ML11259A181
| ML11259A181 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem, Hope Creek  |
| Issue date: | 08/27/2010 |
| From: | Andy Imboden Division of License Renewal |
| To: | Beissel D, Andy Imboden, Travers A Division of License Renewal |
| References | |
| FOIA/PA-2011-0113 | |
| Download: ML11259A181 (146) | |
Text
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Klementowicz, Stephen
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I From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
IJ.boden, Arndy y
Friday, August 27, 2010 5:24"PM Imboden, Andy; Travers, Allison; Beissel, Dennis; Logan, Dennis; Rikhoff, Jeffrey; Moser, Michelle; Perkins, Leslie; Bulavinetz, Richard; Klementowicz, Stephen; Davis (FSME),
Jennifer; Folk, Kevin; Susco, Jeremy; Perkins, Leslie; Pham, Bo; Cooper, Paula; Doyle, Daniel; Balsam, Briana RE: Salem/Hope Creek afternoon of excellence - Chapter 2 Attached Chapter 2 V 5.docx For Tuesday's meeting we will all be working off of this version of Chaper 2:
I know there are some differences between the roles below and the roles that were established at project's beginning. However, circumstances dictate a bit of a shake-up...
- 1) Roles and Responsibilities
- a. PM's - version control and tracking
- b. RERBers
- i. Aquatic - Logan/Moser ii. Terrestrial - Balsam/Bulavinetz iii.
Radiological - Klementowicz iv. Cultural/Historic - Travers/Davis
- v. Socio/EJ/Land Use - Rikhoff/BeBault vi.
Hydrology - Beissel/Folk vii. Air/Meteorology - Imboden/Folk 1
1 2.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 2
Salem Nuclear Generating Station (Salem) and Hope Creek Generating Station (HCGS) are 3
located at the southern end of Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek Township, Salem 4
County, New Jersey. The facilities are located at River Mile 50 (RM 50; River Kilometer 80 [RK 5
80]) and RM 51 (RK 82) on the Delaware River, respectively, approximately 17 miles (mi; 27 6
kilometers [kin]) south of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Philadelphia is about 35 mi (56 kin) 7 northeast and the city of Salem, New Jersey is 8 mi (13 kin) northeast of the site (AEC, 1973).
8 Figure 2-1 shows the location of Salem and HCGS within a 6-mi (10 kin) radius, and Figure 2-2 9
is an aerial photograph of the site.
10 Because existing conditions are partially the result of past construction and operation at the 11 plants, the impacts of these past and ongoing actions and how they have shaped the 12 environment are presented in this chapter. Section 2.1 of this report describes Salem and 13 HCGS as a combined site (site), the individual facilities, and their operations; Section 2.2 14 discusses the affected environment; and Section 2.3 describes related Federal and State 15 activities near the site.
16 2.1 Facility and Site Description and Proposed Plant Operation During the 17 Renewal Term 18 Artificial Island is a 1,500-acre (ac; 600 hectare [ha]) island that was created by the U.S. Army 19 Corps of Engineers (USACE) beginning in the early 20th century. The island began as buildup 20 of hydraulic dredge spoils within a progressively enlarged diked area established around a 21 natural sandbar that projected into the river. The island is characterized by low and flat tidal 22 marsh and grassland with an average elevation of about 9 feet (ft; 3 meters [m]) above mean 23 sea level (MSL) and a maximum elevation of about 18 ft (5.5 m) above MSL (AEC, 1973).
24 Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated Nuclear, LLC (PSEG) owns approximately 740 25 ac (300 ha) on the southern end of Artificial Island. The Salem and HCGS facilities occupy 373 26 ac (150 ha; 220 ac [89 ha] for Salem and 153 ac [62 ha] for HCGS) in the southwestern corner 27 of the island. The remainder of Artificial Island is undeveloped.
28 The remainder of the island is owned by the U.S. Government and the State of New Jersey.
29 The northern portion of Artificial Island, a very small portion of which is within the State of 30 Delaware boundary, and a 1-mi (1.6-km) wide inland strip of land abutting the island are owned 31 by the U.S. Government (AEC, 1973). The State of New Jersey owns the remainder of Artificial 32 Island, as well as much of the nearby inland property. The distance to the PSEG property 33 boundary from the two Salem reactor buildings is approximately 4,200 ft (1,300 m). Distance to 34 the PSEG property boundary from the HCGS reactor building is 2,960 ft (902 m).
35 There are no major highways or railroads within about 7 mi (11 km) of the site. Land access is 36 provided via Alloway Creek Neck Road to Bottomwood Avenue. The site is located at the end 37 of Bottomwood Avenue and there is no traffic that bypasses the site. Barge traffic has access to 38 the site by way of the Intracoastal Waterway channel maintained in the Delaware River 39 (AEC, 1973).
40 Figures 2-3 and 2-4 show the property boundaries and facility layouts for the Salem and HCGS 41 facilities, respectively.
September 2010 2-1 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
24 25 Figure 2-1. Location of the Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope Creek Generating Station Site, within a 6-Mile Radius (Source: PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b)
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-2 September 2010
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September 2010 2-3 Draft NUREG-1 437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment CS, 0
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Affected Environment ofI 04 07 U,
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Figure 2-4. Hope Creek Generating Station Facility Layout (Source: PSEG, 2009b)
September 2010 2-5 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Three metropolitan areas lie within 50 mi (80 km) of the PSEG site: Wilmington, DE, the co!
2 city, approximately 15 mi (24 km) to the northwest; Philadelphia, PA, approximately 35 mi (5 3
km) to the northeast; and Baltimore, MD, approximately 45 mi (72 mi) to the southwest (FigL 4
2-5 shows a map of the site within a 50-mi [80 km] radius).
Mii
- J Salem and Hope Creek Generating Stations 0
5 10 20 30,ie r-IState Boundary r'_* County Boundary Primary Highway with Limited Access
-"Primary Highway Urban Area C
tter 5
6 Figure 2-5. Location of the Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope Creek 7
Generating Station Site, within a 50-Mile Radius (Source: PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b) lest 6
ire Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-6 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Industrial activities within 10 mi (16 km) of the site are confined principally to the west bank of 2
the Delaware River, north of Artificial Island, in the cities of Delaware City, New Castle, and 3
Wilmington. There is no significant industrial activity near the site. With little industry in the 4
region, construction and retail trade account for nearly 40 percent of the revenues generated in 5
the Salem County economy (U.S. Census Bureau [USCB], 2006). Smaller communities in the 6
vicinity of the site (Haddock's Bridge, NJ; Salem, NJ; Quinton, NJ; and Shenandoah, DE) 7 consist primarily of small retail businesses. Much of the surrounding marshland is owned by the 8
U.S. Government and the State of New Jersey and is further described in section 2.2.1.
9 Located about 2 mi (3 km) west of the site on the western shore of the Delaware River is the 10 Augustine State Wildlife Management Area, a 2,667-ac (1,079 ha) wildlife management area 11 managed by the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife (Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, 12 2010a). Southwest of the site, also on the Delaware side of the Delaware River, is the 13 Appoquinimink Wildlife Area. Located less than a mile (less than one km) northeast of the site 14 is the upper section of the Mad Horse Creek Fish and Wildlife Management Area. This is a 15 noncontiguous, 9,500-ac (3,800 ha) wildlife area managed by the New Jersey Division of Fish 16 and Wildlife (NJDFW) with sections northeast, east, and southeast of the site (NJDFW, 2009a).
17 Recreational activities at these wildlife areas within 10 mi (16 km)of the site consist of boating, 18 fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, picnicking, and swimming.
19 2.1.1 Reactor and Containment Systems 20 2.1.1.1 Salem Nuclear Generating Station 21 Salem is a two-unit plant, which uses pressurized water reactors (PWR) designed by 22 Westinghouse Electric. Each unit has a current licensed thermal power at 100 percent power of 23 3,459 megawatt-thermal (MW[t]) (PSEG, 2009a). Salem Units 1 and 2 entered commercial 24 service June 1977 and October 1981, respectively (Nuclear News, 2009). At 100 percent 25 reactor power, the currently anticipated net electrical output is approximately 1,169 26 megawatt-electric (MW[e]) for Unit 1 and 1,181 MW(e) for Unit 2 (Nuclear News, 2009). The 27 Salem units have once-through circulating water systems for condenser cooling that withdraws 28 brackish water from the Delaware Estuary through one intake structure located at the shoreline 29 on the south end of the site. An air-cooled combustion turbine peaking unit rated at 30 approximately 40 MW(e) (referred to as "Salem Unit 3") is also present (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 31 2009b).
32 In the PWR power generation system (Figure 2-6); reactor heat is transferred from the primary 33 coolant to a lower pressure secondary coolant loop, allowing steam to be generated in the 34 steam supply system. The primary coolant loops each contain one steam generator, two 35 centrifugal coolant pumps, and the interconnected piping. Within the reactor coolant system 36 (RCS), the reactor coolant is pumped from the reactor through the steam generators and back 37 to the reactor inlet by two centrifugal coolant pumps located at the outlet of each steam 38 generator. Each steam generator is a vertical, U-tube-and-shell heat exchanger that produces 39 superheated steam at a constant pressure over the reactor operating power range. The steam 40 is directed to a turbine, causing it to spin. The spinning turbine is connected to a generator, 41 which generates electricity. The steam is directed to a condenser, where it cools and converts September 2010 2-7 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment back to liquid water. This cool water is then cycled back to the steam generator, completing the loop (NRC, 2010a).
4 Figure 2-6. Simplified Design of a Pressurized Water Reactor (NRC, 2010a) 5 6
7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 The containment for radioactive material that might be released from the core following a loss-of-coolant accident are the units' independent containment and fuel handling buildings and their associated isolation systems. The structures serve as both a biological shield and a pressure container for the entire RCS. The reactor containment structures are vertical cylinders with 16-ft (4.9-m) thick flat foundation mats and 2-to 5-ft (0.6-to 1.5-m) thick reinforced concrete slab floors topped with hemispherical dome roofs. The side walls of each building are 142 ft (43.3 m) high and the inside diameter is 140 ft (43 m). The concrete walls are 4.5 ft (1.4 m) thick and the containment building dome roofs are 3.5 ft (1.1 m) thick. The inside surface of the reactor building is lined with a carbon steel liner with a varying thickness of 0.25 inch (0.64 centimeter [cm]) to 0.5 inch (1.3 cm) (PSEG, 2007a).
The cores of the Salem reactors are moderated and cooled by light water (1H20 as compared to heavy water, 2H20) at a pressure of 2,250 pounds per square inch absolute (psia). Boron is present in the light water coolant as a neutron absorber. A moderator, or neutron absorber, is a substance that slows the speed of neutrons, increasing the likelihood of fission of a uranium-235 atom in the fuel. The cooling water is circulated by the reactor coolant pumps. These pumps are vertical, single-stage centrifugal pumps equipped with controlled-leakage shaft seals (PSEG, 2007b).
Both Salem units use slightly enriched uranium dioxide (U02) ceramic fuel pellets in zircaloy cladding (PSEG, 2007b). Fuel pellets form fuel rods, and fuel rods are joined together in fuel assemblies. The fuel assemblies consist of 264 fuel rods arranged in a square array. Salem Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-8 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
uses fuel that is nominal enriched to 5.0 percent (percent uranium-235 by weight). The 2
combined fuel characteristics and power loading result in a fuel burn-up of about 60,000 3
megawatt-days (MW [d]) per metric ton uranium (PSEG, 2009a).
4 The original Salem steam generators have been replaced. In 1997, the Unit 1 steam generators 5
were replaced and in 2008 the Unit 2 steam generators were replaced (PSEG, 2009a).
6 2.1.1.2 Hope Creek Generating Station 7
HCGS is a one-unit station, which uses a boiling water reactor (BWR) designed by General 8
Electric. The power plant has a current licensed thermal power at 100 percent power of 9
3,840 MW(t) with an electrical output estimated to be approximately 1,083 MW(e) (73 FR 10 13032), (Nuclear News, 2009). HCGS has a closed-cycle circulating water system for 11 condenser cooling that consists of a natural draft cooling tower and associated withdrawal, 12 circulation, and discharge facilities. HCGS withdraws brackish water with the service water 13 system (SWS) from the Delaware Estuary (PSEG, 2009b).
14 In the BWR power generation system (Figure 2-7), heat from the reactor causes the cooling 15 water which passes vertically through the reactor core to boil, producing steam. The steam is 16 directed to a turbine, causing it to spin. The spinning turbine is connected to a generator, which 17 generates electricity. The steam is directed to a condenser, where it cools and converts back to 18 liquid water. This cool water is then cycled back to the reactor core, completing the loop 19 (NRC, 2010b).
20 The containment for radioactive material that might be released from the core following a 21 loss-of-coolant accident is the reactor building. The structure serves as both a biological shield 22 and a pressure container for the entire RCS. The reactor building structure is a vertical cylinder 23 with 14-ft (4.3-m) thick flat foundation mats and 2-to 5-ft (0.6-to 1.5-m) thick reinforced 24 concrete slab floors. The side walls of the cylinder are approximately 250 ft (76 m) high, topped 25 with a torispherical dome roof, and surrounded by a rectangular structure that is up to 132 ft (40 26 m) tall (PSEG, 2006a).
27 The HCGS reactor uses slightly enriched U0 2 ceramic fuel pellets in zircaloy cladding 28 (PSEG, 2007b). Fuel pellets form fuel rods and fuel rods are joined together in fuel assemblies.
29 HCGS uses fuel that is nominal enriched to 5.0 percent (percent uranium-235 by weight) and 30 the combined fuel characteristics and power loading result in a fuel burn-up of about 60,000 31 MW(d) per metric ton uranium (73 FR 13032).
September 2010 2-9 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment
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2 Figure 2-7. Simplified Design of a Boiling Water Reactor (Source: NRC, 2010b) 3 2.1.2 Radioactive Waste Management 4
Radioactive wastes resulting from plant operations are classified as liquid, gaseous, or solid.
