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Site Description Report

Callaway Power Plant

Highway CC

Fulton, MO 65251

March 4, 2009

1.0 Background and Objectives

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

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

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

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

visiting electric generators and manufacturers to better understand the cooling 

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

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

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

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

collected information on Ameren’s Callaway Power Plant.

2.0 Facility Description

Callaway is located about 10 miles southeast of the town of Fulton in central 

Missouri. The facility operates under NPDES permit MO0098001; the permit 

was reissued on February 13, 2009 and will expire on February 12, 2014.

3.0 Electricity Generation and Transmission

Callaway is a 1300 MW nuclear generating station with one reactor. It began 

operations in 1984 on a 7354 acre site and provides approximately 18% of 

Ameren’s baseload generating capacity. The capacity utilization rate (CUR) is 

approximately 88%.

The original site plans called for a second reactor; Ameren may consider adding 

new generating units in the future.

4.0 Cooling Water System and Intake Structure

Callaway’s CWIS is located on the shoreline of the Missouri River, 

approximately 5 miles south of the facility. It is comprised of 3 intake bays, each 

with one pump and one coarse mesh (1/8”) traveling screen. Under normal 

operations, only 2 of the pumps operate at a time. The design through-screen 

velocity is 0.6 feet per second (fps). The screens automatically rotate every 8 

hours or when a pre-determined head differential is reached, the screens are 
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washed with a high pressure spray, and the debris-filled water is returned to the 

river via a trough.

The CWIS also has a “fish gate” along the sides of the traveling screens; this 

device allows fish trapped behind the trash rack another opportunity to escape.

5.0 Impingement and Entrainment Information

In 1985, the facility conducted impingement studies associated with its closedcycle cooling system. Approximately 96% of the collected fish were shad and 

drum and resulted in an annual estimate of 2000 impinged fish.

6.0 Cooling Tower Feasibility

The facility uses a concrete hyperbolic cooling tower as part of its closed-cycle 

recirculating cooling system (CCRS). The circulating flow for the system is 818 

million gallons per day (mgd). Makeup water is withdrawn via the CWIS, but the 

facility can operate up to 12 hours without any water withdrawals. The design 

intake flow (DIF) for Callaway’s CWIS is 60 mgd and the average actual intake 

flow (AIF) is 24.5 mgd. Intake water is treated1before being routed to the 

cooling tower.2 Approximately 4.8 mgd is blown down each day.

7.0 Debris Handling

Callaway does not have significant problems with debris, but has specific 

procedures for debris, icing, and low water levels. During high debris and icing 

periods, it rotates the traveling screens continuously. It operates on two pumps 

during icing periods and one pump during low river level periods. Also see 

Section 14.0.

8.0 Repowering/Future Uses

Ameren is considering adding additional units at Callaway.

9.0 Cooling Ponds

There are no cooling ponds onsite.

 

1 Treatment consists of flocculation and clarification. Once treated, the water is stored in a clear well until 

needed.

2 Additional units would also use closed cycle cooling as applicable, but the source of cooling or makeup 

water has not been determined. Note that radial wells could be drilled at the facility; facility 

representatives stated that the TSS levels in the river water are higher than is preferred and that installing 

wells may be a simpler solution for makeup water.
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10.0 Ownership

Callaway is owned by Ameren, an investor-owned company.

11.0 316(a)

EPA did not collect any information about thermal discharges at this site; 

however, due to the use of CCRS, it is likely that there are no issues with the 

thermal discharge from Callaway. 

12.0 Ash Handling

Callaway does not use coal as a fuel and therefore has no ash ponds.

13.0 Air Emissions Controls

EPA did not collect any information about air controls at this site.

14.0 Additional Information

Facility representatives noted that the CWIS has a desilting spray in the intake 

bays; this device is operated for 30 minutes every 12 hours to clean out 

accumulated sediment.

Facility representatives stated that the facility was designed with a CCRS largely 

due to the distance from the river. With such a long construction and permitting 

period for nuclear facilities, the designers assumed that closed-cycle cooling was 

a more appropriate choice for this location.

Attachment A Ameren PowerPoint Presentation (March 4, 2009)
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Attachment A—Ameren PowerPoint Presentation (March 4, 2009)

Please see the attached materials.