NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE 

AQUATIC LIFE STUDIES AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Indian Point Energy Center 

The Indian Point study is LWB Environmental Services, Inc. (L.W. Barnthouse), AKRF, Inc. 

(D. G. Heimbuch), Van Winkle Environmental Consulting (W. Van Winkle), and ASA Analysis 

& Communications, Inc. (J. Young), Entrainment and Impingement at IP2 and IP3: A Biological 

Impact Assessment, January 2008. The study tracked the abundance of 21 fish species from 1974 

to 2005, utilizing studies performed under the direction and supervision of the New York State 

environmental regulatory authority. According to the study, “mortality caused by entrainment 

and impingement at IP2 and IP3 is negligible, particularly compared to fishing mortality, and 

does not impair the ability of these populations to sustain themselves.” In fact, “species with 

relatively high susceptibility to entrainment at IP2 and IP3 are no more likely to have declined in 

abundance since 1974 than are species with relatively low susceptibility to entrainment.” 

Moreover, “the effects of mortality at IP2 and IP3 on the survival and abundance of susceptible 

populations cannot be detected, even after 30 years of intensive monitoring. Those changes that 

have occurred are more likely attributable to predation by the Hudson River’s rapidly growing 

striped bass population.” In conclusion, studies required by New York State have demonstrated 

that “entrainment and impingement associated with cooling-water withdrawals by IP2 and IP3 

have not had an adverse impact on Hudson River fish populations and communities.” (p. 79) 

North Anna Power Station 

The North Anna study is Virginia Power, Impingement and Entrainment Studies for North Anna 

Power Station, 1978-1983, prepared by the Water Quality Department, Richmond, Virginia, May 

1985. The study’s results are repeated in Dominion, North Anna Early Site Permit Application, 

Revision 9, September 2006, submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. For 

impingement, the study finds that, of the six species that account for 99 percent of all fish 

impinged, only 0.02 percent to 1.4 percent by weight of the “standing crop”—the localized 

population of fish of comparable age—of the six species, respectively, in Lake Anna, are 

impinged per year on average. For entrainment at the North Anna Power Station, the study finds 

that, among the five species entrained the most at the larval stage of development, the number of 

potential adult fish of these five species lost to entrainment ranges from 0.01 percent to 4.13 

percent per year on average of their species’ respective standing crops in Lake Anna. For Lake 

Anna, “overall, the abundance and quality of the fishery has remained healthy and balanced 

despite increased fishing pressure and shoreline development” (pp. 3-5-44, 3-5-47-8, 3-5-49-50, 

3-5-53). 

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Salem Nuclear Ge nerating Station 

The Salem study, comprising part of its latest NPDES water use permit application, is PSEG, 

Salem Generating Station NJPDES Permit Renewal Application, February 1, 2006, Section 5, 

Adverse Environmental Impact. A convenient summary of the 14-volume application is Section 

1, Memorandum in Support of Renewal Application. “Available data on the composition of the 

finfish community in the vicinity of Salem from 1970 through 2004 were analyzed using widelyaccepted techniques for measuring species richness . . . and species density . . . This analysis 

showed that finfish species richness in the vicinity of Salem has not changed since the startup of 

Salem, and that finfish species density has increased. During trawl surveys conducted from 1999 

through 2004, 27 additional finfish species were collected that had not previously been collected 

during PSEG’s field surveys . . . The majority of species have increased in abundance since 1998 

or have experienced rates of mortality due to Salem during this period that are much too low to 

have caused measurable reductions in abundance” (p. 159). 

Brunswick Nuclear Plant 

The Brunswick study is Carolina Power & Light, Environmental Services Section, Brunswick 

Steam Electric Plant 1993 Biological Monitoring Report, March 1994. The report concludes that 

“Biological monitoring of the Cape Fear Estuary during 1993 continued to show that species 

composition, seasonality, abundance, and spatial distribution of fish and shellfish were affected 

by environmental variables and not operation of the Brunswick Steam Electric Plant. 

Additionally, intake modifications continued to effectively reduce the number of entrained and 

impinged fish and shellfish during 1993. These results indicate that operation of the Brunswick 

Steam Electric Plant has had no adverse impact on fish and shellfish populations in the Cape 

Fear Estuary.” (p. viii) 

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