5 Liquid radioactive wastes are generated from liquids received directly from portions of the RCS 6
or were contaminated by contact with liquids from the RCS. Gaseous radioactive wastes are 7
generated from gases or airborne particulates vented from reactor and turbine equipment 8
containing radioactive material. Solid radioactive wastes are solids from the RCS, solids that 9
came into contact with RCS liquids or gases, or solids used in the RCS or steam and power 10 conversion system operation or maintenance.
11 The Salem and HCGS facilities include radioactive waste systems which collect, treat, and 12 provide for the disposal of radioactive and potentially radioactive wastes that are byproducts of 13 plant operations. Radioactive wastes include activation products resulting from the irradiation of 14 reactor water and impurities therein (principally metallic corrosion products) and fission products 15 resulting from defective fuel cladding or uranium contamination within the RCS. Radioactive 16 waste system operating procedures ensure that radioactive wastes are safely processed and 17 discharged from the plant within the limits set forth in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-10 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Regulations (CFR) Part 20, "Standards for Protection against Radiation," and 10 CFR Part 50, 2
"Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities."
3 When reactor fuel has been exhausted, a certain percentage of its fissile uranium content is 4
referred to as spent fuel. Spent fuel assemblies are removed from the reactor core and 5
replaced with fresh fuel assemblies during routine refueling outages, typically every 18 months.
6 Spent fuel assemblies are stored in the spent fuel pool (SFP). Salem's SFP storage capacity 7
for each unit is 1,632 fuel assemblies, which will allow sufficient storage up to the year 2011 for 8
Unit 1 and 2015 for Unit 2 (PSEG, 2009a). The HCGS SFP facility Is designed to store up to 9
3,976 fuel assemblies (PSEG, 2009b).
10 In 2005, the NRC issued a general license to PSEG authorizing that spent nuclear fuel could be 11 stored at an independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) at the PSEG site. The general 12 license allows PSEG, as a reactor licensee under 10 CFR 50, to store spent fuel from both 13 HCGS and Salem at the ISFSI, provided that such storage occurs in pre-approved casks in 14 accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR 72, subpart K (General License for Storage of 15 Spent Fuel at Power Reactor Sites) (NRC, 2005). At this time, only HCGS spent fuel is stored 16 at the ISFSI. However, transfers of spent fuel from the Salem SFP to the ISFSI are expected to 17 begin approximately one year before the remaining capacity of the pool is less than the capacity 18 needed for a complete offload to spent fuel (PSEG, 2009b).
19 2.1.2.1 Radioactive Liquid Waste 20 Both the Salem and HCGS facilities operate systems to provide controlled handling and 21 disposal of small quantities of low-activity, liquid radioactive wastes generated during station 22 operation. However, because the Salem units are cooled by a once-through RCS and the 23 HCGS unit is cooled by a closed-cycle RCS, the management of potentially radioactive liquids is 24 different. Potentially radioactive liquid waste streams at the Salem facility are managed by the 25 radioactive liquid waste system (RLWS) and the chemical and volume controlled system 26 (CVCS). At HCGS, potentially radioactive liquid waste streams are managed under the liquid 27 waste management system (LWMS).
28 The bulk of the radioactive liquids discharged from the Salem RCS are processed and retained 29 inside the plant by the CVCS recycle train. This minimizes liquid input to the RLWS. Liquid 30 radioactive waste entering the RLWS is released in accordance with Federal and State 31 regulation. Prior to release, liquids are collected in tanks, sampled, and analyzed. Based on 32 the results of the analysis, the waste is processed to remove radioactivity before releasing it to 33 the Delaware Estuary via the circulating water system and a permitted outfall. Discharge 34 streams are appropriately monitored, and safety features are incorporated to preclude releases 35 in excess of the limits prescribed in 10 CFR 20, "Standards for Protection Against Radiation" 36 (PSEG, 2009a).
37 In 2003, PSEG identified tritium in groundwater from onsite sampling wells near the Salem Unit 38 1 fuel handling building (FHB). The source of tritium was identified as the Salem Unit 1 SFP. In 39 November 2004, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Bureau of 40 Nuclear Engineering (BNE) approved a groundwater remediation strategy and by September 41 2005, a full-scale groundwater recovery system (GRS) had been installed (PSEG, 2009a). The 42 GRS pulls groundwater toward the recovery system and away from the site boundary.
September 2010 2-11 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Since 2005, tritium-contaminated groundwater from the GRS is transferred to the LWMS where 2
it mixes with other liquid plant effluent before being discharged into the Salem once-through, 3
condenser cooling water system discharge line. The recovered groundwater is sampled prior to 4
entering the discharge line to demonstrate compliance with offsite dose requirements. The 5
water is subsequently released to the Delaware Estuary via a permitted outfall in accordance 6
with plant procedures and NRC requirements for the effluent release of radioactive liquids.
7 Surface water sampling as part of the radiological environmental monitoring program (REMP) 8 does not show an increase in measurable tritium levels since the GRS was initiated.
9 Potentially radioactive liquid wastes entering the HCGS LWMS are collected in tanks in the 10 auxiliary building. Radioactive contaminants are removed from the wastewater either by 11 demineralization or filtration. This ensures that the water quality is restored before being 12 returned to the condensate storage tank (CST) or discharged via the cooling tower blowdown 13 line to the Delaware Estuary via a permitted outfall. If the liquid is recycled to the plant, it meets 14 the purity requirements for CST makeup. Liquid discharges to the Delaware Estuary are 15 maintained in compliance with 10 CFR 20, "Standards for Protection Against Radiation" 16 (PSEG, 2009b).
17 Radioactivity removed from the liquid wastes is concentrated in the filter media and ion 18 exchange resins, which are managed as solid radioactive wastes.
19 2.1.2.2 Radioactive Gaseous Waste 20 The Salem and HCGS radioactive gaseous waste disposal systems process and dispose of 21 routine radioactive gases removed from the gaseous effluent and released to the atmosphere.
22 Gaseous wastes are processed to reduce radioactive materials in gaseous effluents before 23 discharge to meet the dose limits in 10 CFR Part 20 and the dose design objectives in Appendix 24 1 to 10 CFR Part 50.
25 At both facilities, radioactive gases are collected so that the short-lived gaseous isotopes 26 (principally air with traces of krypton and xenon) are allowed to decay. At Salem, these gases 27 are collected in tanks in the auxiliary building and released intermittently in a controlled manner.
28 At HCGS, gases are held up in holdup pipes prior to entering a treatment section where 29 adsorption of gases on charcoal provides additional time for decay. At HCGS, gases are then 30 filtered using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters before being released to the 31 atmosphere from the north plant vent.
32 Radioactive effluent release reports from 2004 through 2009 for gaseous effluents were 33 reviewed by the Staff (PSEG, 2005a; PSEG, 2006b; PSEG, 2007b; PSEG, 2008a; PSEG, 34 2009c; PSEG, 2010a). While variations in total effluents and effluent concentrations can vary 35 from year to year due to outages and plant performance, based on the gaseous waste 36 processing system's performance from 2004 through 2008, the gaseous discharges for 2009 37 are consistent with prior year effluents. The Staff identified no unusual trends.
38 2.1.2.3 Radioactive Solid Waste 39 Solid radioactive waste generated at the Salem and HCGS facilities are managed by a single 40 solid radioactive waste system. This system manages radioactive solid waste, including 41 packaging and storage, until the waste is shipped offsite. Offsite wastes are processed by Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-12 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
volume reduction and/or shipped for disposal at a licensed.disposal facility. PSEG provides a 2
quarterly waste storage report to the Township of Haddock's Bridge.
3 The State of South Carolina's licensed low level waste (LLW) disposal facility, located in 4
Barnwell, has limited the access from radioactive waste generators located in States that are 5
not part of the Atlantic Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact. New Jersey is a 6
member of the Atlantic Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact and has access to 7
Barnwell. Shipments to Barnwell include spent resins from the demineralizers and filter 8
cartridges (wet processing waste). To control releases to the environment, these wastes are 9
packaged in the Salem and HCGS auxiliary buildings.
10 The PSEG low-level radwaste storage facility (LLRSF) supports normal dry active waste (DAW) 11 handling activities for HCGS and Salem. DAW consists of compactable trash, such as 12 contaminated or potentially contaminated rags, clothing, and paper. This waste is generally 13 bagged, placed in Sea-van containers, and stored prior to being shipped for volume reduction 14 by a licensed offsite vendor. The volume-reduced DAW is repackaged at the vendor and 15 shipped for disposal at a licensed LLW disposal facility (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b). DAW 16 and other non-compactable contaminated wastes are typically shipped to the Energy Solutions' 17 Class A disposal facility in Clive, UT.
18 The LLRSF also maintains an NRC-approved process control program. The process control 19 program helps to ensure that waste is properly characterized, profiled, labeled, and shipped in 20 accordance with the waste disposal facility's waste acceptance criteria and U.S. Department of 21 Transportation (DOT) and NRC requirements. The LLRSF is a large facility that was designed 22 to store and manage large volumes of waste. However, the facility is operated well below its 23 designed capacity. The facility is also designed to ensure that worker radiation exposures are 24 controlled in accordance with facility and regulatory criteria.
25 No plant refurbishment activities were identified by the applicant as necessary for the continued 26 operation of either Salem or HCGS through the license renewal terms. Routine plant 27 operational and maintenance activities currently performed will continue during the license 28 renewal term. Based on past performance of the radioactive waste system, and the lack of any 29 planned refurbishment activities, similar amounts of radioactive solid waste are expected to be 30 generated during the license renewal term.
31 2.1.2.4 Mixed Waste 32 The term "mixed waste" refers to waste that contains both radioactive and hazardous 33 constituents. Neither Salem nor HCGS have processes that generate mixed wastes and there 34 are no mixed wastes stored at either facility.
35 2.1.3 Nonradioactive Waste Management 36 The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) governs the disposal of solid and 37 hazardous waste. RCRA regulations are contained in Title 40, "Protection of the Environment,"
38 Parts 239 through 299 (40 CFR 239, et seq.). Parts 239 through 259 of these regulations cover 39 solid (nonhazardous) waste, and Parts 260 through 279 regulate hazardous waste. RCRA 40 Subtitle C establishes a system for controlling hazardous waste from "cradle to grave," and September 2010 2-13 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
RCRA Subtitle D encourages States to develop comprehensive plans to manage nonhazardous 2
solid waste and mandates minimum technological standards for municipal solid waste landfills.
3 RCRA regulations are administered by the NJDEP and address the identification, generation, 4
minimization, transportation, and final treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous and 5
nonhazardous wastes. Salem and HCGS generate nonradiological waste, including oils, 6
hazardous and nonhazardous solvents and degreasers, laboratory wastes, expired shelf-life 7
chemicals and reagents, asbestos wastes, paints and paint thinners, antifreeze, project-specific 8
wastes, point-source discharges regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination 9
System (NPDES), sanitary waste (including sewage), and routine and daily refuse (PSEG, 10 2009a; PSEG, 2009b).
11 2.1.3.1 Hazardous Waste 12 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies certain nonradioactive wastes as 13 "hazardous" based on characteristics, including ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity 14 (identification and listing of hazardous wastes is available in 40 CFR 261). State-level 15 regulators may add wastes to the EPA's list of hazardous wastes. RCRA provides standards for 16 the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste for hazardous waste generators 17 (40 CFR 262). The Salem and HCGS facilities generate small amounts of hazardous wastes, 18 including spent and expired chemicals, laboratory chemical wastes, and occasional 19 project-specific wastes.
20 PSEG is currently a small-quantity hazardous waste generator (PSEG, 2010b), generating less 21 than 220 pounds (lb)/month (100 kilograms (kg)/month). Hazardous waste storage (180-day) 22 areas include the hazardous waste storage facility (Location Nos. SH3 and SH30), the combo 23 shop (Location No. SH5), and two laydown areas east of the combo shop (Location Nos. SH6 24 and SH7).
25 Hazardous waste generated at the facility include: F003, F005 (spent non-halogenated 26 solvents), F001, F002 (spent halogenated solvents), D001 (ignitable waste), D002 (corrosive 27 wastes), D003 (reactive wastes), and D004-DO1 1 (toxic [heavy metal] waste) (PSEG, 2008b).
28 The EPA authorized the State of New Jersey to regulate and oversee most of the solid waste 29 disposal programs, as recognized by Subtitle D of the RCRA. Compliance is assured through 30 State-issued permits. The EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) 31 database showed no violations for PSEG (EPA, 201 Oa).
32 Proper facility identification numbers for hazardous waste operations include:
33 DOT Hazardous Materials Registration No. 061908002018QS 34 EPA Hazardous Waste Identification No. NJD 077070811 35 NJDEP Hazardous Waste Program ID No. NJD 077070811 36 Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), applicable 37 facilities are required to provide information on hazardous and toxic chemicals to local 38 emergency planning authorities and the EPA (Title 42, Section 11001, of the United States 39 Code [U.S.C.] [42 U.S.C. 11001]). On October 17, 2008, the EPA finalized several changes to 40 the Emergency Planning (Section 302), Emergency Release Notification (Section 304), and 41 Hazardous Chemical Reporting (Sections 311 and 312) regulations that were proposed on Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-14 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
June 8, 1998 (63 Federal Register [FR] 31268). PSEG is subject to Federal EPCRA reporting 2
requirements, and thus submits an annual Section 312 (TIER II) report on hazardous 3
substances to local emergency agencies.
4 2.1.3.2 Solid Waste 5
A solid waste is defined by New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C.) 7:26-1.6 as, "any 6
garbage, refuse, sludge, or any other waste material except it shall not include the following: 1.
7 Source separated food waste collected by livestock producers, approved by the State 8
Department of Agriculture, who collect, prepare and feed such wastes to livestock on their own 9
farms; 2. Recyclable materials that are exempted from regulation pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26A; 10
[and] 3. Materials approved for beneficial use or categorically approved for beneficial use 11 pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26-1.7(g)." The definition of solid waste in N.J.A.C. 7:26-1.6 applies only 12 to wastes that are not also defined as hazardous in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:26G.
13 During the site audit, the Staff observed an active solid waste recycling program. Solid waste 14
("trash") is segregated and about 55 percent is transferred to recycling vendors (PSEG, 2009a).
