### SU.S.NRC United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

### Protecting PeopleandtheEnvironment NUREG-1872, Vol. 1



# Final Environmental Impact Statement for an Early Site Permit (ESP) at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Site Final Report Main Report

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Thesestandards are available in the libraryfor reference use bythe public. Codes and standards are usually copyrighted and maybe purchased from the originating organization or,ifthey areAmerican National Standards, fromAmerican National Standards Institute 11 West 4 2nd Street New York, NY 10036-8002 www.ansi.org 212-642-4900 Legally binding regulatory requirements are stated only in laws; NRC regulations; licenses, including technical specifications; ororders, not in NUREG-series publications. The views expressed in contractor-prepared publications in this series are not necessarilythose oftheNRC. The NUREG series comprises (1)technical and administrative reports and books prepared bythe staff (NUREG-XXXX) oragency contractors (NUREG/CR-XXXX), (2)proceedings ofconferences (NUREG/CP-XXXX), (3) reports resulting from international agreements (NUREG/IA-XXXX), (4) brochures (NUREG/BR-XXXX), and (5) compilations oflegal decisions and orders ofthe Commission and Atomic and Safety Licensing Boards and of Directors' decisionsunder Section 2.206 ofNRC's regulations (NUREG-0750).

# *U.S.NRC
United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

### Protecting PeopleandtheEnvironment NUREG-1872, Vol. 1



# Final Environmental Impact Statement for an Early Site Permit (ESP) at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Site Final Main 

# Report Report

Manuscript Completed: July2008 Date Published: August 2008



## Office ofNew ReactorsSite Layout and Plant Description
3.2.1.2 Plant Water Treatment Southern discusses plantwater treatment systems in its ER (Southern 2008). The water quality ofeffluents from any watertreatment system would be regulated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR)via a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The potable water system would be supplied from groundwater wells, and one system may supply both VEGP Units 3 and 4. Adisinfection system would be used; however, itis not known atthistime ifadditional treatment systems, such as filtration or corrosion control, would be needed (Southern 2008). Water for the demineralized watersystem would be drawn from groundwater wells. The groundwater would be treated via both reverse osmosis and an electro-deionization/mixed-bed systemto remove solids, salts, organic compounds, dissolved gaseous carbon dioxide, and the majority ofthe ions inthe water. These treatment processes would produce a stream ofpurified water thatwould then be distributed to a number ofplant systems. Groundwater supplying thefire protection system would be filtered through strainers, as needed, toprevent system fouling. Southern anticipates that the groundwater would be of sufficient quality to not require straining, disinfection, or other treatment; however, treatment needs would be evaluated and implemented as appropriate (Southern 2007a, 2008). 

### 3.2.2 Cooling System The following sections provide detailed descriptions ofthe operational modes and the components ofthe cooling water systemsfor the proposed VEGP Units 3 and 4. These descriptions were determined fromthe Westinghouse APIO00 DesignControlDocument (Westinghouse 2005),and included site-specific characteristics (Southern 2008). 3.2.2.1 Description ofOperational Modes The following sections describe the cooling systems under normal operating conditions and emergency/shutdown conditions forthe proposed VEGP Units 3 and 4. Ageneral diagram of the cooling waterflow is shown in Figure 3-3. CirculatingWaterSystem Waste heat is a by-product ofnormal power generation at a nuclear power plant. During normal plantoperation, the CWS ofeach unit would dissipate up to 7.55 x 109 Btu/hr ofwaste heat (Southern 2008). The CWS comprises a closed-cycle wet cooling system to transfer heat from the main condenser, theturbine building closed-cycle cooling water heat exchangers, and the condenser vacuum pump seal water heat exchangers to one natural draft cooling tower per unit.
August 2008 3-5 NUREG-1872Site Layout and PlantDescription
Excess heat inthe cooling water isthentransferred to the atmosphere by evaporative and conductive cooling in the cooling tower. During the heat dissipation process, evaporation of water increases the concentration ofdissolved solids inthe cooling water system. To limitthe concentration ofdissolved solids, a portion ofthe water is continuously discharged from the system as blowdown. Inaddition to blowdown and evaporative losses, a small percentage of water is also lost inthe form ofdroplets (drift)from the cooling towers. Evporation

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Wells Figure 3-3. General Cooling System Flow Diagram (Southern 2008) Southern (2008) statesthat water pumped from the Savannah River would be used to make up water losttothe system by evaporation, blowdown, and drift. Blowdown waterwould be directed to a common CWS blowdown sump. Water from the blowdown sump would be retained for a briefholdup period to allow dechlorination before the wateris discharged to the Savannah River (Southern 2008). Consistent with Vogtle Units 1 and 2 operation, no significant total suspended solids impact is foreseen in cooling tower blowdown (Southern 2007a). Southern (2008)provided the following normal operation water fluxes forthe CWS (all values assume two reactor units):

"The normal make-up waterflow rate would be 2348.47 Us (37,224 gpm). * The normal consumptive water use rate (evaporation and drift) would be 1761.73 Us (27,924gpm).

