Plant Along the Coast of Central California 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 10:15 AM

John R. Steinbeck, Tenera Environmental, San Luis Obispo, CA 

John Hedgepeth, Tenera Environmental, San Luis Obispo, CA 

Brian Zelenk , Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California
Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, CA

 

The standard approach for evaluating the effects of power plant and
desalination plant intake systems in California is a modified Empirical
Transport Model (ETM). The fundamental inputs to this model are
estimates of mortality based on the ratio of the estimated number of
organisms entrained to the estimated number in the portion of the source
water being sampled. The estimates of mortality are then extrapolated to
the larger source water along the coast using data on coastal currents
and the period of time that the organisms are in the water column and
exposed to entrainment. Extrapolating the actual source areas for the
larvae has recently been facilitated by the availability of data on
surface currents from high frequency radar installations (CODAR) sites
along the California coast. This presentation describes the use of this
approach in a recent study on the effects of entrainment at the Diablo
Canyon Power Plant in central California. The study also incorporated
two acoustic Doppler profilers (ADCP) that were used to adjust the speed
and direction of the surface currents measured by the CODAR to values
being measured in the water column by the ADCPs. The resulting
extrapolated source water areas were consistent with general knowledge
on the ocean currents in the area, including the presence of eddies
north and south of the headland where the plant is located. The recent
policy on once-through cooling adopted by the State of California
requires that plants mitigate for impacts for the period between the
date they are required to comply with the Policy and the actual date of
compliance. The preferred approach for scaling mitigation in the Policy
is based on the estimates of mortality and source water areas from ETM,
which are greatly improved through the use of CODAR. 

Selectivity of Impingement at Power Plants along the Ohio River 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 10:30 AM

Ron King, EA Engineering, Atlanta, GA 

Greg Seegert, EA Engineering, Atlanta, GA 

Joe Vondruska, EA Engineering, Atlanta, GA

 

Impingement abundance monitoring and standardized fish sampling in 2005
and 2006 near 15 Ohio River power plants as part of the Ohio River
Ecological Research Program suggested impingement of fishes at intake
structures was selective and did not necessarily provide a
representative characterization of assemblages in the source water. We
compared species composition and relative abundance from the two data
sets to evaluate potential explanations for the presence, absence, or
disproportionate occurrence of fishes in the impingement samples
relative to their abundance in the river as measured by seasonal
electrofishing and seining collections. The impingement study
demonstrated similarities in species composition among power plants over
nearly 1,400 river kilometers of the Ohio River, whereas the river
surveys showed that the abundance of some species varied considerably
over the course of the river. As expected, clupeids dominated the
impingement collections, but at much higher levels than suggested by the
river surveys, while other forage species, especially emerald shiner and
channel shiner, were under represented in the impingement collections.
During the two-year study, 32 species collected during the river surveys
were not impinged whereas 13 species were impinged that were not
collected during the river surveys. The impingement study showed that
many species in the Ohio River are not particularly susceptible to
impingement because their behavior, habitat preferences, or low
population levels reduce the likelihood of them being impinged. This was
especially evident for cyprinid, darters, and redhorse. The opposite was
true of the abundant, pelagic schooling clupeids that were occasionally
impinged at very high rates, often during periods with declining water
temperatures. Freshwater drum and channel catfish were also impinged at
much higher rates than would be predicted based on their abundance in
the river collections. 

Entrainment Abundance and Composition Differ from Source Water
Ichthyoplankton at Plant Vogtle, Savannah River, GA 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 10:45 AM

Tony Dodd, Georgia Power Company, Atlanta, GA

 

GPC biologists performed an entrainment assessment at Plant Vogtle’s
make-up water intake structure in 2008. Intake entrainment was compared
to ichthyoplankton samples from Savannah River source water.
Semi-monthly sampling was conducted at a mid-depth intake location and
an upstream source water transect location during March – July. Source
water was sampled with a double 0.5 m plankton net rig equipped with
500-micron mesh nets at 1-m depth intervals on 6-hr nodes over 24
hours.  Entrainment sampling consisted of a submersible pump system
(4.6 l/s capacity) sampling at a mid-depth intake canal location about
46 m from the intake screens. Intake waters were sampled through the
same net rig used for source water mounted inside the mouths of tandem
208-l plastic drums located beside the intake canal.  Substantial
differences in abundance, species composition, and life stage
composition were observed between source water and entrainment. Dominant
species and life stages in source water differed from entrainment.
Source water eggs and larvae were 36.4 times more numerous than
entrainment. Source water samples yielded 23 species compared to only
seven taxa in entrainment. Eggs were most abundant in source water
compared to no eggs in entrainment. Intake pumping was consistent during
the sampling. No significant relationships were found between
entrainment rate and environmental variables or river discharge. GPC’s
1970s desktop studies concluded that minimal entrainment would result at
Plant Vogtle. Disparity between source water and entrainment abundance
and composition in this applied study is conjectured as likely due to a
combination of physical and hydraulic characteristics of the intake site
and structure. 