15 The remaining volume of solid waste is disposed at a local landfill.
16 A common sewage treatment system treats domestic wastewater from both facilities. Following 17 treatment, solids (i.e., sludge) are either returned to the system's oxidation ditch or removed to a 18 sludge-holding tank, based upon process requirements. Sludge directed to the sludge-holding 19 tank is aerated and dewatered before being trucked offsite for disposal. During the site audit, 20 the Staff viewed the PSEG sewage sludge waste volumes from 2005 through 2009. The 21 average annual volume for these years was about 50,000 lbs (22,700 kg). Site officials stated 22 that the disposal volume is generally driven by the facilities' budgets.
23 2.1.3.3 Universal Waste 24 In accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:26G-4.2, "Universal waste" means any of the following hazardous 25 wastes that are managed under the universal waste requirements of N.J.A.C. 7:26A-7, whether 26 incorporated prospectively by reference from 40 CFR Part 273, "Standards for Universal Waste 27 Management," or listed additionally by the NJDEP: paint waste, batteries, pesticides, 28 thermostats, fluorescent lamps, mercury-containing devices, oil-based finishes, and consumer 29 electronics.
30 PSEG is a small quantity handler of universal waste (meaning the facility cannot accumulate 31 more than 11,000 lbs (5,000 kg) of universal waste at any one time), generating common 32 operational wastes, such as lighting ballasts containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
33 lamps, and batteries. Universal waste is segregated and disposed of through a licensed broker.
34 Routine building space renovations and computer equipment upgrades can lead to substantial 35 short-term increases in universal waste volumes.
36 2.1.3.4 Permitted Discharges 37 The Salem facility maintains a New Jersey Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NJPDES) 38 permit, NJ0005622, which authorizes the discharge of wastewater to the Delaware Estuary and 39 stipulates the conditions of the permit. HCGS maintains a separate NJPDES permit, September 2010 2-15 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
NJ0025411 for discharges to the Delaware Estuary. All monitoring shall be conducted in 2
accordance with the NJDEP's "Field Sampling Procedures Manual" applicable at the time of 3
sampling (N.J.A.C. 7:14A-6.5 (b)4), and/or the method approved by the NJDEP in Part IV of the 4
site permits (NJDEP, 2002a).
5 As discussed previously, a common sewage treatment system treats domestic wastewater from 6
both HCGS and Salem. The sewage treatment system liquid effluent discharges through the 7
HCGS cooling tower blowdown outfall to the Delaware Estuary. The residual cooling tower 8
blowdown dechlorination chemical, ammonium bisulfite, dechlorinates the sewage treatment 9
effluent (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b).
10 Salem and HCGS share the nonradioactive liquid waste disposal system (NRLWDS) chemical 11 waste treatment system. The NRLWDS is located at the Salem facility and operated by Salem 12 staff. The NRLWDS collects and processes nonradioactive secondary plant wastewater prior to 13 discharge into the Delaware Estuary. The waste water originates during plant processes, such 14 as demineralizer regenerations, steam generator blowdown, chemical handling operations, and 15 reverse osmosis reject waste. The outfall is monitored in accordance with the current HCGS 16 NJPDES Permit No. NJ0025411 (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b).
17 Oily waste waters are treated at HCGS using an oil water separator. Treated effluent is then 18 discharged through the internal monitoring point, which is combined with cooling tower 19 blowdown before discharge to the Delaware Estuary. The outfall is monitored in accordance 20 with the current HCGS NJPDES Permit No. NJ002541 1.
21 Section 2.1.7 of this report provides more information on the site's NPDES permits and effluent 22 limitations.
23 2.1.3.5 Pollution Prevention and Waste Minimization 24 As described in Section 2.1.3.2, PSEG operates an active solid waste recycling program that 25 results in about 55 percent of its "trash" being recycled. PSEG also maintains a discharge 26 prevention and response program. This program incorporates the requirements of the NJDEP, 27 EPA Facility Response Plan, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 28 Natural Resource Damage Assessment Protocol. Specific documents making up the program 29 include:
30 9
Spill/Discharge Prevention Plan 31 Hazardous Waste Contingency Plan 32 Spill/Discharge Response Plan 33 Environmentally Sensitive Areas Protection Plan 34 PSEG also maintains the following plans to support pollution prevention and waste 35 minimization:
36 0
Discharge Prevention, Containment, and Countermeasure Plan 37 0
Discharge Cleanup and Removal Plan 38 0
Facility Response Plan 39 0
Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-16 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan 2
Pollution Minimization Plan for PCBs 3
2.1.4 Facility Operation and Maintenance 4
Various types of maintenance activities are performed at the Salem and HCGS facilities, 5
including inspection, testing, and surveillance to maintain the current licensing basis of the 6
facility and to ensure compliance with environmental and safety requirements. Various 7
programs and activities currently exist at Salem and HCGS to maintain, inspect, test, and 8
monitor the performance of facility equipment. These maintenance activities include inspection 9
requirements for reactor vessel materials, boiler and pressure vessel inservice inspection and 10 testing, a maintenance structures monitoring program, and maintenance of water chemistry.
11 Additional programs include those implemented in response to NRC generic communications; 12 those implemented to'meet technical specification surveillance requirements; and various 13 periodic maintenance, testing, and inspection procedures. Certain program activities are 14 performed during the operation of the unit, while others are performed during scheduled 15 refueling outages. Nuclear power plants must periodically discontinue the production of 16 electricity for refueling, periodic inservice inspection, and scheduled maintenance. Salem and 17 HCGS are on an 18-month refueling cycle (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b).
18 Aging effects at Salem and HCGS are managed by integrated plant assessments required by 19 10 CFR 54.21. These programs are described in Section 2 of the facilities' Nuclear Generating 20 Station License Renewal Applications - Scoping and Screening Methodology for Identifying 21 Structures and Components Subject to Aging Management Review, and Implementation 22 Results (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b).
23 2.1.5 Power Transmission System 24 Three right-of-way (ROW) corridors and five 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines connect Salem 25 and HCGS to the regional electric grid, all of which are owned and maintained by Public Service 26 Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) and Pepco Holdings Inc. (PHI). Each corridor is 350 ft 27 (107 m) wide, with the exception of two-thirds of both the Salem-Red Lion and Red Lion-Keeney 28 lines, which narrow to 200 ft (61 m). Unless otherwise noted, the discussion of the power 29 transmission system is adapted from the applicant's environmental reports (ERs) (PSEG, 30 2009a; PSEG, 2009b) or information gathered at the NRC's environmental site audit.
31 For the operation of Salem, three transmission lines were initially built for the delivery of 32 electricity: two lines connecting to the New Freedom substation near Williamston, NJ 33 (Salem-New Freedom North and Salem-New Freedom South), and one line extending north 34 across the Delaware River terminating at the Keeney substation in Delaware (Salem-Keeney).
35 The Salem New Freedom North and South corridors pass through Salem and Gloucester 36 Counties before terminating at the New Freedom substation in Camden County, New Jersey.
37 The Salem-Keeney corridor originates in Salem County, New Jersey, cross west across the 38 Delaware River, and terminates at the Keeney substation in New Castle County, Delaware.
39 After construction of HCGS, several changes were made to the existing Salem transmission 40 system, including the disconnection of the Salem-Keeney line from Salem and its reconnection 41 to HCGS, as well as the construction of a new substation (known as Red Lion) along the September 2010 2-17 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Salem-Keeney transmission line. The addition of this new substation divided the Salem-Keeney 2
transmission line into two segments: one connecting HCGS to Red Lion and the other 3
connecting Red Lion to Keeney. Consequently, these two segments are now referred to 4
separately as Salem-Red Lion and Red Lion-Keeney. The portion of the Salem-Keeney line 5
located entirely within Delaware, Red Lion-Keeney, is owned and maintained by Pepco (a 6
regulated electric utility that is a subsidiary of PHI).
7 The construction of HCGS also resulted in the re-routing of the Salem-New Freedom North line 8
and the construction of a new transmission line, HCGS-New Freedom. The Salem-New 9
Freedom North line was disconnected from Salem and re-routed to HCGS, leaving Salem 10 without a northern connection to the New Freedom transmission system. Therefore, a new 11 transmission line was required to connect Salem and the New Freedom substation; this line is 12 known as the HCGS-New Freedom line and it shares a corridor with the Salem-New Freedom 13 North line. Prior to and following the construction of HCGS, the Salem-New Freedom South line 14 provides a southern-route connection between Salem and the New Freedom substation.
15 The only new transmission lines constructed as a result of HCGS were the HCGS-New 16 Freedom line, the line connecting HCGS and Salem (tie line), and short reconnections for 17 Salem-New Freedom North and Salem-Keeney. The HCGS-Salem tie line and the short 18 reconnections do not pass beyond the site boundary.
19 Transmission lines considered in-scope for license renewal are those constructed specifically to 20 connect the facility to the transmission system (10 CFR 51.53(c)(3)(ii)(H)); therefore, the 21 Salem-New Freedom North, Salem-Red Lion, Red Lion-Keeney, Salem-New Freedom South, 22 HCGS-New Freedom, and HCGS-Salem lines are considered in-scope for this supplemental 23 environmental impact statement (SEIS) and are discussed in detail below.
24 Figure 2-8 illustrates the Salem and HCGS transmission system. The five transmission lines 25 are described below within the designated ROW corridor (see Table 2-1):
26 2.1.5.1 New Freedom North Right-of-Way 27 0
Salem-New Freedom North - This 500-kV line, which is operated by PSE&G, 28 runs northeast from HCGS for 39 mi (63 km) within a 350-ft (107-m) wide corridor 29 to the New Freedom switching station north of Williamstown, NJ. This line 30 shares the corridor with the 500-kV HCGS-New Freedom line.
31 HCGS-New Freedom - This 500-kV line, which is operated by PSE&G, extends 32 northeast from Salem for 43 mi (69 km) within the shared Salem-New Freedom 33 North corridor to the New Freedom switching station, 4 mi (6 km) north-northeast 34 of Williamstown, New Jersey. In 2008, a new substation (Orchard) was 35 constructed along this line. The Orchard substation is located approximately 4 36 mi (6 km) west of Elmer, a borough in Salem County, New Jersey, and serves to 37 divide the line into two segments, one which runs southwest from Orchard to the 38 site and isapproximately 19 mi (31 km) in length, and one that runs northeast 39 from Orchard to the New Freedom substation and is approximately 24 mi (39 km) 40 in length.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-18 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
2.1.5.2 New Freedom South Right-of-Way 2
0 Salem-New Freedom South - This 500-kV line, which is operated by PSE&G, 3
extends northeast from Salem for 42 mi (68 km) within a 350-ft (107-m) wide 4
corridor from Salem to the New Freedom substation north of Williamstown, NJ.
5 This line runs approximately 2 to 3 mi (3 to 5 km) south of and somewhat parallel 6
to the New Freedom North corridor.
7 2.1.5.3 Keeney Right-of-Way 8
Salem-Red Lion - This 500-kV line extends north from HCGS for 13 mi (21 km) 9 and then crosses over the New Jersey-Delaware State line. It continues west 10 over the Delaware River about 4 mi (6 km) to the Red Lion substation. In New 11 Jersey, the line is operated by PSE&G, and in Delaware it is operated by PHI.
12 Two thirds of the 17-mi (27-km) corridor is 200 ft (61 m) wide, and the remainder 13 is 350-ft (107-m) Wide.
14 Red Lion-Keeney - This 500-kV line, which is operated by PHI, extends from the 15 Red Lion substation 8 mi (13 km) northwest to the Keeney switch station. Two 16 thirds of the corridor is 200 ft (61 m) wide, and the remainder is 350-ft (107-m) 17 wide.
18 The ROW corridors comprise approximately 149 mi (240 km) and 4,376 ac (1,771 ha). Four of 19 the five lines cross within Camden, Gloucester, and Salem counties in New Jersey, with the 20 Keeney line crossing only in Camden county in New Jersey and New Castle County in 21 Delaware. All of the ROW corridors traverse the marshes and wetlands adjacent to the Salem 22 and HCGS sites, including agricultural and forested lands.
23 All transmission lines were designed and built in accordance with industry standards in place at 24 the time of construction. All transmission lines will remain a permanent part of the transmission 25 system and will be maintained by PSEG and PHI regardless of the Salem and HCGS facilities' 26 continued operation (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b). The HCGS-Salem line, which connects the 27 two substations, would be de-activated if the Salem and HCGS switchyards were no longer in 28 use and would need to be reconnected to the grid if they were to remain in service beyond the 29 operation of Salem and HCGS.
30 Five 500-kV transmission lines connect electricity from Salem and HCGS to the regional electric 31 transmission system via three ROWs outside of the property boundary. The HCGS-Salem 32 tie-line is approximately 2,000 ft (610 m). This line does not pass beyond the site boundary and 33 is not discussed as an offsite ROW.
September 2010 2-19 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affpr~tAdi Fnvirnnmpnt 1
2 Figure 2-8. Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope Creek Generating Station Transmission Line System (Source: PSEG, 2009b)
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-20 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Table 2-1. Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope Creek Generating Station 2
Transmission System Components Approximate Length ROW width Approximate ROW area Line Owner kV mi (km) ft (m) ac (ha)
New Freedom North ROW Salem-New Freedom North PSE&G 500 39 (63) 350(107) 1,824(738)
HCGS-New Freedom PSE&G 500 43 (69)
New Freedom South ROW Salem-New Freedom South PSE&G 500 42 (68) 350 (107) 1,782 (721)
Red Lion ROW Salem-Red Lion PSE&G 500 17(27)
(a)200/350 (107) 521 (211)
Red-Lion Keeney PHI 500 8 (13)
(a)200/350 (107) 249 (101)
Total acreage within ROW 4,376 (1,771)
(a) two-thirds of the corridor is 200 ft (61 m) wide Source: PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b 3
2.1.6 Cooling and Auxiliary Water Systems 4
The Delaware Estuary provides condenser cooling water and service water for both Salem and 5
HCGS (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b). Salem and HCGS use different systems for condenser 6
cooling, but both withdraw from and discharge water to the estuary. Salem Units 1 and 2 use 7
once-through circulating water system (CWS). HCGS uses a closed-cycle system that employs 8
a single natural draft cooling tower. Unless otherwise noted, the discussions below were 9
adapted from the Salem and HCGS ERs (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b) or information gathered 10 at the site audit.
