ML033360439
| ML033360439 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Farley  |
| Issue date: | 09/01/2002 |
| From: | Southern Nuclear Operating Co |
| To: | Jack Cushing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| Cushing J, NRR/DRIP/RLEP, 415-1424 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML033370741 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML033360439 (7) | |
Text
Appendix D - Applicant's Environmental Report 3.0 Proposed Action Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant 3-8 September 2002 Application for License Renewal
Appendix D - Applicant's Environmental Report 3.0 Proposed Action Liberty LEGEND 5 0 5 10 15 20 Miles
- Farley Nuclear Plant 8 Transmission Lines State Boundaries County Boundaries 5 0 5 101520253035 40Kilometers
- Lakes and Rivers Major Urban Areas Parks FARLEY NUCLEAR PLANT:
GPC - Georgia Power Company FIGURE 32 APC - Alabama Power Company Transmission Line Map
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Applicati. I aInzvy vutld ReIwFIl 3-19 September 2003 Application for License Renewal CJXL-
Appendix D - Applicant's Environmental Report Attachment C Special-Status Species Correspondence a"ulern nuum.r X Operating Company. Ic.
P.0.BcX1295 Bimingham. Alabama 35201-1295 Tel205.992.500 SOUTHERN A COMPANY Enerj to SrvTYourWorid' May 7,2002 Mr. Charles Oravetz Chief, Protected Species Branch National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office 9721 Executive Center Drive North St. Petersburg Florida 33702 Rc: Joseph M. Fanrey Nuclear Plant Request for Information on Threatened or Endangered Species Dear Mr. Oravetz.
Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC) Ispreparing an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to renew the operating licenses for Farley Nuclear Plant Units I and 2 (FNP). The current operating licenses forUnits 1 and 2 expire in 2017 and 2021, respectively. As part ofthe license renewal process, theNRC requires license applicants to assess the Impact ofthe proposed action on threatened or endangered species in accordance with the Endangered Species Act"(IOCFR51.53). The NRC will be communicating with your organization during the application review of FNP's environmental report We are contacting you early in the application process to identify any issues that need to be addressed or any information your office may need to expedite the NRC's review.
Flows in the lower Chattahoochee River (the portion of the river between Walter F.George Reservoir and the Chattahoochee-Flint confluence) arc Influenced by a series of locks and dams built in the 1950s for flow regulation, hydroelectric power generation, and improved navigation.
Historically, the lower Chattahoochee River was subject to extreme seasonal fluctuations Inflow and was navigable only at certain times of the year. After the three locks and dams were completed, it was possible for large vessels (including tugboats and barges) to move from the GulfofMexico to Columbus, Georgia, via a 9-foot-deep and 100-foot-wide channel maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The construction or locks and dams along the lower Chattahoochee in the 1950s severely reduced or eliminated surviving runs of most anadromous fishes native to the river system, including the Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrincIhus desolot), Alabama shad (Alosa alabamae), and Gulf Coast striped bass (Moronesafaiils). Gulfsturgeon were abundant in the Chattahoochee before European settlement in the 19' century, ascending the river as far as the Fall Line. Habitat destruction and overfishing in the late-19*' and early 20' century decimated the Chattahoochee River population, and completion ofthe Jim WoodruffLock and Dam in 1957 effectively eliminated it. Alabama shad still migrate from the Gulf ofMexico into the Apalachicola River below Jim Woodruff Dam, but are blocked from moving upstream into the Chattahoochee River.
Joseph M. Farey Nuclear Plant C-1 14 September2003 Application for License Renewal
Appendix D - Applicant's Environmental Report Attachment C Special-Status Species Correspondence A landlocked population of striped bass occurs in the Chattahoochee River above Jim Woodruff Dam, but there is little or no movement to and from the Gulf of Mexico. Some Chattahoochee River striped bass do move downstream and pass the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam when river flows are unusually high, but the Jim Woodruff Dam prevents upstream movement, so these fish are unable to return to the Chattahoochee River to spawn. Large numbers of striped bass (800,000) are stocked annually in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system, including Lake Seminole and Walter F. George Reservoir. Striped bass are not plentiful in the Chattahoochee River adjacent to FNP, but they are occasionally caught by anglers pursuing the more common white and hybrid bass up- and downstream of George W. Andrews Lock and Dam.
In more than 25 years of monitoring the fish populations of the lower Chattahoochee River, Alabama Power and its contractors have never collected a listed anadromous species.
SNC is committed to the conservation of significant natural habitats and protected species, and expects that operation of the Plant through the license renewal period (an additional 20 years) would not adversely affect any listed marine species. SNC does not have any plans to alter current operations over the license renewal period. Any maintenance activities necessary to support license renewal would be limited to previously-disturbed areas. There is expansion of existing facilities planned, and there is no additional land disturbance anticipated In support of license renewal. We therefore request your concurrence with our determination that license renewal would have no effect on threatened or endangered anadromous species (including candidate species and species proposed for listing) and that formal consultation is not necessary.
