Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0667-0062
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2010-11-16T05:00Z

Site Visit Report

	Nearman Creek Power Station
	4240 North 55[th] Street
	Kansas City, KS 66104
      March 3, 2009

1.0 Background and Objectives

      The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of developing 316(b) cooling water intake structure requirements that reflect the best technology available (BTA) for minimizing adverse environmental impact for all existing power plants and manufacturing facilities.  As part of this process, EPA staff is visiting electric generators and manufacturers to better understand the cooling water intake structure (CWIS) technologies in use at typical facilities, including the site-specific 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.  Nearman Creek (Nearman) was selected for a site visit due to its location on a large freshwater river.

2.0 Facility Description

      The Nearman Creek Power Station is owned and operated by the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and is located in Wyandotte County in Kansas City, Kansas along the Missouri River.  The facility is located on 800 acres.  Nearman employs approximately 60 people and began operation in 1981.
      
      Cooling and process water withdrawals from and wastewater discharges to the Missouri River are regulated under NPDES permit number KS0119075 which expired on December 31, 2008.  Nearman submitted its NPDES permit application in a timely manner and is awaiting renewal of its permit by the state.

3.0 Electricity Generation and Transmission
      
      Nearman has one coal-fired, steam-electric generating unit with a generating capacity of 235 MW.  It is a baseload unit with an overall capacity utilization rate (CUR) of 50%.  The fuel source is low-sulfur coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming.  
      
      The facility has two routine maintenance outages that occur during the spring and fall.  Typically, the spring outage lasts for two weeks and the fall outage lasts one week.

4.0 Cooling Water System and Intake Structure

      Nearman has one cooling water intake structure (CWIS) that provides once-through cooling water for the generating unit for a portion of the year.  (As discussed in Section 6.0 below, Nearman operates a closed-cycle cooling system the remainder of the year.)  The CWIS is fitted with a trash rack and four standard (i.e., coarse mesh 3/8") traveling screens. In addition, two circulating water pumps (one per two screens), with a design intake flow (DIF) of 230 million gallons per day (MGD), provide an average actual intake flow (AIF) of 153 MGD of cooling water to the generating unit.  The through screen velocity is 2.6 feet per second (fps).  The screens rotate when the pressure differential across the screen reaches a specified amount allowing for cleaning with a high pressure spray that flows into a debris trough which discharges to the Missouri River.
      
      Facility representatives indicated they have no issues with the CWIS or screen operation.  In addition, as necessary, Nearman introduces warm water prior to the CWIS which effectively prevents icing.  Nearman does not have regularly scheduled overhaul or maintenance periods for the CWIS.  Rather, it performs CWIS maintenance and rebuild on an as-needed basis.
      
      According to facility representatives, river degradation is the biggest issue facing Nearman.  The water level of the Missouri River is also controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers.  During low depth river conditions (winter), Nearman lacks adequate cooling water supply for its generating unit.  In an effort to boost water intake during low flow conditions, Nearman installs temporary, supplemental pumps for its cooling water withdrawals.  Nearman noted little problem with supplemental pump operation, but indicated the Corps requires removal prior to the summer.  Despite higher water levels in summer, the facility still curtails its generation, as water levels are substantially lower than when the facility was constructed.
      
      Because river degradation continues to occur, even after incorporation of supplemental pumps, Nearman continued to be concerned that the river level might not be able to adequately support its cooling water needs. As a result, Nearman installed closed-cycle cooling.  See Section 6.0.

5.0 Impingement and Entrainment Information
      
      Nearman collected impingement samples in 2005.  During the sampling period, Nearman conducted 24 hour impingement sampling every other week for a year for a total of 24 sampling events. 
      
      In total, Nearman impinged 322 fish accounting for 18 species during the sampling events.  Freshwater drum accounted for 40% of the impinged fish.  Based on these sampling results and similar data collected at Quindaro, Nearman estimates its annual impingement mortality to be 6,700 fish.  This figure includes an adjustment to account for gizzard shad mortality not associated with impingement. Nearman based this adjustment on EPA Regional guidance. 
      
      Nearman has not conducted any entrainment or ambient sampling, but indicated that various other organizations have conducted ambient sampling of the Missouri River.

