1 

### American Fisheries Society 141 st 

### Annual Meeting

Symposium **Protecting Fish at Power Plant Cooling Water Intakes: New Developments and Sci**  **ence on Clean Water A ct §316(b)** 

September 5

- 6 , 2011
**Summary** This symposium was conducted over a two day period durin g the 141 st American Fisheries Society (AFS) Meeting in Seattle, Wa shington. 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 t he 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 categori ze 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 pro vided 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 W ater 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 Clim ate Change 1 **Speaker Summary Speaker**  **Number of Presentations**  Consulting or Engineering Firms 24 Utilit y Com panies 7 Electric Power Research Institute 2 Alden Research Laboratory 2 Government Agencies (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) 1 Legal Firms 12 

### Protecting Fish at Power Plant Cooling W ater Intakes: New Developments and Science on Clean Water Act §316(b), Pa rt 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 wat er in accordance with the requirements of §316(b) of the Clean W at er 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, fe deral 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 travelin g 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 characteriz ing 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 **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 shel lfish protection requirements of Section 316(b) of the Clean Wa ter 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) a nd 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 n ets, 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 2011.3



### Installation, Operation, and Performance of the Gunderboom® Marine Life Exclusion System at Cooling W ater Intakes Monday, September 5, 2011: 1:30 PM **Thomas L. Englert**

, Ferm, HDR Engineering Inc., Pearl River, N Y 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 cool ing 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 SystemTM (MLESTM), 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 si x 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

- BurstTM cleaning system, and improved anchor system that allowed operation of the MLESTM unde r 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 MLESTM) and unprotected intakes du ring 1995, 1998, 2000 and 2004 through 2007. Results from the ichthyoplankton monitoring program indicate that the Gunderboom MLESTM was greater than 80% effective at reducing entrainment. Results of the monitoring studies are discussed along with some spe cialized 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 MLESTM 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, Septemb er 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 and4

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 ter ms 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 Impingem ent 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 imping ement reduction is of ten 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 syste m. 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 lou ver 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 cri tical 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 c onsidered 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 Octo ber 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 Str ucture 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, WeEnergies announced its intent to repower its Port Wa shington Power Plant site. The his toric 380 M W 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. Engineering5

and hydraulic testing studies were conducted to assure tha t 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 entra inment 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 Cl adophora, 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 meas urements 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. 

### AquaSweep TM 

### 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 **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 (CWI S) 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. W hile 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 smal l 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 CWI S. 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.6



### 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 Scienc es, 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 W ater 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 fro m 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 W ater Intakes and Manages Fish Movement in a Down and Upstream W aterway 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 expen diture 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 b arriers 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 devi ces 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 th ey 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 propertie s of the electric field. Wi th an average power input of7

0.43 to 0.45 kW h 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 Screen s – 5 Years of Research Monday, September 5, 2011: 3:45 PM **Jonathan Black**

, Alden Research Laboratory, Inc., Holden, MA Daniel Giza , Alden Research Laboratory, Inc., Holden, MA Brian McMahon , Alden Research Labor atory, 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 surv ival. 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 MultiDiscTM Rotary Screens at Salem Generating Station Monday, September 5, 2011: 4:00 PM **Ken Strait**

, PSEG Power Sustainability, Public Service Enterprise Group, PSEG Power, LLC, Hancocks Bridge, NJ PSEG Nuclear, LLC installed a Geiger MultiDiscTM rotary screen with a fish collection and return system in the Salem Generating Station intake structure in 2006 and conducted biologica l 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 impinge ment 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 conducted8

with both 8.0

- mm and 9.5

- mm drilled plastic plate panels on the MultiDiscTM rotary screen. Results for the 8.0

- mm mesh indicated higher LIM values than for the Ristroph screens. In order to estimate expected e ntrainment 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 e ntrainment 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 scre en 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 l osses 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 Close d 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 c onducted 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 % de pending on species. Wh en 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 coo ling for many species.9



### Larval Avoidance Enhances the Entrainment Reduction Performance of Cylindrical We dgewire Screens Monday, September 5, 2011: 4:30 PM **Mark Mattson**, Normandeau Associates Inc., Portsmouth, NH A laboratory study was conducted in 2 010 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 fi sh 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 ne arly 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/se c), 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 pe rformance 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

– Wh at Designs W ork 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 Guidelin es 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 adu lt 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 were10

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 survi val 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 incre ased mortality. The influence of debris and roughness were not assessed. 

### Selecting BTA in the Real W orld 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 re gulatory 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 w ill 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 t he 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 surviva l 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 provi de greater reduction in entrainment than cooling towers for more than 40 years into the future.11 

### Protecting Fish At Power Plant Cooling W ater 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 wat er in accordance with the requirements of §316(b) of the Clean W at er 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, fe deral 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 travelin g 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 characteriz ing 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**

, In tralox 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 provi ding 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 va lidate 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 environmen tal 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 t hat Hydrolox screens provide a high survivability rate across a diverse range of species in a variety of challenging environments.12



### Fish Deterrent and Protection Using Non

- Physical Barriers & Special Intake Screens Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 8:07 AM **K aveh Someah**  , OVIVO Water Inc., Salt Lake City, UT Wi th 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), wh ich utilizes an altering frequency of sound to repel fish and warn them of impending danger causes them to steer away from p aths 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 incre ases 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 draw n 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 wash ed from the screens are now captured in a hydraulically stabilized “f ish 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 th e 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 W ater Intakes Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 8:15 AM **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 goa l 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. An13

important area of compliance alternative selection is estimation of the site

- specific fish protection performance tha t 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 appro aches 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 mainten ance 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 Tu esday, 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 m ore 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 en trainment survival in the BTA selection process. Wedemonstrate 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 scree ns, 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) an d necessitated site

- specific confirmatory studies wh ich were conducted this summer. Preliminary results of this effort will be described. 

