Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: e5306f4f-dc8c-4f60-a71c-af7ad4080384
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Aquatic Environmental Studies for Nuclear Power Stations + HISTORY - HISTORY 12/2014 – DG-4023 -Proposed New Guide
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 4
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1318/ML13186A085.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-4.24
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
ally and state-listed species may vary from site to site depending on how well analysts in each geographic region have characterized them in the past. Analysts should justify the criteria selected and criteria scoring schemes. Analysts may identify a final suite of alternative sites, including a proposed site, by comparing candidate sites based on potential location, placement and orientation of facilities, construction, and operational impacts to the aquatic resources. The analysis normally requires further differentiation of candidate sites by conducting additional screening at a higher confidence level, using more detailed site-specific data currently available or developed from onsite verification surveys. Such analysis also would consider potential impacts from the routing, building, maintaining, and operating transmission lines and other site developments (e.g. pipelines or access roads). Analysts may also score and compare construction impacts (e.g., disturbance of high-quality habitats and proximity to protected species) and operation impacts (e.g., biota affected by water withdrawal and discharge). The evaluation of alternative sites provided to meet NRC staff needs may partially overlap with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) requirements under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Analysts may find it efficient to evaluate aquatic resources at alternative sites following an integrated approach that simultaneously achieves the requirements for both the NRC and the Corps. Analysts DG-4023, Page 5 should contact the appropriate regional Corps district office to acquire information about local application of the Corps guidelines for site selection. Energy Alternatives Support Aquatic ecology is one of multiple technical disciplines involved in evaluating whether alternative energy sources requiring new generating capacity are competitive with the proposed energy source. RG 4.2 identifies alternative energy sources requiring new generating capacity.