6.0 Cooling Tower Feasibility

      To ensure facility operations would not be impacted by the quantity and temperature of river water available for cooling, Nearman began operating a fiberglass mechanical draft cooling tower consisting of eight cells with standard Marley fill in a back-to-back configuration (four cells each side) in June 2006.  The tower is fitted with drift eliminators, but not plume or noise abatement controls.
      
      The closed-cycle recirculating system (CCRS) retrofit cost Nearman $22 million.  Facility representatives indicated there were no technical challenges associated with the retrofit, but that the costs included reinforcing the existing condenser to support the higher pressure associated with CCRS operation.
      
      Nearman operates the CCRS for only part of the year (spring to the fall), when cooling water requirements and river temperatures are the highest.  While operating, city water is the source of all make-up cooling water (i.e., no water is withdrawn from the Missouri River for generator cooling water purposes).  The CCRS system requires 3600 gallons per minute (GPM) of make-up water during full load on a hot summer day.  Nearman evaluated other sources of make-up water, but elected to use city water because it would have had to treat river or well water for iron and manganese. 
      
      Nearman switches over to CCRS during its spring outage and switches off of the CCRS during its fall outage.  The transition is relatively easy and typically requires 8-10 hours to fill the basin.  Nearman operates the cooling tower at five cycles of concentration and adds 12.5% sodium hypochlorite as a biocide.  Facility representatives noted that its CCRS is easy to operate and actually leads to slightly better performance by the generating units, as the return water from the tower is cooler than river water.  

      Facility representatives stated that they did not consider a helper tower configuration for the facility, as thermal discharges are not a problem.

7.0 Debris Handling

      Nearman does not have significant problems with debris loading.  

8.0 Repowering/Future Uses
      
      Nearman has no current plans for re-powering or upgrades, but is considering the installation of low NOx burners next year.
      
9.0 Cooling Ponds
	
      There are no cooling ponds on site.
      
10.0 Ownership
      
      Nearman is owned by the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities.  It is a public entity owned by Kansas City.  As such, the city government controls its rates and expenditures with the goal being that revenues raised equal to production costs (i.e., no profit).  All capital funds are funded through bonds which must be approved by an elected board of officials.  
      
11.0 316(a)

      316(a) is not an issue for Nearman.  
      
12.0 Ash Handling
      
      Nearman sells all of its fly ash for re-use.  Nearman's bottom ash is sluiced to an unlined pond.  Nearman also has an on-site landfill that dates back to its inception.  It is clay-lined and does not have a leachate collection system.  While the landfill is no longer used for this purpose, Nearman used to store bottom ash in it on occasion.  Periodically, Nearman removes ash from the landfill which is subsequently sent off site and used in mine reclamation activities.  The ash pond is inspected annually by the state.

13.0 Air Emissions Controls

      Nearman operates an electronic precipitator with a removal efficiency of 99.6%.  Additionally, Nearman is considering the installation of low NOx burners next year.
      
14.0 Additional Information
      
      A consultant for Nearman provided data for estimated compliance costs for a number of Midwestern facilities that would be subject to Phase II requirements.  Estimates were provided for technologies deemed feasible and cost-effective by the consultant.  The data also includes estimates of benefits derived from the reduction in impingement.

Attachments

Attachment A		List of Attendees
Attachment B		Aerial Photos
Attachment C	Nearman Creek Power Station pamphlet
Attachment D	Aerial Photo of Nearman Creek During 1993 Flood
Attachment E	Estimated 316(b) Compliance Costs
Attachment F		Site Visit Photos

Attachment A--List of Attendees

Paul Shriner, EPA Headquarters
Jan Matuszko, EPA Headquarters
Jamie Hurley, EPA Headquarters
John Dunn, EPA Region VII
Kelly Meadows, Tetra Tech
Patrick Cassidy, Kansas City Board of Public Utilities
Kira Bluebaum, Burns and McDonnell
Gregory Howick, Burns and McDonnell
 

Attachment B--Aerial Photos

Please see DCN 10-6524A accompanying this document

Attachment C -- Nearman Creek Power Station pamphlet

Please see DCN 10-6524B accompanying this document

Attachment D--Aerial Photo of Nearman Creek During 1993 Flood

Please see DCN 10-6524C accompanying this document

Attachment E--Estimated 316(b) Compliance Costs

Please see DCN 10-6524D accompanying this document

Attachment F--Site Visit Photos

Please see DCNs 10-6524E through J accompanying this document