ML093350019
| ML093350019 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem, Hope Creek  |
| Issue date: | 12/23/2009 |
| From: | Bo Pham License Renewal Projects Branch 1 |
| To: | Scherer A US Dept of Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service |
| Doyle D., NRR/DLR/RPB2, 301-415-3748 | |
| References | |
| FOIA/PA-2011-0113 | |
| Download: ML093350019 (11) | |
Text
December 23, 2009 Ms. Annette Scherer, Senior Fish &
Wildlife Biologist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New Jersey Field Office 927 North Main Street Heritage Square, Building D Pleasantville, NJ 08232
SUBJECT:
REQUEST FOR LIST OF PROTECTED SPECIES WITHIN THE AREA UNDER EVALUATION FOR THE SALEM AND HOPE CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATIONS LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION REVIEW
Dear Ms. Scherer:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is reviewing an application submitted by PSEG Nuclear, LLC for the renewal of the operating licenses for Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1 and 2 (Salem), and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 1 (HCGS).
Salem and HCGS are located in Salem County, New Jersey on the eastern bank of the Delaware River, approximately 7.5 miles (12 km) southwest of Salem, New Jersey. As part of the review of the license renewal application, the NRC is preparing a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. The SEIS includes an analysis of pertinent environmental issues, including endangered or threatened species, and fish and wildlife impacts. This letter is being submitted under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1934, as amended.
PSEG Nuclear, LLC has stated that it has no plans to alter current operations over the license renewal period. If granted renewed licenses, Salem and HCGS would use existing plant facilities and transmission lines and would not require additional construction or disturbance of new areas. Any maintenance activities would be limited to previously disturbed areas.
The Salem and HCGS sites each encompass approximately 220 and 153 acres, (89 and 62 ha) respectively, on the southern part of Artificial Island. Habitats on the island can best be described as tidal marsh and grassland. Aquatic communities of the Delaware River near Salem and HCGS are directly influenced by the quantity and quality of water in the river, which is the source of makeup water for HCGSs cooling tower and Salems once-through cooling system. The enclosed map shows the layout of the sites in relation to the surrounding area.
HCGS employs a closed-cycle circulating water system for condenser cooling that consists of a natural draft cooling tower and associated withdrawal, circulation, and discharge facilities.
HCGS withdraws brackish water with the service water system from the Delaware Estuary through an intake structure which was designed to control the amount of debris entering the
system. Service water provides cooling to various cooling systems and heat exchangers and is discharged to the cooling tower basin to serve as condenser cooling water makeup to replace the water lost through evaporation and cooling tower blowdown. The system effluent is then discharged into the Delaware Estuary through an underwater conduit.
The Salem units have once-through circulating water systems for condenser cooling that withdraw brackish water from the Delaware Estuary though one intake structure at the south end of the site. Through a separate intake structure, Salem also withdraws brackish water from the Delaware Estuary for use in its service water system. Both the cooling water system and service water system discharge to the river through a common return system.
Four 500-kV transmission lines extend beyond the site boundary to deliver electricity generated by Salem and HCGS to the transmission system. The following is a short description of each transmission line:
Salem-New Freedom North - This 500 kV line, which is operated by PSE&G, runs northeast from HCGS for 63 km (39 mi) in a 107-m (350-ft) wide corridor to the New Freedom Switching Station north of Williamstown, New Jersey. This line shares the corridor with the 500 kV HCGS-New Freedom line.
Salem-Red Lion segment of Salem-Keeney - This 500 kV line extends north from HCGS for 21 km (13 mi) and then crosses over the New Jersey-Delaware state line. It then continues west over the Delaware River about 6 km (4 mi) to the Red Lion substation. In New Jersey the line is operated by PSE&G and in Delaware it is operated by Pepco Holdings, Inc (PHI). Two thirds of the 27 km (17 mi) corridor is 61 m (200 ft) wide, and the remainder is 107 m (350 ft) wide.