### Evaluation of Cooling W ater 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 **Lorin K. Hatch** , HDR Inc., Minneapolis, MN John Larson , HDR Inc., Minneapolis, MN Compliance with the Clean W ater 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 of14

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 gene rate 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 wh ich 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 I ntakes 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 in formation 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 approx imately 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) dom inated impingement at most freshwater plants. Impingement results differed greatly among East Coast plants, those on the Gulf Coast, and those in California. Wh ite perch, blue crab, Atlantic croaker, and bay anchovy were the most commonly impinged organi sms at coastal areas, except the W est 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 percen tage 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. Weconcluded that both IM&E rates and composition are determ ined by unknown site

- specific or, at most, region

- specific factors. 

### Coastal Fish Populations Fluctuate Independent of Once

- Through

- Cooling W ater Use in Southern California: The SONGS Case Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 9:15 AM **Eric Mille r** 

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

, MBC Applied Environmental Sciences, Costa Mesa, CA15

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 W ater 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 u nique 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 Californi a. 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 t he larval densities recorded at the CalCOFI nearshore stations in 2006 indicates ~ 9 trillion larvae were along the southern California coast. W e chose 2006 as this was the year that the majority of studies were completed from which the State W ater Resourc es 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. 

### Relationsh ips 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, Deerfie ld, 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. I n 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. Ultim ately, 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. Howev er, 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 entrainment16

samples, probably because of life history characteristics of these species. For exa mple, 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 Wa ter 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 inp uts 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 Californ ia. 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 sourc e 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 Californi a 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 an d 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 fish es at intake structures was selective and did not necessarily provide a representative characterization of assemblages in the source water. W e compared species17

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 colle ctions, 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 t he 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, h abitat 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, of ten 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 Com position Differ from Source W ater 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. So urce 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 intak e 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, s pecies 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 e ntrainment 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 c onjectured as likely due to a combination of physical and hydraulic characteristics of the intake site and structure.18



### EPA's New 316(b) Rule: Do Biologists Have a Role? Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 11:00 AM **James N. Christman** , Hunton & Williams, Washing ton, 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 thos e 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 aga in, 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 sac rifice 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 meas ure 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 W ater W ithdrawals 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. Wh at is usually missing in this discussion is an evalua tion 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 fi rst 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 repo rts documenting the causes of declines in19

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) scientifi c 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 Ga rrett** 

, 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 assessm ents, 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. Wh ile the scope of these projects varied, initial sampling indicated the specie s 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 fo r 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 coo ling water intake structure (CWI S) and to fish collected from inside the CWI S (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 heal thy 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

- s creen 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 CWISalso suggest tha t free movement exists for many fish in and out of the CWI S 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 questi onable 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, 20 11: 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 dat a 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. Suc h 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 provide20

regulatory agencies an opportunity to compa re 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 impi ngement 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 d istance 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 MCB CP 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 with in 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 ex pect, 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 W ater 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 cor rosion 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. W e present a bracketing series of systems planni ng 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 t he Southern California Bight Tuesday, September 6, 2011: 1:15 PM **John Hedgepeth** , Tenera Environmental, San Luis Obispo, CA John R. Steinbeck

, Tenera Environmental Inc., San Luis Obispo, CA James M. Strampe , Te nera Environmental Inc., San Luis Obispo, CA Brian Zelenke , Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, CA21

The cumulative impacts of multiple power plant intakes have been a concern of resourc e 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, t he 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 is sue 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 Co nception to just south of the U.S.

- Me xico 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 entrai nment 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 int ak e 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 entrai nment. 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 us ing 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 entrainm ent 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 b enefits 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 b enefits 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 t o 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.22



### Evaluating the Role of Nonuse Values i n 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 act ual 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 (WT P) estimates (W TP is the metric us ed 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: 1. Survey Instrument and Sampling Approach 2. Incorporating Statistical Uncertainty into the Experimental Design 3. We ig hting and Extrapolation of Survey Results This presentation discusses the potential causes and implica tion 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 T uesday, 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. S ome owners would decide to prematurely retire their units rather than retrofit, while others would retrofit and operate in the post

- regulation23

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), a nd 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 mode l’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 **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 Wa ter Act. EPA currently is under a court o bligation 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 a ccount 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 si te
- 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 **Michael Masnik**

, Office of New Reactors, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC Lanc e 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 W ater Act for large new thermo

- electric power facilities. Th e24

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 a lmost 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 w ith 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 suc h 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 The Electric Power Research Institute (EPR I) completed a large scale research program to inform EPA’s 316(b) Rulemaking on the implications of establishing best technology available (BTA) standards based on closed

- cycle cooling. The research provides information on five issues that include: cost of closed

- cycle cooling retrofits, financial impacts, adverse environmental and social impacts associated with cooling towers, electric system impacts and the benefits of closed

- cycle cooling to fish and aquatic life. The closed

- cycle cooling retrofit cos t estimates include capital costs as well as estimates of lost revenue associated with extended outages, closed

- cycle cooling energy requirements (fans and pumps) and reduced condenser cooling efficiency. The financial impacts study estimates the M Wsthat may be lost as a result of premature unit retirements for economic reasons, while the electric system impacts study estimates the magnitude and cost of transmission system upgrades that may be necessary to avoid localized overloads and voltage violations due to premature unit retirements and energy inefficiencies. The research also quantifies environmental and social impacts associated with mechanical draft cooling towers and for some parameters estimates the willingness to pay to avoid impacts. Th e results of these studies are then compared to impingement and entrainment reduction benefits that are both quantified and monetized.