11 Both sites use groundwater as the source for fresh potable water, fire protection water, industrial 12 process makeup water, and for other sanitary water supplies. Under authorization from the 13 NJDEP (NJDEP, 2004a) and Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) (DRBC, 2000), PSEG 14 can service both facilities with up to 43.2 million gallons (164,000 cubic meters [M3]) of 15 groundwater per month.
16 Discussions on surface water and groundwater use and quality are provided in Section 2.1.7.
17 2.1.6.1 Salem Nuclear Generating Station 18 The Salem facility includes two intake structures, one for the coolant water system, and the 19 other for the service water system. Both are equipped with several features to prevent intake of 20 debris and biota into the pumps (PSEG, 2006c):
21 Ice Barriers. During the winter, removable ice barriers are installed in front of the intakes to 22 prevent damage to the intake pumps from ice formed on the Delaware Estuary. These 23 barriers consist of pressure-treated wood bars and underlying structural steel braces. The 24 barriers are removed early in the spring and replaced in the late fall.
September 2010 2-21 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Trash Racks. After intake water passes through the ice barriers (if installed), it flows through 2
fixed trash racks. These racks prevent large organisms and debris from entering the pumps.
3 The racks are made from 0.5 inch (1.3 cm) steel bars placed on 3.5-inch (8.9 cm) centers, 4
creating a 3-inch (7.6 cm) clearance between each bar. The racks are inspected by PSEG 5
employees, who remove any debris caught on them with mechanical, mobile, clamshell-type 6
rakes. These trash rakes include a hopper that stores and transports removed debris to a 7
pit at the end of each intake, where it is dewatered by gravity and disposed of off-site.
8 9
Traveling Screens. After the course-grid trash racks, the intake water passes through finer 10 vertical travelling screens. These are modified Ristroph screens designed to remove debris 11 and biota small enough to have passed through the trash racks while minimizing death or 12 injury. The travelling screens have a fine mesh with openings 0.25 inch x 0.5 inch (0.64 cm 13 x 1.3 cm). The velocity through the Salem intake screens is approximately 1 foot per 14 second (fps) (0.3 meters per second [m/s]) at mean low tide. Figure 2-9 provides the 15 Ristroph Screen detail.
16 17 Fish Return System. Each panel of the travelling screen has a 10-ft (3 m) long fish bucket 18 attached across the bottom support member. As the travelling screen reaches the top of 19 each rotation, fish and other organisms caught in the fish bucket slide along a horizontal 20 catch screen. As the travelling screen continues to rotate, the bucket is inverted. A low-21 pressure water spray washes fish off the screen, and they slide through a flap into a two-22 way fish trough. Debris is then washed off the screen by a high-pressure water spray into a 23 separate debris trough, and the contents of both fish and debris troughs return to the 24 estuary. The troughs are designed so that when the fish and debris are released, the tidal 25 flow tends to carry them away from the intake, reducing the likelihood of re-impingement.
26 Thus, the troughs empty on either the north or south side of the intake structure depending 27 on the direction of tidal flow.
28 The CWS withdraws brackish water from the Delaware Estuary using 12 circulating water 29 pumps through a 12-bay intake structure located on the shoreline at the south end of the site.
30 Water is discharged north of the CWS intake structure via a pipe that extends 500 ft (152 m) 31 from the shoreline. No biocides are required in the CWS.
32 PSEG has an NDPDES permit for Salem from the New Jersey Department of Environmental 33 Protection. The permit sets the maximum water usage from the Delaware Estuary to a 30-day 34 average of 3,024 million gallons per day (MGD; 11.4 million m3/day) of circulating water. The 35 CWS provides approximately 1,050,000 gallons per minute (gpm; 4,000 m3/min) to each of 36 Salem's two reactor units.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-22 September 2010
Affected Environment IEtta SWIflt mn ~na~
'~
N
/
ft Nt I
Th,-~
T~AW 1
2 3
stroph Screen Detail September 2010 2-23 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
The total design flow is 1, 110,000 gpm (4,200 m3/min) through each unit. The intake velocity is 2
approximately 1 foot per second (fps; 0.3 meters per second [m/s]) (at mean low tide, a rate that 3
is compatible with the protection of aquatic wildlife (EPA 2001). The CWS provides water to the 4
main condenser to condense steam from the turbine and the heated water is returned back to 5
estuary.
6 The service water system (SWS) intake is located approximately 400 ft (122 m) north of the 7
CWS intake. The SWS intake has four bays, each containing three pumps. The 12 service-8 water pumps have a total design rating of 130,500 gpm (494 m3/min). The average velocity 9
throughout the SWS intake is less than 1 fps (0.3 m/s) at the design flow rate. The SWS intake 10 structure is equipped with trash racks, traveling screens, and filters to remove debris and biota 11 from the intake water stream, but do not have a modified Ristroph type travelling screen or fish 12 return system. Backwash water is returned to the estuary.
13 To prevent organic buildup and biofouling in the heat exchangers and piping of the SWS, 14 sodium hypochlorite was originally injected into the system. However, operational experience 15 indicated that use of sodium hypochlorite was not needed, so it is no longer injected. SWS 16 water is discharged via the discharge pipe shared with the CWS. Residual chlorine levels are 17 maintained in accordance with the site's NJPDES Permit.
18 Both the Salem CWS and SWS discharge water back to the Delaware Estuary through a single 19 return that serves both systems and is located between the Salem CWS and SWS intakes. The 20 plan view of the Salem discharge structures is included as Figure 2-10. Cooling water from 21 Salem is discharged through six adjacent pipes 7 ft (2 m) in diameter and spaced 15 ft (4.6 m) 22 apart on center that merge into three pipes 10 ft (3 m) in diameter (PSEG, 2006c). The 23 discharge piping extends approximately 500 ft (150 m) from the shore (PSEG, 1999). The 24 discharge pipes are buried for most of their length until they discharge horizontally into the water 25 of the estuary at a depth at mean tidal level of about 31 ft (9.5 m). The discharge is 26 approximately perpendicular to the prevailing currents. At full power, Salem is.designed to 27 discharge approximately 3,200 MGD (12 million m3/day) at a velocity of about 10 fps (3 m/s) 28 (PSEG, 1999). To prevent biofouling in the heat exchangers and piping of the SWS, sodium 29 hypochlorite is injected into the system. SWS water is discharged via the discharge pipe shared 30 with the CWS.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-24 September 2010
Affected Environment
-20.4
.31.4
,121.4 WIN "0
t Scowin VtO Deofti us prewffld MLW r'
1 2
Figure 2-10. Plan View of Salem discharge pipes (Source: PSEG, 1999).
3 2.1.6.2 Hope Creek Generating Station 4
HCGS uses a single intake structure to supply water from the Delaware Estuary to the SWS.
5 The intake structure consists of four active bays that are equipped with pumps and associated 6
equipment (trash racks, traveling screens, and a fish-return system) and four empty bays that 7
were originally intended to service a second reactor which was never built. Water is drawn into 8
the SWS through trash racks and passes through the traveling screens at a maximum velocity September 2010 2-25 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
of 0.35 fps (0.11 m/s). The openings in the wire mesh of the screens are 0.375 inches (0.95 2
cm) square. After passing through the traveling screens, the estuary water enters the service 3
water pumps. Depending on the temperature of the Delaware Estuary water, two or three 4
pumps are normally needed to supply service water. Each pump is rated at 16,500 gpm (62 5
m3/min). To prevent organic buildup and biofouling in the heat exchangers and piping of the 6
SWS, sodium hypochlorite is continuously injected into the system.
7 Water is them pumped into the stilling basin in the pump house. The stilling basin supplies 8
water to the general SWS and the fire protection system. The stilling basin also supplies water 9
for back-up residual heat removal service water and for emergency service water.
10 The SWS also provides makeup water for the CWS by supplying water to the cooling tower 11 basin. The cooling tower basin contains approximately 9 million gallons (34,000 M3) of water 12 and provides approximately 612,000 gpm (2,300 m3/min) of water to the CWS via four pumps.
13 The CWS provides water to the main condenser to condense steam from the turbine and the 14 heated water is returned back to Estuary (Figure 2-4).
15 The cooling tower blowdown and other facility effluents are discharged to the estuary through an 16 underwater conduit located 1,500 ft (460 m) upstream of the HCGS SWS intake. The HCGS 17 discharge pipe extends 10 ft (3.0 m) offshore and is situated at mean tide level. The discharge 18 from HCGS is regulated under the terms of NJPDES permit number NJ0025411 (NJDEP, 19 2001a).
20 The HCGS cooling tower is a 512-foot (156-meter) high single counterflow, hyperbolic, natural 21 draft cooling tower (PSEG, 2008a). While the CWS is a closed-cycle system, water is lost due 22 to evaporation. Monthly losses average from 9,600 gpm (36 m3/min) in January to 13,000 gpm 23 (49 m3/min) in July. Makeup water is provided by the SWS.
24 2.1.7 Facility Water Use and Quality 25 The Salem and HCGS facilities rely on the Delaware River as their source of makeup water for 26 its cooling system, and they discharge various waste flows to the river. An onsite well system 27 provides groundwater for other site needs. A description of groundwater resources at the facility 28 location is provided in Section 2.2.8, and a description of the surface water resources is 29 presented in Section 2.2.9. The following sections describe the water use from these 30 resources.
31 2.1.7.1 Groundwater Use 32 The Salem and HCGS facilities access groundwater through production wells to supply fresh 33 water for potable, industrial process makeup, fire protection, and sanitary purposes 34 (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b). Facility groundwater withdrawal is authorized by the NJDEP 35 and the DRBC. The total authorized withdrawal volume is 43.2 million gallons (164,000 M3) per 36 month for both the Salem and HCGS sites combined (NJDEP, 2004a; DRBC, 2000). Although
- 37.
each facility has its own wells and individual pumping limits, the systems are interconnected so 38 that water can be transferred between the facilities, if necessary (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b).
39 The NJDEP permit is a single permit which establishes a combined permitted limit for both 40 facilities of 43.2 million gallons (164,000 m3) per month (NJDEP, 2004a).
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-26 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
The groundwater for Salem is produced primarily from two wells, PW-5 and PW-6. PW-5 is 2
installed at a depth of 840 ft (256 m) below ground surface (bgs) in.the Upper Raritan 3
Formation, and PW-6 is installed at a depth of 1,140 ft (347 m) in the Middle Raritan Formation.
4 PW-5 has a capacity of 800 gpm (3 m3/min), and PW-6 has a capacity of 600 gpm (2.3 m3/min) 5 (DRBC, 2000). The average water withdrawal from these two wells between 2002 and 2008 6
was 11.4 million gallons (432,000 M3) per year (TetraTech, 2009). These wells are used to 7
maintain water volume within two 350,000 gallon (1,300 M3) storage tanks, of which 600,000 8
gallons (2,300 M3) is reserved for fire protection (PSEG, 2009a). In addition to these two 9
primary wells, two additional wells, PW-2 and PW-3, exist at Salem. These wells are installed 10 within the Mount Laurel-Wenonah aquifer at depths of about 290 ft (88 m) bgs (DRBC, 2000).
11 These wells are classified as standby wells by NJDEP (NJDEP, 2004a), and had only minor 12 usage in the period from 2002 to 2008 (TetraTech, 2009).
13 The groundwater for HCGS is produced from two production wells, HC-1 and HC-2, which are 14 installed at depths of 816 ft (249 m) bgs in the Upper Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer 15 (DRBC, 2000). Each well has a pumping capacity of 750 gpm (2.8 m 3/miin), and the average 16 water withdrawal from the two wells between 2002 and 2008 was 96 million gallons (363,000 17 M3) per year (TetraTech, 2009). The wells are used to maintain water supply within two 18 350,000 gallon (1,300 M3) storage tanks. The bulk of the water in the storage tanks (656,000 19 gallons [2,500 M 3]) is reserved for fire protection, and the remainder is used for potable, 20 sanitary, and industrial uses (PSEG, 2009b).
21 Overall, the combined water usage for the two facilities has averaged 210 million gallons 22 (795,000 M3) per year, or 17.5 million gallons (66,000 M3) per month (TetraTech, 2009). This 23 usage is approximately 41 percent of the withdrawal permitted under the DRBC authorization 24 and NJDEP permit (DRBC, 2000; NJDEP, 2004a).
25 2.1.7.2 Surface Water Use 26 Salem and HCGS are located on the eastern shore of the Delaware River, approximately 18 mi 27 (29 km) south of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. The Delaware River at the facility location is 28 an estuary approximately 2.5 mi (4 km) wide. The Delaware River is the source of condenser 29 cooling water and service water for both the Salem and HCGS facilities (PSEG, 2009a; 30 PSEG, 2009b).
31 The Salem units are both once-through circulating water systems that withdraw brackish water 32 from the Delaware River through a single CWS intake located at the shoreline on the southern 33 end of Artificial Island. The CWS intake structure consists of 12 bays, each outfitted with 34 removable ice barriers, trash racks, traveling screens, circulating water pumps, and a fish return 35 system. The pump capacity of the Salem CWS is 1,110,000 gpm (4,200 m3/miin) for each unit, 36 or a total of 2,220,000 gpm (8,400 m3/min) for both units combined. Although the initial design 37 included use of sodium hypochlorite biocides, these were eliminated once enough operational 38 experience was gained to indicate that they were not needed. Therefore, the CWS water is 39 used without treatment (PSEG, 2009a).
40 In addition to the CWS intake, the Salem units withdraw water from the Delaware River for the 41 SWS, to provide cooling for auxiliary and reactor safeguard systems. The Salem SWS is 42 supplied through a single intake structure located approximately 400 ft (122 m) north of the September 2010 2-27 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
CWS intake. The Salem SWS intake is also fitted with trash racks, traveling screens, and 2
fish-return troughs. The pump capacity of the Salem SWS is 65,250 gpm (247 m3/min) for each 3
unit, or a total of 130,500 gpm (494 m3/min) for both units combined (PSEG, 2009a).