Red Lion-Keeney segment of Salem-Keeney - This 500 kV line, which is operated by PHI, extends from the Red Lion substation 13 km (eight mi) northwest to the Keeney switch station. Two thirds of the corridor is 70 m (200 ft) wide, and the remainder is 107 m (350 ft) wide.
Salem-New Freedom South - This 500 kV line, operated by PSE&G, extends northeast from Salem for 68 km (42 mi) in a 107-m (350-ft) wide corridor from Salem to the New Freedom substation north of Williamstown, New Jersey.
HCGS-New Freedom - This 500 kV line, operated by PSE&G, extends northeast from Salem for 69 km (43 mi) in a 107-m (350-ft) wide corridor to the New Freedom switching station north of Williamstown, New Jersey. This line shares the corridor with the 500 kV Salem-New Freedom North line. During 2008, a new substation (Orchard) was installed along this line, dividing it into two segments.
To support the SEIS preparation process and to ensure compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the NRC requests a list of species and information on protected, proposed, and candidate species and critical habitat that may be within the vicinity of Salem and Hope Creek and its associated transmission line right-of-way. In addition, please provide any additional information you consider appropriate under the provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. To support the project schedule, we request that this information be transmitted by February 15, 2010.
Your office will receive a copy of the draft SEIS along with a request for comments. The anticipated publication date for the draft SEIS is September 2010. If you would like to submit any comments regarding the scope of this SEIS, or have any questions, please contact Mr. Charles Eccleston, Project Manager at 301-415-8537 or by e-mail at Charles.Eccleston@nrc.gov or Mr. Donnie Ashley, Project Manager at 301-415-3191 or by e-mail at Donnie.Ashley@nrc.gov.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Bo Pham, Chief Projects Branch 1 Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-272, 50-311, and 50-354
Enclosures:
- 1. Salem and Hope Creek Site Description
- 2. Salem and Hope Creek Site Boundary Map
- 3. Salem and Hope Creek 6 Mile Vicinity Map
- 4. Salem and Hope Creek Transmission System cc w/encls: See next page
ML093350019 OFFICE PM:DLR:RPB1 LA: DLR PM:DLR:RPB1 BC:RPB1:DLR NAME C. Eccleston S. Figueroa D. Doyle B. Pham DATE 12/22/09 12/22/09 12/23/09 12/23/09
Letter to Andrea Scherer from Bo Pham dated December 23, 2009 UBJECT:
REQUEST FOR LIST OF PROTECTED SPECIES WITHIN THE AREA UNDER EVALUATION FOR THE SALEM AND HOPE CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATIONS LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION REVIEW DISTRIBUTION:
HARD COPY:
DLR RF E-MAIL:
PUBLIC RidsNrrDlr Resource RidsNrrDlrRpb1 Resource RidsNrrDlrRpb2 Resource RdsNrrDlrRer1 Resource RidsNrrDlrRer2 Resource RidsOgcMailCenter Resource BPham DAshley DDoyle CEccleston REnnis MModes, RI JBrand, RI RConte, RI RBellamy, RI PBamford, RI MMcLaughlin, RI
Hope Creek and Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Units. 1 and 2 cc:
Mr. Thomas Joyce President and Chief Nuclear Officer PSEG Nuclear LLC One Alloway Creek Neck Road Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Dennis Winchester Vice President - Nuclear Assessment PSEG Nuclear P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Robert Braun Site Vice President - Salem PSEG Nuclear LLC One Alloway Creek Neck Road Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. George Barnes Site Vice President - Hope Creek PSEG Nuclear P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Carl Fricker Vice President - Operations Support PSEG Nuclear LLC One Alloway Creek Neck Road Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. George Gellrich Plant Manager - Salem PSEG Nuclear P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Larry Wagner Site Vice President - Hope Creek PSEG Nuclear LLC One Alloway Creek Neck Road Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. James Mallon Manager - Licensing PSEG Nuclear P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Jeffrie J. Keenan, Esquire Manager - Licensing PSEG Nuclear LLC One Alloway Creek Neck Road Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Michael Gaffney Manager - Hope Creek Regulatory Assurance PSEG Nuclear LLC One Alloway Creek Neck Road Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Steven Mannon Manager - Salem