EPA's New 316(b) Rule: Do Biologists Have a Role? 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 11:00 AM

James N. Christman, Hunton & Williams, Washington, DC 

Kristy A. N. Bulleit, Hunton & Williams, Washington, DC 

In March 2011 EPA published its latest, and possibly last, proposed rule
on minimizing impingement of fish and entrainment of eggs and larvae by
cooling water intake structures such as those at power generating
stations.  Before this latest rule, EPA's preference, partly for ease
of administration, was to measure "adverse environmental impact" by how
many fish, eggs, and larvae are lost to the aquatic community. The new
rule raises, once again, the question of how much EPA's requirements for
cooling water withdrawals should take into account the knowledge
fisheries biologists have accumulated about aquatic communities.  The
fundamental question is whether there are situations in which the
sacrifice of fish (or eggs or larvae) does essentially no harm to the
"environment" and whether EPA’s regulations should recognize them. 
Conceptually there are at least two ways to go beyond a simple
fish-count approach and consider the loss of organisms in the context of
“environment.”  One is to estimate the “value” of fish, eggs,
and larvae and then compare that estimate to the cost of preventing
losses (that is, some form of cost-benefit analysis).  Here EPA
proposes to use a public opinion survey to measure how much value the
public assigns to changes in fish populations; there is some role for
biologists in designing the survey instrument, but the data gathered are
the lay opinions of the public.  The second approach is to consider the
overall health of the aquatic community in the waterbody and whether it
will be materially harmed by entrainment and impingement.  This cannot
be done without an informed use of fisheries science, bearing on the
questions what constitutes a “healthy” aquatic community?; how do
aquatic communities react to stresses such as entrainment and
impingement?; and how much loss can a community sustain without serious
harm in the long run? 

Adverse Impacts of Cooling Water Withdrawals on Populations and
Ecosystems: Separating Fact From Conjecture 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 11:15 AM

Larry Barnthouse, LWB Environmental LLC, Hamilton, OH

 

Impacts of entrainment and impingement (I&E) at cooling water intake
structures have been a topic of controversy for nearly 40 years.  It
has been argued that cooling water withdrawals at large thermal power
plants have contributed to the depletion of valued marine and freshwater
fish populations, and that these withdrawals may also disrupt aquatic
food webs through indirect impacts on lower trophic levels.  It has
also been argued that the mortality caused by I&E is small compared to
natural and fishing mortality, and that indirect impacts of cooling
water withdrawals are small or non-existent.  What is usually missing
in this discussion is an evaluation of historical evidence concerning
these impacts from the four decades of fish stock assessment,
environmental monitoring, and scientific research that have occurred
since I&E first became a significant regulatory issue.  This
presentation will address the issue of adverse impacts through a review
of published scientific literature relating to the causes of adverse
changes in marine and freshwater ecosystems.  The reviewed literature
will include (1) peer-reviewed papers and agency stock assessment
reports documenting the causes of declines in marine and freshwater fish
populations, (2) “blue-ribbon” commission reports and relevant
National Academy of Sciences Reports that discuss causes of fish
population decline ecosystem degradation, and (3) scientific literature
relevant to evaluation of the indirect impacts of I&E on the services
provided by freshwater and marine ecosystems. 

Investigations into the Relationships between Fish Impingement and Fish
Health 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 11:30 AM

Bill Garrett, Alabama Power Co., Birmingham, AL

 

