L-2006-254, Environmental Protection Plan Report, Event Dates October 25-26, 2006, Unusual or Important Environmental Event

Environmental Protection Plan Report, Event Dates October 25-26, 2006, Unusual or Important Environmental Event

ML063410233
Person / Time
Site:	Saint Lucie
Issue date:	11/21/2006
From:	Johnston G Florida Power & Light Co
To:	Document Control Desk, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
EPP 4.1, L-2006-254
Download: ML063410233 (3)

Text

0 Florida Power & Light Company, 6501 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, FL 34957 November 21, 2006 IFPL L-2006-254 10 CFR 50.36.b EPP 4.1 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attn: Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555 RE: St. Lucie Units 1 and 2 Docket Nos. 50-335 and 50-389 Environmental Protection Plan Report Event Dates: October 25-26, 2006 Unusual or Important Environmental Event The attached report is being submitted pursuant to the requirements of Section 4.1 of the St.

Lucie Units 1 and 2 Environmental Protection Plans to provide the description of reportable sea turtle mortalities causally related to plant operations at the St. Lucie Plant.

Very truly yours, Gordon L. Johnston Site Vice President St. Lucie Plant GLJ/KWF Attachment

-I an FPL Group company

_1~

St. Lucie Units 1 and 2 L-2006-254 Docket Nos. 50-335 and 50-389 Attachment Environmental Protection Plan Report Page 1 of 2 Unusual or Important Environmental Event EVENT DESCRIPTION Over a two day period spanning October 25 through October 26, 2006, 24 hatchling sea turtles (Carettacaretta)were recovered from the Unit 1 and Unit 2 plant intake wells.

Twenty-one of the turtles were mortalities. Three were retrieved and sent to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center located in Juno Beach, Florida for rehabilitation.

Apparently an entrained adult female loggerhead nested on or near the top of the canal bank east of the 5 inch turtle net barrier. The canal banks are covered with cement sheeting that covers the bottom half of the bank. The top of the bank and the area above the cement coating is a mixture of sand and gravel with sparse vegetation. This area is believed to be where the turtle nested. Although one nest was discovered and monitored in this general area during the turtle season, this nest was undetected.

Upon hatching the turtles reached the water and were carried by the current to the plant intake wells. The 21 mortalities were believed to be caused by drowning; necropsies were not performed due to degraded condition of the hatchlings.

This impingement appears to have been a single hatchling event that manifested over a course of two days. Detection of all the turtles the first day was compromised due to large amounts of debris floating in the intake wells. The debris tends to coagulate into large masses that prevent accurate identification of components comprising the congealed areas.

On the first day of the event, 14 of the hatchlings were recovered in the Unit 1 intake well and three hatchlings were retrieved alive. An inspection of the Unit 2 intake well was performed and no turtles were identified in the floating debris. A boat was launched in the intake canal in an attempt to identify and capture any additional hatchlings that may have been in the canal and none were observed. On October 26, 2006, ten additional hatchlings were discovered; seven in the Unit 2 intake well and three in the Unit I intake well. Apparently overnight one dead hatchling broke free of the mass of floating debris in the Unit 2 intake well. This was identified and responders discovered the balance of hatchlings after the mass of floating debris was dissected, this allowed further identification and retrieval of the remaining turtles.

CAUSE OF EVENT The most likely cause of these hatchling mortalities was by drowning due to impingement in the Unit I and Unit 2 intake wells.

FPL believes that an entrained female adult loggerhead turtle crawled up the cement banks of the intake canal and nested on top of the bank in the midst of sparse vegetation, which was not detected. Upon hatching the turtles entered the intake canal and were swept away by the current, eventually reaching the intake wells. The plant turtle nets are not designed to restrict turtles the size of hatchlings so the turtles reached the intake wells unimpeded.

St. Lucie Units 1 and 2 L-2006-254 Docket Nos. 50-335 and 50-389 Attachment Environmental Protection Plan Report Page 2 of 2 Unusual or Important Environmental Event CORRECTIVE ACTION

1) The intake wells were monitored for three days after the event.

2) A boat was launched into the intake canal to identify any additional hatchlings in the intake canal.

3) The tops of the intake canal banks where extensively inspected to locate additional nests and no additional nests were identified.

4) A more robust surveillance on the plant intake canal banks has been incorporated into the daily beach inspection during turtle nesting season.

5) The surviving three turtles were released into the environment by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center on November 4, 2006.

AGENCIES NOTIFIED The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was notified of this event on October 25, 2006, in compliance with Marine Turtle Permit #125.

Follow-up notification was made to the NRC on October 25, 2006, per the requirements of 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(xi).

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was notified of this event on October 26, 2006, in compliance with marine Turtle Permit #125.

Follow-up notification was made to the NRC on October 26, 2006, per the requirements of 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(xi).