4 The withdrawal of Delaware River water for the Salem CWS and SWS systems is regulated 5
under the terms of Salem NJPDES Permit No. NJ005622 and is also authorized by the DRBC.
6 The NJPDES permit limits the total withdrawal of Delaware River water to 3,024 MGD (11.4 7
million m3/day), for a monthly maximum of 90,720 million gallons (342 million M 3) (NJDEP, 8
2001a). The DRBC authorization allows withdrawals not to exceed 97,000 million gallons (367 9
million m3/day) in a single 30-day period (DRBC, 1977; DRBC, 2001). The withdrawal volumes 10 are reported to NJDEP through monthly discharge monitoring reports (DMRs), and copies of the 11 DMRs are submitted to DRBC.
12 Both the CWS and SWS at Salem discharge water back to the Delaware River through a single 13 return that serves both systems. The discharge location is situated between the CWS and 14 Salem SWS intakes, and consists of six separate discharge pipes; each extending 500 ft 15 (152 m) into the river and discharging water at a depth of 35 ft (11 m) below mean tide. The 16 pipes rest on the river bottom with a concrete apron at the end to control erosion and discharge 17 water at a velocity of 10.5 fps (3.2 m/s) (PSEG, 2006c). The discharge from Salem is regulated 18 under the terms of NJPDES Permit No. NJ005622 (NJDEP, 2001 a). The locations of the 19 intakes and discharge for the Salem facility are shown in Figure 2-3.
20 The HCGS facility uses a closed-cycle circulating water system, with a natural draft cooling 21 tower, for condenser cooling. Like Salem, HCGS withdraws water from the Delaware River to 22 supply a SWS, which cools auxiliary and other heat exchange systems. The outflow from the 23 HCGS SWS is directed to the cooling tower basin, and serves as makeup water to replace 24 water lost through evaporation and blowdown from the cooling tower. The HCGS SWS intake is 25 located on the shore of the river and consists of four separate bays with service water pumps, 26 trash racks, traveling screens, and fish-return systems. The structure includes an additional 27 four bays that were originally intended to serve a second HCGS unit, which was never 28 constructed. The pump capacity of the HCGS SWS is 16,500 gpm (62 m3/min) for each pump, 29 or a total of 66,000 gpm (250 m /min) when all four pumps are operating. Under normal 30 conditions, only two or three of the pumps are typically operated. The HCGS SWS water is 31 treated with sodium hypochlorite to prevent biofouling (PSEG, 2009b).
32 The discharge from the HCGS SWS is directed to the cooling tower basin, where it acts as 33 makeup water for the HCGS CWS. The natural draft cooling tower has a total capacity of 9 34 million gallons (34,000 M3) of water, and circulates water through the CWS at a rate of 612,000 35 gpm (2,300 m3/min). Water is removed from the HCGS CWS through both evaporative loss 36 from the cooling tower and from blowdown to control deposition of solids within the system.
37 Evaporative losses result in consumptive loss of water from the Delaware River. The volume of 38 evaporative losses vary throughout the year depending on the climate, but range from 39 approximately 9,600 gpm (36 m3/mfin) in January to 13,000 gpm (49 m 3/min) in July. Blowdown 40 water is returned to the Delaware River (NJDEP, 2002b).
41 The withdrawal of Delaware River water for the HCGS CWS and SWS systems is regulated 42 under the terms of HCGS NJPDES Permit No. NJ0025411 and is also authorized by the DRBC.
43 Although it requires measurement and reporting, the NJPDES permit does not specify limits on 44 the total withdrawal volume of Delaware River water for HCGS operations (NJDEP, 2003).
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-28 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Actual withdrawals average 66.8 MGD (253,000 m3/dai), of which 6.7 MGD (25,000 m3/day) are 2
returned as screen backwash, and 13 MGD (49,000 m /day) is evaporated. The remainder 3
(approximately 46 MGD [174,000 m3/day]) is discharged back to the river (PSEG, 2009b).
4 The HCGS DRBC contract allows withdrawals up to 16.998 billion gallons (64 million M3) per 5
year, including up to 4.086 billion gallons (15 million M3) of consumptive use (DRBC, 1984a; 6
DRBC, 1984b). To compensate for evaporative losses in the system, the DRBC authorization 7
requires releases from storage reservoirs, or reductions in withdrawal, during periods of low-flow 8
conditions at Trenton, NJ (DRBC, 2001). To accomplish this, PSEG is one of several utilities 9
which owns and operates the Merrill Creek reservoir in Washington, NJ. Merrill Creek reservoir 10 is used to release water during low-flow conditions, as required by the DRBC authorization 11 (PSEG, 2009b).
12 The SWS and cooling tower blowdown water from HCGS is discharged back to the Delaware 13 River through an underwater conduit located 1,500 ft (460 m) upstream of the HCGS SWS 14 intake. The HCGS discharge pipe extends 10 ft (3 m) offshore, and is situated at mean tide 15 level. The discharge from HCGS is regulated under the terms of NJPDES Permit No.
16 NJ002541 1 (NJDEP, 2001 a). The locations of the intake and discharge for the HCGS facility 17 are shown in Figure 2-4.
18 2.2 Affected Environment 19 This section provides general descriptions of the environment near Salem and HCGS as 20 background information and to support the analysis of potential environmental impacts in 21 Chapter 4.
22 2.2.1 Land Use 23 Salem and HCGS are located at the southern end of Artificial Island located on the east bank of 24 the Delaware River in Lower Alloways Creek Township, Salem County, New Jersey. The river 25 is approximately 2.5 mi (4 km) wide at this location. Artificial Island is a man-made island 26 approximately 1500-ac (600 ha) in size consisting of tidal marsh and grassland. The island was 27 created by the USACE, beginning early in the twentieth century, by the deposition of hydraulic 28 dredge spoil material atop a natural sand bar that projected into the river. The average 29 elevation of the island is about 9 ft (3 m) above MSL with a maximum elevation of approximately 30 18 ft (5.5 m) MSL (AEC, 1973). The site is located approximately 17 mi (27 km) south of the 31 Delaware Memorial Bridge, 35 mi (56 kin) southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 8 mi 32 (13 km) southwest of the City of Salem, NJ.
33 PSEG owns approximately 740 ac (300 ha) at the southern end of the island, with Salem 34 located on approximately 220 ac (89 ha) and HCGS occupying about 153 ac (62 ha). The 35 remainder of Artificial Island, north of the PSEG property, is owned by the the U.S. Government 36 and the State of New Jersey; this portion of the island remains undeveloped. The land adjacent 37 to the eastern boundary of Artificial Island consists of tidal marshlands of the former natural 38 shoreline. The U.S. Government owns the land adjacent to the PSEG property and the State of 39 New Jersey owns the land adjacent to the U.S. Government-owned portion of the island. The 40 northernmost tip of Artificial Island (owned by the U. S. Government) is within the State of September 2010 2-29 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Delaware boundary, which was established based on historical land grants (LACT, 1988a; 2
LACT, 1988b; PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b).
3 The area within 15 mi (24 km) of the site is primarily utilized for agriculture. The area also 4
includes numerous parks and wildlife refuges and preserves such as Mad Horse Creek Fish and 5
Wildlife Management Area to the east; Cedar Swamp State Wildlife Management Area to the 6
south in Delaware; Appoquinimink, Silver Run, and Augustine State Wildlife Management areas 7
to the west in Delaware; and Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge to the north. The 8
Delaware Bay and estuary is recognized as wetlands of international importance and an 9
international shorebird reserve (New Jersey State Atlas [NJSA], 2008). The nearest permanent 10 residences are located 3.4 mi (5.5 km) south-southwest and west-northwest of Salem and 11 HCGS across the river in Delaware. The nearest permanent residence in New Jersey is located 12 3.6 mi (5.8 km) east-northeast of the facilities (PSEG, 2009c). The closest densely populated 13 center (with 25,000 residents or more) is Wilmington, Delaware, located 15 mi (24 km) north of 14 Salem and'HCGS. There is no heavy industry in the area surrounding Salem and HCGS; the 15 nearest such industrial area is located approximately 10 mi (16 km) northwest of the site near 16 Delaware City, Delaware (PSEG, 2009d).
17 Section 307(c)(3)(A) of the Coastal Zone Management Act (16 USC 1456 (c)(3)(A)) requires 18 that applicants for Federal licenses to conduct an activity in a coastal zone provide to the 19 licensing agency a certification that the proposed activity is consistent with the enforceable 20 policies of the State's coastal zone program. A copy of the certification is also to be provided to 21 the State. Within six months of receipt of the certification, the State is to notify the Federal 22 agency whether the State concurs with or objects to the applicant's certification. Salem and 23 HCGS are within New Jersey's coastal zone for purposes of the Coastal Zone Management Act.
24 PSEG's certifications that renewal of the Salem and HCGS licenses would be consistent with 25 the New Jersey Coastal Management Program were submitted to the NJDEP Land Use 26 Regulation Program concurrent with submittal of the license renewal applications for the two 27 facilities. Salem and HCGS are not within Delaware's coastal zone for purposes of the Coastal 28 Zone Management Act (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b). Correspondence related to the 29 certification is in Appendix D of this SEIS. By letters dated October 8, 2009, the NJDEP 30 Division of Land Use Regulation, Bureau of Coastal Regulation concurred with the applicant's 31 consistency of certification for Salem and HCGS.
32 2.2.2 Air Quality and Meteorology 33 2.2.2.1 Meteorology 34 The climate in New Jersey is generally a function of topography and distance from the Atlantic 35 Ocean, resulting in five distinct climatic regions within the State. Salem County is located in the 36 Southwest Zone, which is characterized by low elevation near sea level and close proximity to 37 the Delaware Bay. These features result in the Southwest Zone generally having higher 38 temperatures and receiving less precipitation than the northern and coastal areas of the State.
39 Wind direction is predominantly from the southwest, except in winter when winds are primarily 40 from the west and northwest (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], 2008).
41 The only NOAA weather station in Salem County with recent data is the Woodstown Pittsgrove 42 Station, located approximately 10 mi (16 km) northeast of the Salem and NCGS facilities Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-30 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
(NOAA, 2010a). A summary of the data collected from this station from 1971 to 2001 indicates 2
that winter temperatures average 35.2 degrees Fahrenheit (OF) (1.8 degrees Celsius [0C]) and 3
summer temperatures average 74.8 OF (23.8 0C). Average annual precipitation in the form of 4
rain and snow is 45.76 inches (116 cm), with the most rain falling in July and August and the 5
most snow falling in January (NOAA, 2004).
6 Queries of the National Climate Data Center database for Salem County for the period January 7
1, 1950 to November 30, 2009 identified the following information related to severe weather 8
events:
9 0
33 flood events with the majority (24) being coastal or tidal floods 10 0
numerous heavy precipitation and prolonged rain events which also resulted in 11 several incidences of localized flooding, but which are not included in the flood 12 event number 13 0
five funnel cloud sightings and two tornados ranging in intensity from F1 to F2 14 0
148 thunderstorm and high wind events 15 0
14 incidences of hail greater than 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) (NOAA, 2010b) 16 In 2001, unusually dry conditions were related to two wildfires that burned a total of 54 ac 17 (22 ha). In 2009, a series of brush fires destroyed approximately 15 ac (6.1 ha) of farmland and 18 wooded area in Salem County (NOAA, 2010c).
19 Climate data are available for the Woodstown Pittsgrove Station from 1901 through 2004, at 20 which time monitoring at this location was ended (NOAA, 2010a). The closest facility which 21 currently monitors climate data, and has an extensive historic record, is the station located at 22 the Wilmington New Castle County Airport, located on the opposite side of the Delaware River, 23 approximately 9 mi (14 km) northwest of the facilities (NOAA, 2010d).
24 2.2.2.2 Air Quality 25 Salem County is included in the Metropolitan Philadelphia Interstate Air Quality Control Region 26 (AQCR), which encompasses the area geographically located in five counties of New Jersey, 27 including Salem and Gloucester counties; New Castle County, DE; and five counties of 28 Pennsylvania (40 CFR 81.15). Air quality is regulated by the NJDEP through their Bureau of Air 29 Quality Planning, Bureau of Air Quality Monitoring, and Bureau of Air Quality Permitting 30 (NJDEP, 2009a). The Bureau of Air Quality Monitoring operates a network of monitoring 31 stations for the collection and analysis of air samples for several parameters, including carbon 32 monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone, sulfur dioxide (SO 2), particulate matter (PM),
33 and meteorological characteristics. The closest air quality monitoring station to the Salem and 34 HCGS facilities is in Millville, located approximately 23 mi (37 km) to the southeast 35 (NJDEP, 2009a).
36 In order to enforce air quality standards, the EPA has developed National Ambient Air Quality 37 Standards (NAAQS) under the Federal Clean Air Act. The requirements examine the six criteria 38 pollutants, including particle pollution (PM), ground-level ozone, CO, sulfur oxides (SOx),
39 nitrogen oxides (NOx), and lead; permissible limits are established based on human health 40 and/or environmental protection. When an area has air quality equal to or better than the September 2010 2-31 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
NAAQS, they are designated as an "attainment area" as defined by the EPA; however, areas 2
that do not meet the NAAQS standards are considered "nonattainment areas" and are required 3
to develop an air quality maintenance plan (NJDEP, 201 0a).
4 Salem County is designated as in attainment/unclassified with respect to the NAAQSs for 5
particulate matter, 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM2.5), SOx, NOx, CO, and lead. The 6
county, along with all of southern New Jersey, is a nonattainment area with respect to the 7
1-hour primary ozone standard and the 8-hour ozone standard. For the 1-hour ozone standard, 8
Salem County is located within the multi-state Philadelphia-Wilmington-Trenton non-attainment 9
area, and for the 8-hour ozone standard, it is located in the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic 10 City (Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware-Maryland) non-attainment area. Of the adjacent 11 counties, Gloucester County, NJ is in non-attainment for the 1-hour and 8-hour ozone 12 standards, as well as the annual and daily PM2.5 standard (NJDEP, 2010a). New Castle 13 County, DE is considered to be in moderate non-attainment for the ozone standards and 14 non-attainment for PM2.5 (40 CFR 81.315).