Various 316(b) research projects, sponsored by Alabama Power Company
(APC), were initiated in 2004 to investigate the relationship between
fish impingement and fish health.  These projects used fish health
assessments, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling (ADCP) and hydroacoustic
technologies. Most of these studies were conducted at Plant Barry which
is located on the lower Mobile River.  While the scope of these
projects varied, initial sampling indicated the species impinged with
greatest frequency and mitigation value were threadfin shad, freshwater
drum, blue catfish, and channel catfish.  Therefore, these species were
chosen for further fish health examination to test the hypothesis that
impingement may select for unhealthy individuals from the natural
environment.  Fish health examinations included necropsies for
prevalence of bacterial and parasitic infections.  Impinged fish were
compared to open-water fish obtained from within 2.4 km of the vicinity
of the cooling water intake structure (CWIS) and to fish collected from
inside the CWIS (screen pit).  Results of this study support the
general hypothesis that impingement may select for unhealthy fish. 
However, the high biomass and high density of relatively healthy fish
found in the screen pit supports the hypothesis that impingement may
select for “naturally” unhealthy individuals from the hydraulic zone
of influence (HZI).  Another investigation into the relationship
between the volume of the HZI, the through-screen velocity and the
amount of impingement at various power plants suggests a potential
confounding effect between the HZI and through-screen velocities. 
Furthermore, studies using hydroacoustics to monitor fish movement
inside the CWIS also suggest that free movement exists for many fish in
and out of the CWIS on a diurnal basis.  Results of these studies
indicate that the cause and effect relationships concerning fish
impingement requires further study and may be justified due to the
expense and questionable results of various mitigation options. 

Nearshore Biological Baseline and Fisheries Assessment at Marine Corps
Base Camp Pendleton; A Regional Data Source to Supplement Site-Specific
Impingement and Entrainment Assessments 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 11:45 AM

Brian Dresser, Tetra Tech, Inc., Manchester, NH 

One of the more challenging components of any fisheries impact
assessment is collecting the appropriate level of data to accurately
characterize existing baseline conditions. Site-specific data are
usually preferred to capture the unique conditions present at most
facilities. However, other local or regional data may act as a useful
supplement to help assess the “calculation baseline”
characterization of impingement and entrainment impacts. Such data are
particularly useful in demonstrating how the placement or design of an
intake structure (location, depth, velocity cap, etc.) may reduce
impacts from the baseline condition.  Regional data also provide
regulatory agencies an opportunity to compare site-specific conditions
to the larger marine ecosystem.  The cooling water intake structure of
the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) is located offshore of
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton (MCBCP), in southern California.
Site-specific impingement and entrainment data have been collected at
SONGS almost continuously since 1979. Recently, in an unrelated effort,
MCBP conducted a habitat characterization and biological survey of the
nearshore area along MCBCP’s 17 miles of coastline out to a distance
of approximately 3 miles. The assessment included finfish, invertebrate,
and kelp bed habitat surveys as well as bathymetric and sediment
surveys; all within the vicinity of SONGS intake/discharge location. The
nearshore area along the coast of MCBCP is a critical amphibious beach
training and operational area; yet, prior to this survey, little
baseline data exist for the marine resources associated with MCBCP. 
This presentation will provide an overview of the findings from this
survey, framed within the larger context of a regional perspective of
the Southern California Bight.  A discussion of how the facilities that
withdraw water from offshore intakes in the region might use such data
in characterizing baseline conditions.  It is reasonable to expect,
given MCBCP and SONGS proximity to one another, that these regional data
are complementary and could be used to supplement site-specific data. 
In this manner, the MCBCP survey provides a regional perspective for
SONGS, a proposed desalination plant, and other Southern California
generating stations with offshore intakes regulated by the California
Regional Water Quality Control Boards. 

Climate Change: 316 to the Future 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 11:52 AM

John Balletto, ARCADIS U.S., Inc., Cranbury, NJ 

Focus on large-scale and long-term effects of climate change can
sometimes obscure more immediate, operational concerns that are
important and warrant anticipation and planning. The electric power
industry, already dealing with demand-side impacts of global warming,
will soon experience increasingly intense supply-side exigencies. In
this presentation we identify and discuss a suite of environmental
parameters potentially impacted by climate change. Examples include
potential withdrawal excursions necessary to meet thermal limits in
regionally warming receiving waters, changes in species involved with
cooling systems, qualitative and quantitative changes in biofouling
communities, and efficacy of antifouling technologies, hardware limits
such as corrosion potentially affecting fouling, directional changes in
waterway biota not anticipated in design or permit specifications,
infrastructure inundation and storm effects on screens and sluices, and
others. We present a bracketing series of systems planning scenarios,
summarizing data useful for anticipating nature and intensity of
effects, scope for responses, and threshold constraints. 