NUREG-1872 3-6 August 2008Site Layout and Plant Description

e The normal blowdown rate would be 586.74 LUs (9,300 gpm). Southern (2008) also provided the following bounding water fluxes forthe CWS (all values assume two reactor units):

" The maximum make-up waterflow rate would be 3645.60 L/s (57,784 gpm). " The maximum consumptive water use rate (evaporation and drift) would be 1823.56 L/s (28,904 gpm). * The maximum blowdown rate would be 1822.04 L/s (28,880 gpm). Following publication ofthe draft EIS, Southern advised NRC staff (Southern 2007c) thatbased on changes between Revision 15 and Revision 16 ofthe AP1000 DCD, some ofthese water flux values would change. The staffs evaluation ofthe effect ofthese changes on the staff's environmental impact conclusions is provided in Sections 5.3.3.1 and 7.3.1.1 ofthis EIS. Service WaterSystem The non-safety-related SWS provides cooling water tothe component cooling water heat exchangers located in the turbine building (Southern 2008). The closed-cycle cooling system uses mechanical draftcooling towers todissipate waste heat during normal operations, refueling, shutdown, and other operational events. Excess heat inthe cooling wateris then transferred to the atmosphere. During the heat dissipation process, evaporation ofwater increases the concentration ofdissolved solids inthe cooling water system. To limitthe concentration ofdissolved solids, aportion ofthe water is continuously discharged from the system as blowdown. Southern (2008) states that groundwater would be used to make up waterlost by the SWS to evaporation, blowdown, and drift. Blowdown waterwould be directed to a common blowdown sump, and water from the sump ultimately would then be discharged to the Savannah River. An option also exists to discharge the SWS blowdown tothe CWS basin (Southern 2008). Southern provided the following normal operation waterfluxes forthe SWS (Southern 2008) (allvalues assume two reactor units):

" The normal make-up waterflow ratefrom groundwater would be 33.88 LUs (537 gpm). " The normal consumptive water-use rate (evaporation and drift) would be 25.43 L/s (403 gpm). " The normal blowdown rate would be 8.45 L/s (134 gpm). Southern also provided thefollowing bounding water fluxes for the SWS (Southern 2008) (all values assume two reactor units):

* The maximum make-up waterflow rate from groundwater would be 148.5 L/s (2353gpm).
August 2008 3-7 NUREG-1872Site Layout and Plant Description
* The maximum consumptive water-use rate (evaporation and drift)would be 76.26 L/s (1177 gpm). " The maximum blowdown rate would be 74.19 L/s (1176 gpm). Following publication ofthe draft EIS, Southern advised NRC staff(Southern 2007c) that based on changes between Revision 15 and Revision 16oftheAP1000 DCD, some ofthese water demand values would change. The staff's evaluation ofthe effect ofthese changes on the staff's environmental impact conclusions is provided inSections 5.3.3.2 and 7.3.1.2 ofthis EIS.

UltimateHeatSink The ultimate heat sink (UHS) cooling system is a tank filledwith approximately 3.55 million L (780,000 gal) of demineralized water (Southern 2008). Thetank is situated on top ofthe containment structure, so thewater can be released toform a water film over the containment dome and side walls should an accident occur. The water fromthe tank flows passively; therefore, an active external safety-related UHS system is not needed to achieve safe shutdown ofthereactor. The tank has no other plant function and, once filled, requires only minimal additions ofdemineralized waterto compensate forminor evaporative losses.

3.2.2.2 Component Descriptions The following sections describe theintake, cooling water treatment, discharge, and heat dissipation systems for the proposed VEGP Units 3 and 4. Pursuant to Section 316(a) and 316(b) ofthe Clean Water Act (33 USC 1251), an applicant for a CP orCOL who references an ESP for the sitewould be required to obtain approval from the GDNR bydocumenting the plant design and conducting a site-specific analysis regarding impacts ofthe thermal discharges and operation ofthe intake system on the aquatic environment ofthe-Savannah River. IntakeSystem The proposed VEGP Units 3 and 4 would use a common river intake structure to obtain makeup water forthe CWS. The proposed location ofthe intake structure, which is shown in Figure 2-1, is located on the southeast bank ofthe Savannah River,just upstream ofthe existing river intake. The intake canal would be approximately 73 m (240 ft) long and 52 m (170 ft)wide, and would have an earthen bottom atan elevation of21 m (70 ft) above mean sea level (MSL) (Southern 2008). The intake structure would be located atthe end ofthe intake canal and would contain three pump bays foreach unit. The maximum total pump rate forall six pump bays would be 3645.6 L/s (57,784 gpm) (Southern 2008). The normal operation total pump rate for all bays would be 2348.47 L/s (37,224 gpm) (Southern 2008). Each pump bay

