Document: NUREG-1555
Document ID: 5a4eb38b-9f84-4cc6-ab01-0be817580f4c
Document Type: esrp
Title: INTAKE SYSTEM
Source: NUREG-1555
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1555/initial/
Revision Date: 2007-10
Chapter: 5
Section ID: 5.3.1
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
standards and requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA), commonly referred to as the Clean Water Act, is not a substitute for and does not negate the requirement for NRC to weigh the environmental impacts of the proposed action, including any degradation of water quality, and to consider alternatives to the proposed action that are available for reducing the adverse impacts. If an environmental assessment of aquatic impacts is available from the permitting authority, the NRC will consider the assessment in its determination of the magnitude of the environmental impacts in striking an overall benefit-cost balance. When no such assessment of aquatic impacts is available from the permitting authority, the NRC (possibly in conjunction with the permitting authority and other agencies having relevant expertise) will establish its own impact determination. ` Because water quality and water supply are interdependent, changes in water quality must be considered simultaneously with changes in water supply. In Jefferson County PUD #1 vs. Department of Ecology (U.S. Supreme Court Case), the U.S. Supreme Court granted the States additional authority to limit hydrological alterations beyond the States’ role in regulating water rights. ` Regulatory Guide 4.2, Rev. 2, Preparation of Environmental Reports for Nuclear Power Stations (NRC 1976), provides guidance on the format and content of ERs including hydrology, water-use, and water-quality issues. Technical Rationale The technical rationale for evaluating the applicant’s hydrodynamic descriptions and physical impacts is discussed in the following paragraphs: A detailed and thorough description of the hydrodynamic and physical impacts of the cooling system intakes is essential for the evaluation of potential impacts to the environment that may result from plant construction or operation. III. REVIEW PROCEDURES The reviewer’s description of intake hydrodynamics should be linked to the environmental