ML083220385

Scoping Comments from Dakota County, Minnesota

ML083220385
Person / Time
Site:	Prairie Island
Issue date:	09/22/2008
From:	Jackson M Dakota County, MN
To:	NRC/NRR/ADRO
References
Download: ML083220385 (2)

Text

From: Jackson, Mary [Mary.Jackson@CO.DAKOTA.MN.US]

Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 5:19 PM To:

PrairieIslandEIS Resource Cc:

Beeman, Michelle; Welsch, Heidi; Chatfield, Kurt

Subject:

Prairie Island Relicensing SEIS scoping comments RE: Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant (PINGP) Re-licensing EIS Scoping Comments To Whom It May Concern, Staff from Dakota County, Minnesota prepared the following comment for the NRCs consideration, based on review of the required SEIS scope for relicensing nuclear generation facilities and the Prairie Island Environmental Report prepared by Xcel Energy.

1) No additional SEIS scope items are suggested.

2) Additional NRC evaluation within the pre-defined SEIS scope is suggested related to PINGPs reliance on Mississippi River water for cooling (circulation) water. Xcel Energys Environmental Report refers to a future federal project near PINGP to correct a long standing navigation safety issue at Lock and Dam 3. This lock-and-dam complex is one mile downstream of PINGP and forms Upper Mississippi River Pool 3. The navigation safety issue is described on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website as follows:

Lock and Dam 3 is a navigation dam and lock on the Mississippi River 6 miles upstream from Red Wing, Minnesota. Its position on a bend in the river makes down bound navigation difficult because of an out draft current that tends to sweep towboats and barges away from the lock toward the gated part of the dam. The out draft current has resulted in many accidents, including 11 incidents since 1968 when tows collided with the gated part of the dam. A related problem is with the low and weak embankments on the Wisconsin side.

Navigation accidents can render the four roller gates inoperable, resulting in overtopping and erosion of the embankments. The three Wisconsin side embankments divide the 8-foot head at the dam into three steps and work together as part of Lock and Dam 3.

Failure of the embankment system could result in accidental drawdown of Pool 3 with significant economic and environmental consequences.

The Corps has stated that without repair, the Wisconsin embankments at Lock and Dam 3 are likely to fail within the decade, causing a rapid drawdown of Pool 3. The project to correct the

Lock 3 approach hazard and strengthen the embankments currently is in design and is partially funded. The Corps website indicates that the project is programmed for 2010-2017 construction.

Although Xcels Environmental Report notes the existence of this issue and the Corps repair project, it did not identify impacts of an accidental loss of its Pool 3 cooling water supply to PINGP, how these impacts would be addressed, and possible subsequent impacts to local communities and the region.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the relicensing process.

Sincerely, Mary Jackson Senior Planner Dakota County Office of Planning and Analysis 952-891-7039