NUREG-1872 3-8 August 2008Site Layout and Plant Description
would contain one traveling screen and trash rack to prevent debris from entering the intake pumps. Diagrams ofthe proposed intake structure are shown in Figures 3-4 and 3-5. Following publication ofthe draft EIS, Southern advised NRC staff (Southern 2007c) that based on changes between Revision 15 and Revision 16 ofthe AP1000 DCD, some ofthese water demand values would change. The staff's evaluation ofthe effect ofthese changes on the staff's environmental impact conclusions is provided in Sections 5.3.3.1 and 7.3.1.1 ofthis EIS. CoolingWaterTreatmentSystem Southern states in its ER that make-up water used in the CWS would be treated to control biofouling, corrosion, scaling, and deposition ofsolids (Southern 2008). Biocides would be injected atthe intake structure, and other chemicals may be added to the cooling waterbasins. Likewise, the SWS make-up water may also be treated; however, because thiswater originates from groundwater sources, significant water treatment may not be necessary (Southern 2007a, 2008). The waterquality ofthe effluents from either the CWS or SWS would be regulated by the State of Georgia via an NPDES permit. DischargeSystem A common sump would collect wastewater from the CW blowdown, the SWS blowdown, and the treated sanitary waste systems (Southern 2008). The collected waste would then be discharged tothe Savannah River approximately 120 m (400ft) downstream ofthe existing discharge pipe terminus (Southern 2008). Figure 2-1 shows the location ofthe discharge pipe; diagrams ofthe discharge pipes are shown in Figures 3-6 and 3-7. The normal operation flow rate from the new discharge pipe to the Savannah River would be 606.17 L/s (9608 gpm), with the CWS blowdown contribution being 586.74 L/s (9300 gpm) (Southern 2008). The maximum flow rate from the new discharge pipeto the Savannah River would be 1940.72 Us (30,761 gpm) (Southern 2008). The CWS blowdown water would bethe major contributor to the total discharge with a maximum flow rate of 1822.04 L/s (28,880 gpm) (Southern 2008) and a maximum calculated discharge temperature to the Savannah River would be 33.1°C (91.5 0F) (Southern 2008). The water quality ofall effluents discharged tothe Savannah Riverwould be regulated by the State of Georgia via an NPDES permit, and would need tomeet established discharge limits on both the quantity ofthe waste andthe quality/ concentration ofeach constituent pollutant. Following publication ofthe draft EIS, Southern advised NRC staff(Southern 2007c) thatbased on changes between Revision 15 and Revision 16 ofthe AP1000 DCD, someofthese flow rate values would change. The staff's evaluation ofthe effect ofthese changes on the staffs environmental impact conclusions is provided in Sections 5.3.3.1 and 7.3.1.1 ofthis EIS.

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HeatDissipation System The proposed VEGP Units 3 and 4would have several different heat dissipation systems. The largest heat load would bedissipated by the normal heat sink that cools the CWS. The heat dissipation system would consist ofone natural draft hyperbolic cooling tower per unit (i.e., two cooling towers would be constructed for the proposed VEGP plant). The SWS waste heat would be dissipated using mechanical draft cooling towers. The UHS for the proposed ESP plant incorporates a passive design, so itdoes not require a cooling tower. Instead, evaporated water exits the containment through a plenum located between the steel containment and concrete wall ofthe shield building, and eventually exhausts to the atmosphere via a shield building chimney (Southern 2008). 3.2.3 Radioactive Waste-Management System Liquid, gaseous, and solid radioactive waste-management systems would be used to collect and treat the radioactive materials produced as by-products ofoperating the proposed VEGP Units 3 and 4. These systems would process radioactive liquid, gaseous, and solid effluents to maintain releases within regulatory limits and to levels as low as reasonably achievable before releasing them to theenvironment. Waste-processing systems would be designed to meet the design objectives of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix I("Numerical Guides for Design Objectives and Limiting Conditions for Operation to Meet the Criterion 'As Low as is Reasonably Achievable' for Radioactive Material inLight-Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Reactor Effluents"). Radioactive material inthe reactor coolant would be the primary source ofgaseous, liquid, and solid radioactive wastes in light-water reactors. Radioactive fission products build upwithin the fuel as a consequence ofthe fission process. Thesefission products would be contained in the sealed fuel rods, but small quantities escape the fuel rods and contaminate the reactor coolant. Neutron activation ofthe primary coolant system would also be responsible for coolant contamination. The description oftheradioactive waste management system provided in the ER is sufficient for an environmental review ofthe ESP application; however, Southern did not identify specific radioactive waste-management systems for the new units on theVEGP site, thus deferring analysis ofthe radioactive waste-management system to the CPor COL stage. The description provided by Southern is based on information in theAP1O00 Design ControlDocument (Westinghouse 2005). Solid radioactive wastes produced from operating the proposed VEGP Units 3 and 4 would be either dry orwet solids. The solid-waste-management system would receive, collect, and store solid wastes priorto onsite storage or shipment offsite. Bounding liquid and gaseous effluent releases were not provided by Southern; however, Southern did provide information on normal liquid and gaseous effluent releases along with solid waste activities (Southern 2008). The boundingtotal annual volume of solid radioactive waste shipped

NUREG-1872 3-14 August 2008