Models for Assessing the Cumulative Impacts on Larval Fishes Due to
Entrainment From Multiple Power Plant Intakes in the Southern California
Bight 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 1:15 PM

 HYPERLINK "mailto:jhedgepeth@tenera.com" John Hedgepeth , Tenera
Environmental, San Luis Obispo, CA 

John R. Steinbeck, Tenera Environmental Inc., San Luis Obispo, CA 

James M. Strampe, Tenera Environmental Inc., San Luis Obispo, CA 

Brian Zelenke, Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California
Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, CA

 

The cumulative impacts of multiple power plant intakes have been a
concern of resource agencies and other stakeholder groups in California
and in other locations in the United States. Cumulative impacts are also
required to be addressed under permitting done in compliance with the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). As a result, the California
Energy Commission required that cumulative impacts were addressed in the
documentation submitted as part of the permitting process for the
repowering of the Huntington Beach Generating Station in southern
California. A 2004 workshop on the issue resulted in the development of
a first-order model that could be expanded as additional data became
available. This model evaluated the potential effects of entrainment by
the twelve power plants in the Southern California Bight, the area from
point Conception to just south of the U.S.-Mexico border, that withdraw
a total average of 24.0x109 l of seawater daily. Since data on larval
fish entrainment were not available from all twelve plants at that time,
a volumetric approach was used to estimate entrainment mortality. This
approach assumed that, on average, the larvae were uniformly distributed
in the nearshore areas where the intakes are located. This was shown to
be a reasonable assumption for locations such as Huntington Beach, where
the offshore intake is located along fairly homogeneous stretch of sandy
beach. This simple model showed that power plant intakes accounted for
additional mortality of 0.11 to 0.84 percent which varied depending on
the period of time that the larvae were exposed to entrainment. The
model was expanded to account for different rates of water movement once
data on nearshore currents were available from a number of locations.
These simple models of cumulative impacts can be expanded to include
more detailed current patterns using high resolution CODAR surface
current data that are now available for nearshore areas in California. 

Economic and Biologic Benefits of Cooling Tower Retrofits 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 1:30 PM

Bill Dey, ASA Analysis & Communication, Inc, Washingtonville, NY 

One possible outcome of the ongoing 316(b) regulatory process could be a
requirement to install cooling towers at all existing Phase II
facilities nationwide. Such a regulatory requirement would substantially
reduce current levels of entrainment and impingement but would do so as
at considerable costs and potentially produce other environmental
impacts.  As part of a large project to evaluate the environmental and
economic trade-offs resulting from such a regulatory outcome, we
estimated the benefits of cooling tower retrofits resulting from
expected reductions in entrainment and impingement.  These benefits
were defined in both biologic (fishery yield and biomass production) and
economic terms.  This estimation process began with determining
benefits of cooling tower installation at 50 representative facilities
nationwide.  These benefits were estimated based on recent entrainment
and impingement monitoring data using standard population modeling and
resource economics techniques. In addition to the most probable
estimates, both sensitivity and Monte Carlo techniques were used to
evaluate the uncertainty in these results. The results from this
estimation process were combined with estimates of biologic and economic
benefits developed for other facilities to project the biologic and
economic benefits on a national basis.  The results of this effort will
provide a sound basis for comparing the costs to the benefits of
national cooling tower retrofits on both an environmental and an
economic basis.  This paper will provide an overview of the process
used as well as examples of results and a discussion on the factors
contributing to the wide range in benefits projected to occur across the
individual facilities. 

Evaluating the Role of Nonuse Values in Estimating the Benefits of a
National Closed-Cycle-Cooling Retrofit Requirement 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 1:45 PM

Jason Kinnell, Veritas Economics, Cary, NC 

Matthew F. Bingham, Veritas Economics, Cary, NC

 

A national closed-cycle-cooling-retrofit (retrofit) requirement will
affect fish that are both caught and uncaught.  Uncaught fish do not
have a traditional use value and are therefore categorized as having
potential nonuse values.  Nonuse values are the values that people may
hold for a resource independent of their use (i.e., some people may
benefit simply from knowing the resource exists—either because they
want it to be available for people to use in the future or because they
believe the resource has some inherent right to exist).  

Currently, the only methods available for estimating nonuse values are
survey-based techniques that ask respondents to value, choose, rate, or
rank natural resource services in a hypothetical context.   Because
these methods rely on respondents stated intentions and not their actual
choices, the reliability of this approach for providing meaningful
estimates for policy decisions is questionable.  The relevant
literature has long noted and thoroughly documented the difference
between people’s stated intentions and actual behaviors.  With
respect to evaluating the benefits of a national retrofit requirement,
preliminary investigations suggest extreme sensitivity of aggregate
benefits to relatively small changes in willingness-to-pay (WTP)
estimates (WTP is the metric used to develop nonuse values).  The
corresponding imprecision in aggregated nonuse-value   estimates may
be the difference between a national rule that is justified on a
benefit-cost basis and one that is not.   The causes of imprecision
can be categorized in the following three general areas: 

Survey Instrument and Sampling Approach 

Incorporating Statistical Uncertainty into the Experimental Design 

Weighting and Extrapolation of Survey Results  

This presentation discusses the potential causes and implication of
imprecision in each of these areas and identifies ways that they can be
addressed to improve the potential validity of national estimates. 