Regulatory Assurance P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Township Clerk Lower Alloways Creek Township Municipal Building, P.O. Box 157 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Paul Bauldauf, P.E., Asst. Director Radiation Protection Programs NJ Department of Environmental Protection and Energy, CN 415 Trenton, NJ 08625-0415 Mr. Brian Beam Board of Public Utilities 2 Gateway Center, Tenth Floor Newark, NJ 07102 Regional Administrator, Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 Senior Resident Inspector Salem Nuclear Generating Station U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Drawer 0509 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Michael Gallagher Vice President - License Renewal Projects Exelon Nuclear LLC 200 Exelon Way Kennett Square, PA 19348
Hope Creek and Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Units. 1 and 2 cc:
Mr. Ed Eilola Plant Manager - Salem PSEG Nuclear LLC One Alloway Creek Neck Road Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Paul Davison Director - Nuclear Oversight PSEG Nuclear LLC One Alloway Creek Neck Road Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Ms. Christine Neely Director - Regulator Affairs PSEG Nuclear LLC One Alloway Creek Neck Road Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Ali Fakhar Manager, License Renewal PSEG Nuclear LLC One Alloway Creek Neck Road Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. William Mattingly Manager - Salem Regulatory Assurance PSEG Nuclear LLC One Alloway Creek Neck Road Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Earl R. Gage Salem County Administrator Administration Building 94 Market Street Salem, NJ 08079 Senior Resident Inspector Hope Creek Generating Station U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Drawer 0509 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038
Salem and Hope Creek Site Description ENCLOSURE 1 SITE DESCRIPTION The Salem and Hope Creek sites are located on the southern part of Artificial Island on the east bank of the Delaware River in Lower Alloways Creek Township, Salem County, New Jersey.
The sites are 15 miles (mi) south of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, 18 mi south of Wilmington, Delaware, and 7.5 mi southwest of Salem, New Jersey. The Salem and Hope Creek sites each occupy about 220 acres and 153 acres within this area, respectively. The distances from the Salem and Hope Creek reactor buildings to the site boundary are 4,200 feet (ft) and 2,960 ft, respectively. There are no major highways or railroads within about 7 mi of the site; the only land access is a road that PSEG constructed to connect with an existing secondary road about 3 mi to the east. Barge traffic has access to the site by way of the Intracoastal Waterway channel maintained in the Delaware River.
TOPOGRAPHY Artificial Island is a 1,500 acre island that was created, beginning early in the twentieth century, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began disposing of hydraulic dredge spoils within a progressively enlarged diked area established around a natural bar that projected into the river.
Habitats on the low and flat island, which has an average elevation of about 9 ft above mean sea level (msl) and a maximum elevation of about 18 ft above msl, can best be characterized as tidal marsh and grassland.
TRANSMISSION LINE CORRIDORS Four 500-kV transmission lines extend beyond the site boundary to deliver electricity generated by Salem and Hope Creek to the transmission system. One line extends north for 13 mi and then crosses over the New Jersey-Delaware state line. It then continues west over the Delaware River about 4 mi to the Red Lion substation. Two thirds of the 17-mi corridor is 200 ft wide, and the remainder is 350 ft wide. Another segment of this line extends from the Red Lion substation 8 mi northwest to the Keeney switch station. Two thirds of the corridor is 200 ft wide, and the remainder is 350 ft wide. Two lines share a 350 ft wide corridor that extends about 40 mi north to the New Freedom switching station north of Williamstown, New Jersey. One of these lines is divided into two segments by the Orchard substation. The final 500-kV line extends northeast for 42 mi in a 350 ft wide corridor to the New Freedom substation.
Salem and Hope Creek Site Boundary Map ENCLOSURE 2
Salem and Hope Creek 6 Mile Vicinity Map ENCLOSURE 3
Salem and Hope Creek Transmission System ENCLOSURE 4