BECO-92-165, Forwards 1993 Environ Monitoring,Thermal Discharge Fish Surveillance & Dissolved Nitrogen Saturation Reduction Programs & Plans,Per NPDES Permit MA0003557 (Federal) & 359 (State) for Approval

Forwards 1993 Environ Monitoring,Thermal Discharge Fish Surveillance & Dissolved Nitrogen Saturation Reduction Programs & Plans,Per NPDES Permit MA0003557 (Federal) & 359 (State) for Approval

ML20126C425
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	12/15/1992
From:	Rothert W BOSTON EDISON CO.
To:	MASSACHUSETTS, COMMONWEALTH OF
References
BECO-92-165, NUDOCS 9212230061
Download: ML20126C425 (10)

Text

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BOSTON EDISON l

25 Braintree Hai Park Bra ntree. Massachusetts 02184 g'

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December 15, 1992 l BECo 92-165 Mass. Department of Environmental Protection Division of Water Pollution Control Regulatory Branch - 7th Floor One Winter Street Boston, MA 0210E 1993 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAMS AND PLANS Gentlemen:

In accordance with NPDES Permit No. MA0003557 (Federal) and No. 359 (Stat (), for Pilgrim Station, the attached 1993 Environmental Monitoring, Thermal Discharge Fish Surveillance, and Dissolved Nitrogen Saturation Reduction Programs and Plans 'are submitted by Boston Edison Company for your approval.

This submittal is made in accordance with Part 1, Paragraph 8d, of the above-referenced permit that provides a deadline of December 31 of each year of the ,

Permit's duration to submit annual programs and plans. These programs and plans replace the 1992 environmental program and have been recommended by the Pilgrim Administrative-Technical Committee.

If there are any questions concerning the attached programs and plans, please do not-hesitate to call Mr. Robert Anderson (617-849-8935) of Boston Edison Company.

R Gr RDA/ cab /6528

Attachment:

Marine Ecology Monitoring Related to Operation of Pilgrim Station Unit 1, NPDES Permit Programs 210063 4

I 9212230061 921215 / j i PDR- ADOCK 03000293 9 P PDR

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. BOSTON EDISON 25 Bramtree Hal Park Braintree. Massachusetts 02184 December 15, .992 BECo 92- 165 United States Environmental Protection Agency Region I Permits Processing Section P.O. Box 8127 Boston, MA 02114 1993 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAMS AND PLANS Gentlemen:

In accordance with NPDES Permit No. MA0003557 (Federal) and-No. 359 (State), for Pilgrim Station, the attached 1993 Environmental Monitoring, Thermal Discharge Fish Surveillance, and Dissolved Nitrogen Saturation Reduction Programs and Plans are submitted by Boston Edison Company for your approval.

This submittal-is made in accordance with Part 1, Paragraph 8d, of the above-referenced permit that provides a deadline of December 31 of each year of the Permit's duration to submit annual programs and plans. These programs and plans replace the 1992 environmental program and have been recommended by the Pilgrim Administrative-Technical Committee.

If there are any questions concerning the attached programs and plans, please do not ,

hesitate to call Mr. Robert Anaerson (617-849-8935) of Boston Edison Company.

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W. C. Roth rt RDA/ cab /6528

Attachment:

Marine Ecology Monitoring Related to Operation of Pilgrim Station Unit 1, NPDES Permit Programs cc: U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission /

ATTH: Document Control Desk Washir.gton, DC 20555 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region I 1

475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406

. Senior NRC Resident Inspector Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

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Attachment to BEco Letter No.92-165 MARINE ECOLOGY MONITORING ,

RELATED TO OPERATION OF PILGRIM STATION UNIT 1 .)

NPDES PERMIT PROGRAMS 1 1

- In accordance with NPDES Permit requirements for Pilgrim Statior.-Permit No.

MA0003557 (Federal) and No.-359 (State), the following modified programs are presented for 1993. The 1978 through 1992 programs were submitted to the Regio'nal Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Director,-Mass.

Division of Water-Pollution Control (MDWPC), in December 1977 through December 1991, respectively.