15 Sections 101(b)(1), 110, 169(a)(2), and 301(a) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), as amended 16 (42 U.S.C. 7410, 7491 (a)(2), 7601 (a)), established 156 mandatory Class I Federal areas where 17 visibility is an important value that cannot be compromised. There is one mandatory Class I 18 Federal area in the State of New Jersey, which is the Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge 19 (40 CFR 81.420), located approximately 58 mi (93 km) southeast of the Salem and HCGS 20 facilities. There are no Class I Federal areas in Delaware, and no other areas located within 21 100 mi (160 km) of the facilities (40 CFR 81.400).
22 PSEG has a single Air Pollution Control Operating Permit (Title V Operating Permit),
23 No. BOP080001, from the NJDEP to regulate air emissions from all sources at Salem and 24 HCGS (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b). This permit was last issued on February 2, 2005, and 25 expired on February 1, 2010. An application for a new Title V permit was submitted and the 26 EPA review was scheduled to begin on May 20, 2010 (EPA, 2010b). The facilities qualify as a 27 major source1 under the Title V permit program and, therefore, are operated under a Title V 28 permit (NJDEP, 2009b). The air emissions sources located at Salem, which are regulated 29 under the permit, include:
30 0
a boiler for heating purposes 31 0
Salem Unit 3, a 40 MW fuel-oil fired peaking unit used intermittently 32 0
six emergency generators, tested monthly 33 0
a boiler at the circulating water house, used for heating only in winter 34 0
miscellaneous volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions from fuel tanks 1 Under the Title V Operating Permit program, the EPA defines a major source as a stationary source with the potential to emit (PTE) any criteria pollutant at a rate greater than 100 tons/year (91 metric tons [MT]/year), or any single hazardous air pollutant (HAP) at a rate of greater than 10 tons/year (9.1 MT/year)or a combination of HAPs at a rate greater than 25 tons/year (23 MT/year).
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-32 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
The air emissions sources located at HCGS, which are regulated under the permit, include:
2 0
the cooling tower 3
0 a boiler for house heating and use for startup steam for the BWR 4
0 four emergency generators, tested monthly 5
0 miscellaneous VOC emissions from fuel tanks 6
a small boiler used to heat the service water house 7
Meteorological conditions at the facilities are monitored at a primary and a backup 8
meteorological tower located at the entrance of the facilities, on the southeast side of the 9
property. The primary tower is a 300-ft (91-m) high tower supported by guy wires, and the 10 backup tower is a 33-ft (10-m) high telephone pole located approximately 500 ft (152 m) south 11 of the primary tower. Measurements collected at the primary tower include temperature, wind 12 speed, and wind direction at elevations of 300, 150, and 33 ft (91, 46, and 10 m) above ground 13 level; dew point measured at the 33-ft (10-m) level; and rainfall, barometric pressure, and solar 14 radiation measured at less than 10 ft (3 m) above the ground surface. Measurements collected 15 at the backup tower include wind speed and wind direction (PSEG, 2006b).
16 2.2.3 Groundwater Resources 17 2.2.3.1 Description 18 Groundwater at the Salem and HCGS facilities is present in Coastal Plain sediments, an 19 assemblage of sand, silt, and clay formations that comprise a series of aquifers beneath the 20 facilities. Four primary aquifers underlie the facility location. The shallowest of these is the 21 shallow water-bearing zone, which is contained within the dredge spoil and engineered fill 22 sediments of Artificial Island. Groundwater is found within this zone at a depth of 10 to 40 ft (3 23 to 12 m) bgs (PSEG, 2007a). The groundwater in the shallow zone is recharged through direct 24 infiltration of precipitation on Artificial Island and is brackish. Groundwater in the shallow zone 25 flows toward the southwest, toward the Delaware River (PSEG, 2009b).
26 Beneath the shallow water-bearing zone, the Vincentown aquifer is found at a depth of 55 to 27 135 ft (17 to 41 m) bgs. The Vincentown aquifer is confined and semi-confined beneath 28 Miocene clays of the Kirkwood Formation. Groundwater within the Vincentown aquifer flows 29 toward the south. Water within the Vincentown aquifer is potable and accessed through 30 domestic wells in eastern Salem County, upgradient of the facility. In western Salem County, 31 including near the facility, saltwater intrusion from the Delaware River has occurred, resulting in 32 brackish, non-potable groundwater within this aquifer (PSEG, 2007a).
33 The Vincentown aquifer is underlain by the Hornerstown and Navesink confining units, which in 34 turn overlie the Mount Laurel-Wenonah aquifer. The Mount Laurel-Wenonah aquifer exists at a 35 depth of 170 to 270 ft (52 to 82 m) bgs and is recharged through leakage from the overlying 36 aquifers (Rosenau et al., 1969).
37 Beneath the Mount Laurel-Wenonah aquifer is a series of clay and fine sand confining units and 38 poor quality aquifers, including the Marshalltown Formation, Englishtown Formation, Woodbury 39 Clay, and Merchantville Formation. These units overlie the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer, September 2010 2-33 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
which is found at a depth of 450 ft (137 m), with freshwater encountered to a depth of 900 ft 2
(274 m) bgs at the facility location (PSEG, 2007a). The Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer is a 3
large aquifer of regional importance for municipal and domestic water supply. In order to protect 4
groundwater resources within this aquifer, the State of New Jersey has established Critical 5
Water-Supply Management Area 2, in which groundwater withdrawals are limited and managed 6
through allocations (USGS, 2007). Critical Water-Supply Management Area 2 includes Ocean, 7
Burlington, Camden, Atlantic, Gloucester, and Cumberland counties, as well as the eastern 8
portion of Salem County. The area does not include the western portion of Salem County 9
where the facility is located, so groundwater withdrawals at the facility location are not subject to 10 withdrawal restrictions associated with this management area.
11 2.2.3.2 Affected Users 12 The use of groundwater by the facility is discussed in Section 2.1.7.1. Groundwater is the 13 source of more than 75 percent of the freshwater supply within the Coastal Plain region, and 14 wells used for public supply commonly yield 500 to more than 1,000 gpm (1.9 to 3.8 m3/min) 15 (EPA, 1988). The water may have localized concentrations of iron in excess of 460 miligrams 16 per liter (mg/L) and may be contaminated locally by saltwater intrusion and waste disposal; 17 however, water quality is considered satisfactory overall (New Jersey Water Science Center 18
[NJWSC], 2009).
19 Groundwater is not accessed for public or domestic water supply within 1 mi (1.6 km) of the 20 Salem and HCGS facilities (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b). However, groundwater is the 21 primary source of municipal water supply within Salem and the surrounding counties. There are 22 18 public water supply systems in Salem County. New Jersey American Water (NJAW) is the 23 largest of these, providing groundwater from the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy Aquifer to more than 24 14,000 customers in Pennsgrove, located approximately 18 mi (29 km) north of the Salem and 25 HCGS facilities (EPA, 201 Oc; NJAW, 2010). The other two major suppliers are Pennsville 26 Township and the City of Salem (EPA, 2010c). The City of Salem is the closest public water 27 supply system in Salem County to the facilities, but provides water from surface water sources 28 (EPA, 2010c). The Pennsville Township water system is located approximately 15 mi (24 km) 29 north of the Salem and HCGS facilities and supplies water to approximately 13,500 residents 30 from the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy Aquifer (EPA, 2010c; NJDEP, 2007a).
31 There are 27 water systems in New Castle County, DE. Municipal and investor-owned utilities 32 provide drinking water to the county. The majority of the potable water supply is provided from 33 surface water sources (EPA, 201 Od). The nearest offsite use of groundwater for potable water 34 supply is located approximately 3.5 mi (5.6 km) west of the site, in New Castle County, DE 35 (Arcadis, 2006). This water supply consists of two wells installed within the Mt. Laurel aquifer, 36 serving 132 residents (Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control 37
[DNREC], 2003).
38 2.2.3.3 Available Volume 39 Groundwater within the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer is an important resource for water 40 supply in a region extending from Mercer and Middlesex counties in New Jersey to the north, 41 and toward Maryland to the southwest. Groundwater withdrawal from the early part of the 42 20th century through the 1970s resulted in the development of large-scale cones of depression Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-34 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
in the elevation of the piezometric surface and, therefore, the available water quantity within the 2
aquifer (USGS, 1983). Large scale withdrawals of water from the aquifer are known to influence 3
water availability at significant lateral distances from pumping centers (USGS, 1983). In 4
reaction to these observations, water management measures, including limitations on pumping, 5
were instituted by the NJDEP (although not including the Salem and HCGS facility area). As of 6
2003, NJDEP-mandated decreases in water withdrawals had resulted in general recovery of 7
water level elevations in both the Upper and Middle Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifers in the 8
Salem County area (USGS, 2009).
9 2.2.3.4 Existing Quality 10 Annual REMP reports document regular sampling of groundwater as required by the NRC. In 11 support of this SEIS, the annual REMP reports for 2006, 2007, and 2008 were reviewed 12 (PSEG, 2007b; PSEG, 2008a; PSEG, 2009c). The program includes the collection and analysis 13 of groundwater at one or two locations that may be affected by station operations. Although the 14 facility has determined that there are no groundwater wells in locations that could be affected by 15 station operations, they routinely collect a sample from one location, well 3E1 at a nearby farm, 16 as a management audit sample. These samples, collected on a monthly basis, are analyzed for 17 gamma emitters, gross alpha, gross beta, and tritium. In 2006 through 2008, no results were 18 identified which would suggest potential impacts from facility operations.
19 In 2003, a release of tritium to groundwater from the Salem Unit 1 SFP was identified. The 20 initial indication of the release was the detection of low-level radiation on a worker's shoes in the 21 Unit 1 auxiliary building in 2002. This led to the discovery of a chalk-like radioactive substance 22 on the walls of the mechanical penetration room, which had resulted from the seepage of water 23 from the SFP. The seepage was caused from the blockage of drains by mineral deposits.
24 Response measures, including removal of the mineral deposits and installation of additional 25 drains, were taken and the release was stopped (Arcadis, 2006).
26 A site investigation was initiated in 2003, and included the installation and sampling of 29 27 monitoring wells in the shallow and Vincentown aquifers (PSEG, 2004a). The tritium was 28 released into groundwater inside of the cofferdam area that surrounds the Salem containment 29 unit. Groundwater within the cofferdam area is able to flow outside of the cofferdam through a 30 low spot in the top surface, which allowed the tritium plume to enter the flow system outside of 31 the cofferdam. From that location, the plume followed a preferential flow path along the high 32 permeability sand and gravel bed beneath the circulating water discharge pipe and, thus, toward 33 the Delaware River. Tritium was detected in shallow groundwater at concentrations up to 34 15,000,000 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L). The extent of the impact was limited to within the PSEG 35 property boundaries and no tritium was detected in the Vincentown aquifer, indicating that the 36 release was limited to the shallow water-bearing aquifer (PSEG, 2009d). The release did not 37 include any radionuclides other than tritium.
38 In 2004, PSEG developed a remedial action workplan, and a GRS was approved by NJDEP 39 and became operational by September 2005. The GRS operates by withdrawing 40 tritium-impacted groundwater from six pumping wells within the plume, and a mobile pumping 41 unit that can be moved between other wells as needed to maximize withdrawal efficiency. The 42 pumping system reverses the groundwater flow gradient and stops the migration of the plume 43 toward the property boundaries. The tritium-impacted water removed from the groundwater is September 2010 2-35 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
processed in the facility's NRLWDS. As part of this system, the groundwater is collected in 2
tanks, sampled, and analyzed to identify the quantity of radioactivity and the isotopic 3
breakdown. Upon verification that the groundwater meets NRC discharge requirements, it is 4
released under controlled conditions to the Delaware River through the circulatory water system 5
(PSEG, 2009a). Operation of the groundwater extraction system is monitored by a network of 6
36 monitoring wells (PSEG, 2009e). This monitoring indicates that maximum tritium 7
concentrations have dropped substantially, from a maximum of 15,000,000 pCi/L to below 8
100,000 pCi/L. Some concentrations still exceed the New Jersey Ground Water Quality 9
Criterion for tritium of 20,000 pCi/L (PSEG, 2009e). However, groundwater that exceeds this 10 criterion does not extend past the property boundaries (PSEG, 2009a).
11 To verify the status of the groundwater remediation program, Staff interviewed NJDEP staff 12 during the site audit in March 2010. The NJDEP staff confirmed that both NJDEP and the New 13 Jersey Geological Survey (NJGS) had been substantially involved in assisting PSEG in 14 developing a response to the tritium release, and that NJDEP conducts ongoing confirmation 15 sampling. Both NJDEP and NJGS review PSEG's Quarterly Remedial Action Progress 16 Reports, including confirmation of the analytical results and verification of plume configurations 17 based on those results. NJDEP staff confirmed that the GRS is operating in a satisfactory 18 manner.
19 In response to an industry-wide initiative sponsored by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI),
20 PSEG implemented a facility-wide groundwater radiological groundwater protection program 21 (RGPP) at the Salem and HCGS facilities in 2006. The program, which is separate from the 22 monitoring associated with the GRS, included the identification of station systems that could be 23 sources of radionuclide releases, installation of monitoring wells near and downgradient of those 24 systems and installation of wells upgradient and downgradient of the facility perimeter. The 25 monitoring program consists of 13 monitoring wells at Salem (5 pre-existing and 8 new) and 13 26 wells at HCGS (all new). The results of the program are reported in the facility's annual 27 Radiological Environmental Operating Reports. The wells are sampled on a semiannual basis 28 and have detected no plant-related gamma-emitters. In the 2008 annual program, tritium was 29 detected in 5 of the 13 wells at Salem, and 6 of the 13 wells at HCGS. All sample results were 30 lower than 1,000 pCi/L, which is less than the 20,000 pCi/L EPA drinking water standard and 31 New Jersey Ground Water Quality Criterion (PSEG, 2009c). These levels of detection are not 32 high enough to trigger voluntary reporting that would be made under the guidelines of the NEI 33 guidance (PSEG, 2009a).
