An Approach To Ecological Assessment Of Power Plant Intake 316b Related Issues

"Assessment approaches and strategies useful in addressing important issues in section 316(b) of the 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act are illustrated in this report through the analysis and evaluation of the Prairie Island Nuclear Station 316(b) data base. The main issues in 316(b) demonstrations, cooling water intake operation and location, involve determining the impacts of entrainment and impingement. Entrainment impacts were addressed by applying the 'equivalent adult' approach and correcting for inherent biases and by determining the through-plant survival of zooplankton. An assessment of impingement impacts was made by comparing for each of various species the number of fish impinged to estimates of population size. Densities of plankton and fish were compared between the intake area and an alternate area to determine if the location of the present intake minimizes impacts. No definitive conclusion relative to the best location of the intake could be made because of high year to year variability in the data and the differential dominance of trophic groups between areas."--Abstract.

"Assessment approaches and strategies useful in addressing important issues in section 316(b) of the 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act are illustrated in this report through the analysis and evaluation of the Prairie Island Nuclear Station 316(b) data base. The main issues in 316(b) demonstrations, cooling water intake operation and location, involve determining the impacts of entrainment and impingement. Entrainment impacts were addressed by applying the 'equivalent adult' approach and correcting for inherent biases and by determining the through-plant survival of zooplankton. An assessment of impingement impacts was made by comparing for each of various species the number of fish impinged to estimates of population size. Densities of plankton and fish were compared between the intake area and an alternate area to determine if the location of the present intake minimizes impacts. No definitive conclusion relative to the best location of the intake could be made because of high year to year variability in the data and the differential dominance of trophic groups between areas."--Abstract.

The U.S. Clean Water Act calls for the minimization of "adverse environmental impact" at cooling water intake structures. To facilitate an exchange of information among all stakeholders in the issue, the Electric Power Research Institute organised a national symposium in 2001 to discuss the meaning of adverse environmental impact and methods for its assessment. Technical experts in federal and state resource agencies, academia, industry and non-governmental organizations attended the symposium. This is a collection of peer-reviewed papers, intended both to inform and to encourage the development of rules regarding the minimization of adverse environmental impact at cooling water intake structures.

Environmental Impact of Nuclear Power Plants contains the proceedings of a conference held in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 26-30, 1974 and sponsored by the Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Nuclear Engineering. The papers focus on the environmental impact of nuclear power plants and are organized into six parts: plant site selection; ecosystems and ecological effects; radioactive waste and thermal pollution; standards and guidelines in the preparation of environmental reports; cost-benefit analysis; environmental impact studies of various power sources. Comprised of 23 chapters, this book begins with an assessment of siting considerations for nuclear power plants from a government perspective. The instrument used by Florida Power & Light in evaluating a power plant site is described, along with an ecosystem approach to atomic energy development. The discussion then turns to impact assessment for nuclear power plants and its implications for ecological and environmental sciences; radioactive waste systems and radioactive effluents; engineering aspects of heat dissipation in water bodies; and transportation of nuclear materials. Subsequent chapters deal with recommendations, standards, and regulations concerning the preparation of environmental reports for nuclear power plants; cost-benefit analysis in nuclear power plant licensing actions; and radioactive waste discharges at nuclear power plants. This monograph will be of interest to nuclear engineers and environmental policymakers.