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Site Description Report

Hawthorn Plant

8700 Hawthorn Road

Kansas City, MO 64120

March 3, 2009

1.0 Background and Objectives

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of developing 

316(b) cooling water intake structure requirements that reflect the best technology

available (BTA) for minimizing adverse environmental impact for all existing 

power plants and manufacturing facilities. As part of this process, EPA staff is 

visiting electric generators and manufacturers to better understand the cooling 

water intake structure (CWIS) technologies in use at facilities, including the sitespecific characteristics of each facility and how these affect the selection and 

performance of CWIS technologies. EPA is also visiting facilities to better 

understand cooling water use and specific issues or technologies that can affect 

316(b) compliance. As part of its site visit to the Lake Road Plant, EPA also 

collected information on Kansas City Power and Light Company’s (KCP&L)

Hawthorn Plant.

2.0 Facility Description

Hawthorn was dedicated in 1956 and is owned and operated by KCP&L. It is 

located on a 550 acre site on the Missouri River, nine miles northeast of 

downtown Kansas City, Missouri. It employs approximately 150 people. 

According to KCP&L’s web site, power generation at Hawthorn represents 26% 

of the company’s total production capacity. 

Cooling and process water withdrawals from and wastewater discharges to the 

Missouri River are regulated under NPDES permit number MO0004855 which 

expired on July 27, 2005. Hawthorn submitted its NPDES permit application in a 

timely manner and is awaiting renewal of its permit by the state.

3.0 Electricity Generation and Transmission

Hawthorn has four retired boilers and one coal-fired, steam-electric generating 

unit. Hawthorn’s baseload unit, Unit 5, was upgraded to 563 MW and also 

retrofitted with additional air controls in 2001. The fuel source for Unit 5 is low 

sulfur Powder River Basin coal. In addition, Hawthorn also has a combined cycle

unit, Unit 6/9, with a total generating capacity of 266 MW.
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4.0 Cooling Water System and Intake Structure

Hawthorn has two CWISs that provide once-through cooling water for its

generating units. The CWIS for Unit 5 has two coarse mesh (3/8”) traveling 

screens with a design intake flow (DIF) of 91,500 gpm per screen (total of 263.5 

mgd). The design through-screen velocity is 3.1 feet per second (fps).

The CWIS for Unit 6/9 is fitted with a trash rack and three standard (i.e., coarse 

mesh 3/8”) traveling screens. In addition, three circulating water pumps provide a 

design flow per screen of 34,000 gpm (total of 146.9) of cooling water to the 

generating unit. The through screen velocity is 2.1 fps.

Hawthorn inspects its traveling screens annually. It also cleans and rebuilds each 

screen every two years (one each year) during its routine maintenance outage 

period. 

5.0 Impingement and Entrainment Information

KCP&L representatives did not provide any information on impingement, 

entrainment or source water body characterization for this site. 

6.0 Cooling Tower Feasibility

KCP&L representatives indicated that some of the available land at Hawthorn is 

designated as being in a floodplain and therefore unavailable for construction. 

There is additional land outside of the floodplain that is permitted for a potential 

future landfill that is unavailable for siting a cooling tower.

7.0 Debris Handling

As with other facilities located on the Missouri River, debris can be significant at 

Hawthorn. 

8.0 Repowering/Future Uses

Hawthorn has no short term plans for re-powering or upgrading. 

9.0 Cooling Ponds

Hawthorn does not have any cooling ponds.

10.0 Ownership

Hawthorn is owned by KCP&L a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy. KCP&L 

Greater Missouri Operations Company is also a subsidiary of Great Plains 
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Energy. Both subsidiaries operate under the KCP&L brand name.

11.0 316(a)

EPA did not collect any information related to 316(a).

12.0 Ash Handling

Hawthorn beneficially uses its bottom ash to a local kiln for use in cement. Fly

ash from the baghouse and scrubber are handled dry and are re-used in mine 

reclamation. 

13.0 Air Emissions Controls

According to the KCP&L website, Hawthorn uses state of the art BACT to 

control air emissions on Unit 5 and has 88 percent lower NOx, 99 percent lower 

particulate matter, and 92 percent lower SO2 emissions than would an 

uncontrolled facility. Unit 5 achieves reduced emissions through use of an SCR, 

scrubber and baghouses.