L I. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING The Environmental Monitoring Program represents a continuation of previous monitoring. Pre-operational studies for Pilgrim' Unit I commenced in 1969, almost four years before initial operation in December '1972. In accordance with environmental monitoring and reporting requirements of the Unit 1 Operating License, DPR-35, issued by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (now the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) Boston Edison carried out a post-operational Marine Ecology Program. Ihis program was designed to investigate the Cape Cod Bay ecosystem, with emphasis on the Rocky Point

, area, in order to determine whether the operation of Pilgrim Station

resulted in measurable effects on the marine ecology and evaluate the

significance of any such effects. The Marine Ecology Program for Unit 1

continued for f_ive years from initial full. power operation (that is,- through December 1977) and was replaced by this NPDES Permit Program (with NRC concurrence). Amendment #67 (1983) to the PNPS Technical Specifications deleted Appendix B non-r:diological water quality requirements since they

- were incorporated in the NPDES Permit. The post-operational _ monitoring for Pilgrim-Unit I and-the collected data are incorporated and analyzed in the-

. Marine Ecology Semi-Annual Reports (#1-40), Marine Ecology Final Report (1978), and the Section 316 Demonstration Document (1975) and Supplement' (1977) pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972.

t The NPDES Program includes the following elements: ,

A. Pilarim Administrative - Technical- Committee The Pilgrim Administrative - Technical Committee (PATC) is an advisory committee that was established to ensure the Pilgrim marine studies have '

the benefit of qualified, outside scientific and technical ' advice _and L_ are responsive to regulatory agency concerns. The PATC recommends

improvement to ongoing monitoring based on the latest result's with the L approval of the U.S. EPA and Mass. Div. of Water Pollution Control. It i has held 78 regular meetings since July 16, 1969, and will continue to-be involved in future Pilgrim marine monitoring.

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The PATC is composed-of representatives (technical and administrati/9) from each interested federal and -state regulatory. agency,' Boston Edison Company and the University of Massachusetts.

The present membership is as follows: -

Aaency -

National Marine Fisheries Services - (1 member)

Mass. Division of Water Pollution Control - (2 members)- -

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency - (3 members)

Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries - (3 members) .

Mass. Office of Coastal Zone Management - (1 member)

University of Massachusetts - (1 member)

Boston Edison Company - (1 member)

Each meeting in 1992 was chaired by a representative of the Mass. Div.

of Water Pollution Control. Minutes of PATC meetings appear in the semi-annual Pilgrim Station marine ecology reports.

i B. Marine Fisheries Monitoring (Mass. Div. of Marine Fisheries)

The Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, conducts field monitoring-pertinent- to Pilgrim Station. '

The monitoring efforts listed below will be continued in 1993.

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The DMF monitors the occurrence and d_istribution-of fish'around Rocky ,

Point and at sites in the area of discharge temperature increase.

Groundfish (primarily winter flounder, windowpane, and little skate) .

t will be collected using a 32-foot Shrimp trawl (1/2 inch mesh liner) bli weekly from April November. Four stations wi_ll be sampled (including replicates) at 2 reference and 2 surveillance locations that include the-PNPS intake embayment and discharge thermal effluent. Figure 1 shows' sampling station ' locations. Winter , flounder. data will be analyzed,as. it-

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will-be treated as an indicatnr species.

In addition, experimental . diving will be conducted to determine the-feasibility' of this. technique possibly replacing conventional trawling.

as a monitoring method.

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-i A finfish observational dive survey (Figure 1) will continue in .1993 for

, the Pilgrim Station thermal plume area. This monitoring will involve bi-weekly diving from May through October to document fish behavior and condition at six stations. During mid-August to mid-September, weekly

. diving will be dcne to document potential thermal plume-related mortalities. A cunner tagging effort will be continued to determine this resident species relation to the thermal plume, and it will be targeted as an indicator species for PNPS impact analysis, d

Lobster An experimental lobster pot study, initiated in 1986, will be continued during Jure-September in thermal plume areas to better define Pilgrim Station's influence on lobster catch rate (Figure 2). -Nine 5-pot trawls will be used at 9 sampling stations, and hauled every 2 days. Lobster will be analyzed as an indicator species for impact.

4 Gas Saturation In 1993, saturated gas analyses will be conducted only during periods of potential discharge-related mortalities. A Weiss saturometer will be used in situ to measure total partial presrure of dissolved gases and percent saturation of total gas, nitrogen, and oxygen.

C. impingement Monitorina (Marine Research, Inc./8Eco) l The main oDJective of the impingement study is to calculate impingement I rates of marine organisms by gathering and analyzing data on numbers and-species carried onto the four intake travelling water screens at ' Pilgrim i Station. In 1993 the weekly collection time will be twenty-four hours (three 8-hour periods). Supplemental initial fish survival data will also be recorded. BECo will analyze the data and prepare the reports.

D. Benthic Monitorinq

i. A benthic thermal plume-analysis and-mapping project will be conducted i with field data collected in the Fall of 1993. Results of this effort l will-help to recommend the most applicable direction for benthic impact l monitoring at Pilgrim Station in the future, as well as any additional l field work-to be performed.