34 During the site audit, PSEG provided information indicating that elevated tritium concentrations 35 had been detected in six RGPP wells at the HCGS facility in November 2009. This included 36 detection of tritium at concentrations up to 1,200 pCi/L in four wells, and at approximately 37 3,500 pCi/L in two wells (wells BH and BJ). The wells were all re-sampled in December 2009, 38 and the tritium concentrations had dropped to levels of approximately 500 to 800 pCi/L, which 39 still exceeded their levels prior to November 2009. The wells involved are located at the HCGS 40 facility and are not related to the tritium plume being managed at Salem. PSEG has instituted a 41 well inspection and assessment program to identify the source of the tritium, which is thought to 42 be from either analytical error of rain-out of gaseous emissions in precipitation. Based on the 43 locations of the wells and identification of cracked caps on some wells, it is possible that 44 collection of rainwater run-on entered the wells, causing the increased concentrations. In Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-36 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
response, PSEG has replaced all well caps with screw caps and is working with NJDEP and the 2
Staff to implement a well inspection program.
3 During the site audit, PSEG also provided information on a small-scale diesel pump and treat 4
remediation system being operated near Salem Unit 1 to address a leak of diesel fuel at that 5
location. NJDEP is also involved in the operation of that system, and NJDEP staff confirmed 6
that the remediation system is operating in a satisfactory manner.
7 2.2.4 Surface Water Resources 8
2.2.4.1 Description 9
The Salem and HCGS facilities are located on Artificial Island, a man-made island constructed 10 on the New Jersey (eastern) shore of the Delaware River (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b). All 11 surface water in Salem County drains to the Delaware River and Bay. Some streams flow 12 directly to the river, while others join subwatersheds before reaching their destination. The tides 13 of the Atlantic Ocean influence the entire length of the Delaware River in Salem County. Tidal 14 marshes are located along the lower stretches of the Delaware River and are heavily influenced 15 by the tides, flooding twice daily. Wetland areas, such as Mannington and Supawna Meadows, 16 make up roughly 30 percent of the county. The southwestern portion of Salem County is 17 predominately marshland, and to the north, tidal marshes are found in the western sections of 18 the county at the mouths of river systems, including the Salem River and Oldmans Creek 19 (Salem County, 2008).
20 The Division of Land Use Regulation (LUR) is managed by the NJDEP and seeks to preserve 21 quality of life issues that affect water quality, wildlife habitat, flood protection, open space, and 22 the tourism industry. Coastal waters and adjacent land are protected by several laws, including 23 the Waterfront Development Law (N.J.S.A. 12:5-3), the Wetlands Act of 1970 (N.J.S.A. 13:9A),
24 New Jersey Coastal Permit Program Rules (N.J.A.C. 7:7), Coastal Zone Management Rules 25 (N.J.A.C. 7:7E), and the Coastal Area Facility Review Act (N.J.S.A. 13:19), which regulates 26 almost all coastal development and includes the Kilcohook National Wildlife Refuge that is 27 located in Salem County (NJDEP, 2010b).
28 The facilities are located at River Mile (RM) 51 on the Delaware River. At this location, the river 29 is approximately 2.5 mi (4 km) wide. The facilities are located on the Lower Region portion of 30 the river, which is designated by the DRBC as the area of the river subject to tidal influence, and 31 between the Delaware Bay and Trenton, NJ (DRBC, 2008a). The Lower Region and the 32 Delaware Bay together form the Estuary Region of the river, which is included as the 33 Partnership for the Delaware Estuary within the EPA's National Estuary Program (EPA, 2010e).
34 Water use from the river at the facility location is regulated by both the DRBC and the State of 35 New Jersey. The DRBC was established in 1961, through the Delaware River Basin Compact, 36 as a joint Federal and State body to regulate and manage water resources within the basin.
37 The DRBC acts to manage and regulate water resources in the basin by: (1) allocating and 38 regulating water withdrawals and discharges; (2) resolving interstate, water-related disputes; 39 (3) establishing water quality standards; (4) managing flow; and (5) watershed planning 40 (DRBC, 1961).
September 2010 2-37 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
As facilities that use water resources in the basin, Salem and HCGS water withdrawals are 2
conducted under contract to the DRBC. The Salem facility uses surface water under a DRBC 3
contract originally signed in 1977 (DRBC, 1977), and most recently revised and approved for a 4
25-year term in 2001 (DRBC, 2001). Surface water withdrawals by the HCGS facility were 5
originally approved for two units in 1975, and then revised for a single unit in 1985 following 6
PSEG's decision to build only one unit (DRBC, 1984a). The withdrawal rates are also regulated 7
by NJDEP, under NJPDES Permit Nos. NJ0025411 (for HCGS) and NJ005622 (for Salem).
8 2.2.4.2 Affected Users
,9 The Delaware River Basin is densely populated, and surface water resources within the river 10 are used for a variety of purposes. Freshwater from the non-tidal portion of the river is used to 11 supply municipal water throughout New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, including the 12 large metropolitan areas of Philadelphia and New York City. Approximately 75 percent of the 13 length of the non-tidal Delaware River is designated as part of the National Wild and Scenic 14 Rivers System. The river is economically important for commercial shipping, as it includes port 15 facilities for petrochemical operations, military supplies, and raw materials and consumer 16 products (DRBC, 2010).
17 In the tidal portion of the river, water is accessed for use in industrial operations, including 18 power plant cooling systems. A summary of DRBC-approved water users on the tidal portion of 19 the river from 2005 lists 22 industrial facilities and 14 power plants in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, 20 and Delaware (DRBC, 2005). Of these facilities, Salem is by far the highest volume water user 21 in the basin, with a reported water withdrawal volume of 1,067,892 million gallons (4.042 billion 22 M3) in 2005 (DRBC, 2005). This volume exceeds the combined total withdrawal for all other 23 industrial, power, and public water supply purposes in the tidal portion of the river. The 24 withdrawal volume for HCGS in 2005 was much lower, at 19,561 million gallons (74 million i 3).
25 2.2.4.3 Water Quality Regulation 26 To regulate water quality in the basin, the DRBC has established water quality standards, 27 referred to as Stream Quality Objectives, to protect human health and aquatic life objectives.
28 To account for differing environmental setting and water uses along the length of the river basin, 29 the DRBC has established Water Quality Management (WQM) Zones, and has established 30 separate Stream Quality Objectives for each zone. The Salem and HCGS facilities are located 31 within Zone 5, which extends from RM 48.2 to RM 78.8.
32 The DRBC Stream Quality Objectives are used by the NJDEP to establish effluent discharge 33 limits for discharges within the basin. The EPA granted the State of New Jersey the authority to 34 issue NPDES permits, and such a permit implies water quality certification under the Federal 35 Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401. The water quality and temperature of the discharges for 36 both the Salem and HCGS discharges are regulated by NJDEP under NJPDES Permit Nos.
37 NJ0025411 (for HCGS) and NJ005622 (for Salem). In addition, industrial facilities in New 38 Jersey are required, under the New Jersey Administrative Code (NJAC) Title 7:1E - 5.3, to 39 provide notification to NJDEP whenever any hazardous substance, as defined in NJAC 7:1E 40 Appendix A is released.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-38 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
2.2.4.4 Salem Nuclear Generating Station NJPDES Requirements 2
The current NJPDES Permit No. NJ005622 for the Salem facility was issued with an effective 3
date of August 1, 2001, and an expiration date of July 31, 2006 (NJDEP, 2001 a). The permit 4
requires that a renewal application be prepared at least 180 days in advance of the expiration 5
date. Correspondence provided with the applicant's ER indicates that a renewal application 6
was filed on January 31, 2006. During the site audit, NJDEP staff confirmed that the application 7
was still undergoing review, so the 2001 permit is still considered to be in force. No substantial 8
changes in permit conditions are anticipated.
9 The Salem NJPDES permit regulates water withdrawals and discharges associated with non-10 radiological industrial wastewater, including intake and discharge of once-through cooling water.
11 The once-through cooling water, service water, non-radiological liquid waste, radiological liquid 12 waste, and other effluents are discharged through the cooling water system intake. The specific 13 discharge locations, and their associated reporting requirements and discharge limits, are 14 presented in Table 2-2.
15 Stormwater discharge is not monitored through the Salem NJPDES permit. Stormwater is 16 collected and discharged through outfall discharge serial numbers (DSNs) 489A (south), 488 17 (west), and 487/487B (north). The NJPDES permit requires that stormwater discharges be 18 managed under an approved Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and, therefore, 19 does not specify discharge limits. The same SWPPP is also applicable to stormwater 20 discharges from the HCGS facility. The plan includes a listing of potential sources of pollutants 21 and associated best management practices (NJDEP, 2003).
22 Industrial wastewater from Salem is regulated at nine specific locations, designated outfall 23 DSNs 048C, 481A, 482A, 483A, 484A, 485A, 486A, 487B, and 489A. Outfall DSN 048C is the 24 discharge system for the NRLWDS, and also receives stormwater from DSN 487B. For 25 DSN 048C, the permit establishes reporting requirements for discharge volume (in millions of 26 gallons per day), and compliance limits for total suspended solids, ammonia, petroleum 27 hydrocarbons, and total organic carbon (NJDEP, 2001a).
28 Outfall DSNs 481A, 482A, 483A, 484A, 485A, and 486A are the discharge systems for cooling 29 water, service water, and the radiological liquid waste disposal system. Outfall DSNs 481A, 30 482A, and 483A are associated with Salem Unit 1, while outfall DSNs 484A, 485A, and 486A 31 are associated with Salem Unit 2. The permit establishes similar, but separate, requirements 32 for each of these six outfalls. For each, the permit requires reporting of the discharge volume 33 (in MGD), the pH of the intake, and the temperature of the discharge. The permit also 34 establishes compliance limits for the discharge from each outfall for pH and chlorine-produced 35 oxidants (NJDEP, 2001a).
36 Outfall DSN 487B is the discharge system for the #3 skim tank. The permit establishes 37 reporting requirements for discharge volume (in MGD) and compliance limits for pH, total 38 suspended solids, temperature of effluent, petroleum hydrocarbons, and total organic carbon 39 (NJDEP, 2001a).
40 September 2010 2-39 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment Table 2-2. NJPDES Permit Requirements for Salem Nuclear Generating Station Discharge Description Required Reporting Permit Limits DSN 048C Input is NRLWDS and Outfall Effluent flow volume None DSN 487B Total suspended solids 50 mg/L monthly average Discharges to outfall DSNs 100 mg/L daily maximum 481A, 482A, 484A, and 485A Ammonia (Total as N) 35 mg/L monthly average 70 mg/L daily maximum Petroleum hydrocarbons 10 mg/L monthly average 15 mg/L daily maximum Total organic carbon Report monthly average 50 mg/L daily maximum DSNs 481A, Input is cooling water, service Effluent flow volume None 482A, 483A, water, and DSN 048C Effluent pH 6.0 daily minimum 484A, 485A, Outfall is six separate 9.0 daily maximum and 486A (the discharge pipes Intake pH None same requirements Chlorine-produced oxidants 0.3 mg/L monthly average for each) 0.2 and 0.5 mg/L daily maximum Temperature None DSN 487B
- 3 skim tank, and stormwater Effluent flow None from north portion pH 6.0 daily minimum 9.0 daily maximum Total suspended solids 100 mg/L daily maximum Temperature 43.3 0C daily maximum Petroleum hydrocarbons 15 mg/L daily maximum Total organic carbon 50 mg/L daily maximum Discharge Description Required Reporting Permit Limits DSN 489A Oil/water separator, turbine Effluent flow None sumps, and stormwater from pH 6.0 daily minimum south portion 9.0 daily maximum Total suspended solids 30 mg/L monthly average 100 mg/L daily maximum Petroleum hydrocarbons 10 mg/L monthly average 15 mg/L daily maximum Total organic carbon 50 mg/L daily maximum DSN Outfall Combined for discharges Net temperature (year round) 15.3 0C daily maximum FACA 481A, 482A, and 483A Gross temperature 46.1 0C daily maximum (June to September)
Gross temperature 43.3 0C daily maximum (October to May)
DSN Outfall Combined for discharges Net temperature (year round) 15.3 0C daily maximum FACE3 484A, 485A, and 486A Gross temperature 46.1 0C daily maximum (June to September)
Gross temperature 43.3 0C daily maximum (October to May) 2 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-40 September 2010
Affected Environment Discharge Description Required Reporting Permit Limits DSN Outfall Combined for discharges Influent flow 3,024 MGD monthly average FACC 481A, 482A, 483A, 484A, Effluent thermal discharge 30,600 MBTU/hr daily maximum 485A, and 486A MBTU/hr = million British thermal units per hour Source: NJDEP, 2001a 2
Outfall DSN 489A is the discharge system for the oil/water separator. The permit establishes 3
reporting requirements for discharge volume (in MGD) and compliance limits for pH, total 4
suspended solids, petroleum hydrocarbons, and total organic carbon (NJDEP, 2001a).
5 In addition to the reporting requirements and contaminant limits for these individual outfalls, the 6
permit establishes temperature limits for Salem Unit 1 as a whole, Salem Unit 2 as a whole, and 7
the Salem facility as a whole. Outfall FACA is the combined discharge from outfalls 481A, 8
482A, and 483A to represent the overall thermal discharge from Salem Unit 1. For outfall 9
FACA, the permit establishes an effluent net temperature difference of 15.3 0C (27.5'F), a gross 10 temperature of 43.3 00 (11 0°F) from October to May, and a gross temperature of 46.1 °C 11 (1 15°F)from June to September (NJDEP, 2001 a).
12 Similarly, outfall FACB is the combined discharge from outfall DSNs 484A, 485A, and 486A to 13 represent the overall thermal discharge from Salem Unit 2. The temperature limits for outfall 14 FACB are the same as those established for outfall FACA (NJDEP, 2001a).