After your review, we would appreciate your sending a letter to us detailing any concerns you may have about any listed species in the area or confirming SNC's conclusion that operation of FNP over the license renewal term would have no effect on any threatened or endangered species under the jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service. SNC will include acopy of this letter and your response in the Environmental Report that will be submitted to the NRC as part of the FNP license renewal application.
Please do not hesitate to call Mr. Jim Davis at (205) 992-7692 if you have any questions or require any additional information.
Sincerely, C. R. Pierce License Renewal Services Manager
Enclosure:
Figure 2-1 cc: L. M. Stinson M. J. Ajluni W. C. Carr T. C. Moorer J. T. Davis Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant C-1 15 September2003 Application for License Renewal
Appendix D - Applicant's Environmental Report Attachment C Special-Status Species Correspondence Joseph M. Farley NuclearPlant C-1 16 September 2003 Application forLicense Renewal
Appendix D - Applicant's Environmental Report Attachment C Special-Status Species Correspondence
- 0. WCq
. > l UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE T<< ~ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NAIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE Southeast Regional Office 9721 Executive Ccnter Dr. N.
St. Petersburg, FL 33702 (727) 570-5312, FAX 570-5517 htp/caldcra.scro.nmfs.gov F/SER3:SKB JUN 21 22 Mr. C.R. Pierce License Renewal Services Manager Southem Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1295 Birmingham, Alabama 35201- 1295
Dear Mr. Pierce:
This is in response to your May 7, 2002, letter regarding the renewal of the operating licenses for the Farley Nuclear Plant (FNP) Units I and 2. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to comment on the project so early in the application process. We have considered the project and submit the following with respect to possible effects on the threatened Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoo, listed September 30, 1991 under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The FNP is located on the Chattahoochee River which is a part of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochc-Flint river system. The Chattahoochee and the Flint rivers join near the Florida/Georgia state borders and form Lake Seminole which then drains through the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam (JWLD) into the Apalachicola River. Although there are numerous reports of Gulf sturgeon in the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers prior to the construction of the JWLD, no evidence exists that Gulf Sturgeon pass through the JWLD system. Thercfore it is likely that the JWLD precludes any passage of the Gulf sturgeon from the Apalachicola River into Lake Seminole and contiguous rivers.
Critical habitat was proposed for the Gulf sturgeon on June 6, 2002, (67 FR 39105). The Apalachicola River (from its mainstem beginning at the JWLD downstream to its discharge at Apalachicola Bay, Florida, including all Apalachicola River distributaries) was included in the proposed Gulf sturgeon critical habitat designation. This inclusion as proposed critical habitat demonstrates the Apalachicola's essential role in the conservation of the Gulf sturgeon.
Riverine spawning sites were identified as a constituent element (essential for conservation) in the proposed Gulf sturgeon critical habitat designation. Gulf sturgeon require specific substrate suitable for egg deposition and development such as limestone outcrops and cut limestone banks, bedrock, large gravel or cobble beds, marl, soapstone or hard clay. Because the Gulf sturgeon were abundant in the Chattahoochee prior to construction of the JWLD, suitable habitat was Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant C-117 September2003 Application for License Renewal
Appendix D - Applicant's Environmental Report Attachment C Special-Status Species Correspondence evidently available in the river. Currently the distribution and availability of appropriate Gulf sturgeon spawning habitat in the Chattahoochee River is unknown.
We rCcommcnd FNP initiate a reconnaissance study to investigate the availability and distribution of appropriate Gulf sIurgcon spawning habitat in the lower Chattahoochee River.
NMFS would be happy to participate in the design of such a study and the results would immediately assist in our efforts to conserve the Gulf sturgeon.
NMFS also recommends that you contract the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for their concurrence with your determination that license renewal would not effect listed species, and that formal consultation in the license renewal application would not be necessary. Although the Gulf sturgcon is jointly managed by EWS and NMFS, division ofjurisdictional responsibilities was proposed in the June 6 critical habitat designation. In the proposed rule (67 FR 39i05, June 6, 2002), consultation coordination was proposed as follows: FWS is responsible for all Tiverine actions, consultations for csiuarine activities are to be directed to either FWS or NMFS based on action agency, and NMFS is responsible for all consultations in marine areas. Therefore, because of location, section 7 consultation for the FNP is likely to fall within FWS jurisdiction.
We look forward to working with the Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. and the FNP in conserving our endangered and threatened resources. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Stcphania Bolden, fishery biologist, at (727) 570 - 5312 or by e-mail at stephania.bolden noaa.gov.
Sn Georgia Cranrnore Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources cc: F/PR3 FWS - Panama City Ref: IISERJ2002/00498 o:\scction7'Jnformal\sturgeon\farleynuclear.wpd File: 1514-22.o. (NRC) 2 Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant C-118 September2003 Application for License Renewal