Economic and Financial Impacts of a National Retrofit of Closed-Cycle
Cooling Systems for Fish Protection 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 2:00 PM

Matthew F. Bingham, Veritas Economics, Cary, NC 

This presentation describes the economic components of EPRI’s
integrated assessment that estimates the costs and the economic,
reliability, and environmental impacts of a regulation that requires
converting existing electricity generating units that use once-through
cooling to closed-cycle cooling.  Such a regulation would alter the
technology and economics of existing facilities that currently use
once-through cooling.  Some owners would decide to prematurely retire
their units rather than retrofit, while others would retrofit and
operate in the post-regulation marketplace.  The outcomes associated
with these compliance and operational decisions ultimately register in
the financial performance of the electricity industry; the industry’s
environmental footprint; and the economic welfare of electricity
industry employees, consumers, and shareholders. Results of the economic
assessment including price impacts and unit closures are presented for
five U.S. electricity markets:  Pennsylvania New Jersey Maryland
Interconnection (PJM), Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT),
Independent System Operator-New England (ISO-NE), Midwest Independent
System Operator (Midwest ISO), and the New York Independent System
Operator (NYISO).  These results arise from application of an economic
simulation of these electricity markets.  The simulation model employs
a mathematical representation of economic conditions and behavior.  In
the model’s market simulation, owners of once-through facilities elect
to install the new cooling systems if they expect the present value of
the future stream of profits with closed-cycle cooling to exceed the
costs of installing and operating the closed-cycle system. 

The Role of Cost-Benefit Analysis in 316(b) BTA Determinations: The Road
Ahead 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 2:15 PM

 HYPERLINK "mailto:david.harrison@nera.com" David Harrison Jr. , NERA
Economic Consulting,, Boston, MA 

Andrew Foss, NERA Economic Consulting,, Boston, MA

 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in April 2009 that EPA may use (but was not
required to use) cost-benefit analysis in setting standards and issuing
permits under Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act. EPA currently is
under a court obligation to issue a proposed 316(b) rule by March 14,
2011 and a final rule by July 27, 2012. This paper/presentation will
consider the future role of cost-benefit analysis in making individual
Best Technology Available (BTA) determinations, taking into account the
forthcoming EPA proposal, experience under the prior “wholly
disproportionate” and “significantly greater” tests as well as
relevant developments in California and New York. The presentation will
consider the following issues: 

Importance of site-specific considerations for costs and benefits as
revealed in detailed site-specific assessments; 

Implications of experience under prior EPA and state implementation of
316(b) cost-benefit analysis; 

Implications of the California and New York policies; 

Implications of the willingness-to-pay survey that EPA is intending to
develop to assess potential use and non-use benefits; and 

Key issues that arise in implementing cost-benefit analysis in 316(b)
BTA determinations. 

The Use of Closed-Cycle Cooling at New Nuclear Power Stations and Its
Potential Impact on the Aquatic Environment 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 2:30 PM

 HYPERLINK "mailto:Michael.Masnik@nrc.gov" Michael Masnik , Office of
New Reactors, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 

Lance Vail, Hydrology Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
Richland, WA

 

On December 18, 2001 U.S. EPA published regulations implementing new
requirements under section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act for large new
thermo-electric power facilities.  The regulations establish
proportional flow requirements and implement design technologies to
minimize impingement and entrainment of fish and shellfish.   Most
importantly the regulation has resulted in the adoption of closed-cycle
wet cooling systems for almost all proposed thermo-electric power plants
including all new nuclear facilities.  The effect of this regulation on
new nuclear station design is discussed.  Employing closed-cycle
cooling at new facilities and its effect on the fishery is considered
with an emphasis on the impact of withdrawal and the consumptive use of
water resulting from the use of evaporative closed-cycle cooling
systems.  Because of the significant consumption of water associated
with this cooling technology areas of the U.S. with high water demand
and/or limited supply have experienced difficulty the siting of new
nuclear facilities. The loss of water results in a loss or alteration of
aquatic habitat.  This and other sources of impact to the fishery due
to close-cycle cooling such as impingement, entrainment, and thermal
effects need to be considered when assessing impact.  Opportunities for
research and monitoring at new power stations are also discussed. 

Results of EPRI's Closed-Cycle Cooling Research Program on Retrofit
Costs, Financial Impacts, Energy Production, Environmental and Social
Impacts and Retrofit Environmental Benefits 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 2:45 PM

David Bailey, Electric Power Research Institute, Springfield, VA

 

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