In addition, transect morJtoring to map the extent of stunted and-

. Jenuded areas immediately off- the discharge canal will be continued 4 l times a year (March, June, September and December) in 1993.

E. Entrainment Monitorina (Marine Research, Inc.)

As in 1992, entrainment monitoring in 1993 will emphasize consideration of ichthyoplankton.

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The 1993 entrainment studies will consist autine monitoring of the Pilgrim discharge. This monitoring will un a weekly basis during the period March-September and bi-weekly during the periods January-February and October-December. Samples will be collected in triplicate. If exceptionally high egg or larvae concentrations are found in the discharje when compared with previnus years, steps will be taken to implement contingency ichthyoplankton sampling plans to assess the reason for the high concentrations. The first plan will consist of additional tows and sample analysis from the discharge canal. If ichthyoplanGon numbers remain exceptionally high, the second plan consisting of single tows at each of 13 Bay stations off the plant will be initiated, and the samples analyzed immediately to determine the cause for the high densities (Figure 3). MRI will analyze the data and prepare the reports, including adult equivalency impact analyses for some of the more abundant species entrained.

F. Reporting of Environmental Monitoring -

Semi-annual and annual reports with results of the above (Items A-E) will be submitted to the EPA and huWPC by October 31, 1933 and April 30, 1994 cavering the periods January-June and January-December 199' respectively. Mass. DMF will prepare final project reports for the completed commercial lobster pot and offshore otter trawl surveys.

II. JJ1LRMAL DLECHARGE FJSMURVElllANCE ine Thermal Discharge Fish Surveillance Program for Pilgrim Station has the following primary parts:

A. Overflichts Periodic aerial overflights of western Cape Cod Bay and the Pilgrim vicinity will be conducted to alert Boston Edison to the presence of -

large schools of fish in the area. These overflights will be conductco weekly from March-November 1993 and results ummarized by BECo in ewh "

annual monitoring report.

B. Dj scharge Inspections frequent visual inspections of the discharge canal and fish barrier net during periods of fish migration will determine fish presence and condition, and barrier net performance. Also, fish sampling and diver observation in tne plume area will be conducted bi-weekly from April through November by Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries personnel as part of the Environmental Monitoring Program.

The observation and inspection elements of the Surveillance Program monitor compliance with the NPDES Permit barrier net condition by providing a check on the adequacy of the net in preventing fish passage into the discharge canal. If these elements indicate the barrier net is not fur,ctioning adequately, overflights, as well as the canal inspections and dive observations, will indicate when fish susceptible to gas bubble disease mortality are sufficiently near Pilgrim Station to warrant action to reduce surface nitrogen saturation level to less than 115%.

In addition, Boston Edison will notify the EPA Pegional- Administrator and Massachusetts DWPC Director of the presence of large' schools'_of fish within 1/2 mile of the discharge canal, as indicated from fish spotting overflights.

III. DISSOLVED NITROGEN SATURATION REDUCTION The plan for reducing dissolved nitrogen surface saturation levels to less than 115% in the discharge canal will involve a power reduction or outage should a school of fish susceptible to gas bubble disease mortality be in the immediate vicinity of Pilgrim Station. The procedure for determining the need, feasibility and request for a power reduction or outage _is as follows:

A. Responsible regulatory / agency personnel familiar with fishery statistics-(e.g. Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries) will estimate the magnitude of the fish school and, based on measured water quality and other pertinent environmental data, make a determination as to the likelihood and effect of a gas bubble disease mortality. They will also determine-the potentia.1 necessity for a nitrogen saturation reduction-and notify Boston Edison of this initial judgment.

d B. Boston Edison will notify the Rhode Island, Eastern Massachusetts, and Vermont Energy Control-(REMVEC) of the possibility cf a' power reduction and obtain projections through at least the upcoming weekend. Boston Edison will trans_mit load information to the agencies / persons taking_the actions identified in action A above.

C. On the basis of this information, agency personnel will formulate specific recommendations to the EPA Regional Administrator and/or the MDWPC Director on the timing and duration of a power reduction-that is,

in their judgment, appropriate-and in the overall public interest.

i D. Responsible regulatory personnel will request a power reduction through a telephone call to the Boston Edison, Pilgrim Nuclear. Power Station.

Vice President of Nuclear Operations.

E. Boston Edison personnel will record results of periodic surveillance of the condition and location of the fish prior to and subsequent to any Station operational changes. _

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