15 Outfall FACC is the combined results from outfall DSNs 481A through 486A, representing the 16 overall thermal discharge and flow volume for the Salem facility as a whole. The permit 17 establishes an overall intake volume of 3,024 MGD (11.4 million m3/day) on a monthly average 18 basis, and an effluent thermal discharge limit of 30,600 million British thermal units (BTUs) per 19 hour2.199074e-4 days <br />0.00528 hours <br />3.141534e-5 weeks <br />7.2295e-6 months <br /> as a daily maximum (NJDEP, 2001a).
20 In addition to the outfall-specific reporting requirements and discharge limits, the Salem 21 NJPDES permit includes a variety of general requirements (NJDEP, 2001a). These include 22 requirements for the following:
23 0
additives that may be used, where they may be used, and procedures for 24 proposing changes to additives 25 0
toxicity testing of discharges and, depending on results, toxicity reduction 26 measures 27 0
implementation and operations of intake screens and fish return systems 28 0
wetland restoration and enhancement through the estuary enhancement program 29 9
implementation of a biological monitoring program 30 installation of fish ladders at offsite locations 31 9
performance of studies of intake protection technologies 32 0
implementation of entrainment and impingement monitoring 33 0
conduct of special studies, including intake hydrodynamics and enhancements to
.34 entrainment and impingement sampling September 2010 2-41 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
funding of construction of offshore reefs 2
compliance with DRBC regulations, NRC regulations, and the NOAA Fisheries 3
Biological opinion 4
In the permit, the NJDEP reserves the right to re-open the requirements for intake protection 5
technologies (NJDEP, 2001a).
6 2.2.4.5 Hope Creek Generating Station NJPDES Requirements 7
The current NJPDES Permit No. NJ002541 1 for the HCGS facility was issued in early 2003, 8
with an effective date of March 1, 2003, and an expiration date of February 29, 2008 9
(NJDEP, 2003). The permit requires that a renewal application be prepared at least 180 days in 10 advance of the expiration date. Correspondence provided with the applicant's ER indicates that 11 a renewal application was filed on August 30, 2007. However, the current status of that renewal 12 is not provided within the ER and attached NJPDES permit (PSEG, 2009b).
13 The HCGS NJPDES permit regulates water withdrawals and discharges associated with both 14 stormwater and industrial wastewater, including discharges of cooling tower blowdown 15 (NJDEP, 2003). The cooling tower blowdown and other effluents are discharged through an 16 underwater pipe located on the bank of the river, 1,500 ft (457 m) upstream of the SWS intake.
17 The specific discharge locations, and their associated reporting requirements and discharge 18 limits, are presented in Table 2-3.
19 Stormwater discharge is not monitored through the HCGS NJPDES permit. Stormwater is 20 collected and discharged through outfall DSNs 463A, 464A, and 465A. These outfalls were 21 specifically regulated, and had associated reporting requirements, in the HCGS NJPDES permit 22 through 2005. However, the revision of the permit in January 2005 modified the requirements 23 for stormwater, and the permit now requires that stormwater discharges be managed under an 24 approved SWPPP and, therefore, does not specify discharge limits. The same SWPPP is also 25 applicable to stormwater discharges from the Salem facility. The plan includes a listing of 26 potential sources of pollutants and associated best management practices (NJDEP, 2003).
27 Industrial wastewater is regulated at five locations, designated DSNs 461A, 461C, (missing part 28 D), 516A (oil/water separator), and SL1A (sewage treatment plant [STP]). Discharge DSN 461A 29 is the discharge for the cooling water blowdown, and the permit established reporting and 30 compliance limits for intake and discharge volume (in MGD), pH, chlorine-produced oxidants, 31 intake and discharge temperature, total organic carbon, and heat content in millions of BTUs per 32 hour3.703704e-4 days <br />0.00889 hours <br />5.291005e-5 weeks <br />1.2176e-5 months <br />, in both summer and winter (NJDEP, 2003).
33 Discharge DSN 461 C is a discharge for the oil/water separator system and has established 34 reporting and compliance limits for discharge volume, total suspended solids, total recoverable 35 petroleum hydrocarbons, and total organic carbon (NJDEP, 2003).
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Affected Environment 1
Table 2-3. NJPDES Permit Requirements for Hope Creek Generating Station Discharge Description DSN 461A Input is cooling water blowdown and DSN 461C Outfall is discharge pipe Required Reporting Effluent flow Intake flow Effluent pH Chlorine-produced oxidants Effluent gross temperature Intake temperature Total organic carbon (effluent gross, effluent net, and intake)
Permit Limits None None 6.0 daily minimum 9.0 daily maximum 0.2 mg/L monthly average 0.5 mg/L daily maximum 36.2oC daily maximum None None Heat content (June to August) 534 MBTU/hr daily maximum Heat content (September to May) 662 MBTU/hr daily maximum DSN 461C Input is low volume Effluent flow None oily waste from Total suspended solids 30 mg/L monthly average oil/water separator 100 mg/L daily maximum Outfall is to DSN Total recoverable petroleum 10 mg/L monthly average 461A Hydrocarbons 15 mg/L daily maximum Total organic carbon 50 mg/L daily maximum DSN 462B Sewage treatment Effluent flow None plant effluent, Total suspended solids 30 mg/L monthly average discharges to 461A 45 mg/L weekly average 83% removal daily minimum Biological oxygen demand (BOD) 8 kg/day monthly average 30 mg/L monthly average 45 mg/L weekly average 87.5 percent removal daily minimum Oil and grease 10 mg/L monthly average 15 mg/L daily maximum Fecal coliform 200/100 ml monthly geometric 400 /100 ml weekly geometric average.
6 separate metal and inorganic None contaminants (cyanide, nickel, zinc, cadmium, chromium, and copper)
S16A Oil/water separator 24 separate metal and inorganic None residuals from 461C contaminants 24 separate organic contaminants None Volumes and types of sludge None produced and disposed 2
September 2010 2-43 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment Discharge Description Required Reporting Permit Limits SL1A STP system 17 separate metal and inorganic None residuals from 462B contaminants Volumes and types of sludge None produced and disposed Source: NJDEP, 2005a 1
2 Discharge DSN 462B is the discharge for the onsite sewage treatment plant. The permit 3
includes limits for effluent flow volume, total suspended solids, oil and grease, fecal coliform, 4
and six inorganic contaminants (NJDEP, 2005a).
5 Discharge 516A is the discharge from the oil/water separator system. This discharge has 6
reporting requirements established for 48 inorganic and organic contaminants, for the volume of 7
sludge produced, and for the manner in which the sludge is disposed (NJDEP, 2003).
8 Discharge SLIA is the discharge from the STP system. This discharge has reporting 9
requirements established for 17 inorganic contaminants, as well as sludge volume and disposal 10 information (NJDEP, 2003).
11 In addition to the outfall-specific reporting requirements and discharge limits, the HCGS 12 NJPDES permit includes a variety of general requirements. These include requirements for 13 additives that may be used, where they may be used, and procedures for proposing changes to 14 additives; and compliance with DRBC regulations and NRC regulations (NJDEP, 2003).
15 In the permit, the NJDEP reserves the right to revoke the alternate temperature provision for 16 outfall DSN 461A if the NJDEP determines that the cooling tower is not being properly operated 17 and maintained (NJDEP, 2003).
18 Spill Reporting under NJAC 7:1E 19 As discussed above, industrial facilities in New Jersey are required to provide notification to 20 NJDEP whenever any hazardous substance, as defined in NJAC 7:1 E Appendix A, is released.
21 The list of hazardous substance in NJAC 7:1E Appendix A includes almost 2,000 substances 22 that are commonly used at industrial facilities, including many chemicals that Salem and HCGS 23 are specifically permitted to use in accordance with their NJPDES permits. This includes 24 chemicals which are added to the steam systems for corrosion protection, including ammonium 25 hydroxide and hydrazine. In compliance with NJAC 7:1E - 5.3, the facilities occasionally report 26 releases of these chemicals, including hydrazine, ammonium hydroxide, and sodium 27 hypochlorite, to NJDEP, and those reports are publicly available. In two recent instances, the 28 facilities have been subject to enforcement action associated with these releases. In 29 September 2005, the facilities paid a penalty of $7,500 associated with a release of 5,000 30 gallons (19 M3) of boiler feed water containing 7 parts per million (ppm) hydrazine and 20 ppm 31 ammonia. In April 2008, they paid a penalty of $15,000 associated with the May 10, 2006 32 release of 5,000 gallons (19 M3) of water containing hydrazine and ammonium hydroxide, and 33 with a separate release of sodium hypochlorite. A separate penalty of $8,250 was paid in 34 February 2007,'associated with the same May 10, 2006 release (NJDEP, 2010c).
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-44 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
2.2.5 Aquatic Resources - Delaware Estuary 2
2.2.5.1 Estuary Characteristics 3
Salem and HCGS are located at the south end of Artificial Island on the New Jersey shore of 4
the Delaware Estuary, about 52 RM (84 river km) north of the mouth of the Delaware Bay 5
(Figure 2-5). The estuary is the source of the cooling water for both facilities and receives their 6
effluents. The Delaware Estuary supports an abundance of aquatic resources in a variety of 7
habitats. Open water habitats include salt water, tidally-influenced water of variable salinities, 8
and tidal freshwater areas. Moving south from the Delaware River to the mouth of the bay, there 9
is a continual transition from fresh to salt water. Additional habitat types occur along the edges 10 of the estuary in brackish and freshwater marshes. The bottom of the estuary provides many 11 different benthic habitats, with their characteristics dictated by salinity, tides, water velocity, and 12 substrate type. Sediments in the estuary near Artificial Island are primarily mud, muddy sand, 13 and sandy mud (PSEG, 2006c).
14 At Artificial Island, the estuary is tidal with a net flow to the south and a width of approximately 15 16,000 ft (5,000 m) (Figure 2-1). The USACE maintains a dredged navigation channel near the 16 center of the estuary and about 6,600 ft (2,000 m) west of the shoreline at Salem and HCGS.
17 The navigation channel is about 40 ft (12 m) deep and 1,300 ft (400 m) wide. On the New 18 Jersey side of the channel, water depths in the open estuary at mean low water are fairly 19 uniform at about 20 ft (6 m). Predominant tides in the area are semi-diurnal, with a period of 20 12.4 hours4.62963e-5 days <br />0.00111 hours <br />6.613757e-6 weeks <br />1.522e-6 months <br /> and a mean tidal range of 5.5 ft (1.7 m). The maximum tidal currents occur in the 21 channel, and currents flow more slowly over the shallower areas (NRC, 1984; 22 Najarian Associates, 2004).
23 Salinity is an important determinant of biotic distribution in estuaries, and salinity near the Salem 24 and HCGS facilities depends on river flow. The NRC (1984) reported that average salinity in 25 this area during periods of low flow ranged from 5 to 18 parts per thousand (ppt) and during 26 periods of higher flow, ranged from 0 to 5 ppt. Najarian Associates (2004) and PSEG Services 27 Corporation (2005b) characterized salinity at the plant as ranging between 0 and 20 ppt and, in 28 the summer during periods of low flow, as typically exceeding 6 ppt. Based on temperature and 29 conductivity data collected by the USGS at Reedy Island, just north of Artificial Island, Najarian 30 Associates (2004) calculated salinity from 1991 through 2002. According to thier Figure B6 the 31 median salinity was approximately 5 ppt and salinity exceeded 12 ppt in only two years, 32 exceeded 13 ppt in only one year, and never exceeded 15 ppt during the 11 year period. Based 33 on these observations, the Staff assumes that salinity in the vicinity of Salem and HCGS 34 typically ranges from 0 to 5 ppt during periods of low flow (usually, but not always, in the 35 summer) and from 5 to 12 ppt during periods of high flow (Table 2-4). Within these larger 36 patterns, salinity at any specific location also varies with the tides (NRC, 2007).
37 September 2010 2-45 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Table 2-4. Salinities in the Delaware Estuary in the Vicinity of Salem Nuclear Generating 2
Station and Hope Creek Generating Station Condition Salinity Range (ppt)
Low Flow 0-5 High Flow 5-12 Source: NRC, 2007 3
4 Monthly average surface water temperatures in the Delaware Estuary vary with season.
5 Between 1977 and 1982, water temperatures ranged from -0.9 0C (30'F) in February 1982 to 6
30.5 0C (86.9°F) in August 1980. Although the estuary in this reach is generally well mixed, it 7
can occasionally stratify, with surface temperatures 10 to 20C (20 to 40F) higher than bottom 8
temperatures and salinity increasing as much as 2 ppt per meter of water depth (NRC, 1984).
9 Cowardin et al. (1979) classified estuaries into five categories based on salinity, varying from 10 fresh (zero ppt) to hyperhaline (greater than 40 ppt). They further subdivide the brackish 11 category (0.5 to 30 ppt) into three subsections: oligohaline (0.5 to 5 ppt), mesohaline (5 to 18 12 ppt), and polyhaline (18 to 30 ppt). These categories describe zones within the estuary. The 13 estuary reach adjacent to Artificial Island is at the interface of the oligohaline and mesohaline 14 zones; thus, it is oligohaline during high flow and mesohaline during low flow conditions. Based 15 on water clarity categories of good, fair, or poor, the EPA (1998) classified the water clarity in 16 this area of the estuary as generally fair (meaning that a wader in waist-deep water would not 17 be able to see his feet). The EPA classified the water clarity directly upstream and downstream 18 of this reach as poor (meaning that a diver would not be able to see his hand at arm's length).
19 EPA (1998) classified most estuarine waters in the Mid-Atlantic as having good water clarity and 20 stated that lower water clarity typically is due to phytoplankton blooms and suspended 21 sediments and detritus (organic particles and debris from the beakdown of vegetation).
22 Delaware Bay is a complex estuary, with many individual species playing different roles in the 23 system. Additionally, most estuarine species have complex lifecycles, and are present in the 24 bay at different stages, so many species play several ecological roles throughout their lifecycles.
25 Changes in the abundance of these species can have far reaching effects, both within and 26 without the bay, including major trends in commercial fisheries. Major assemblages of 27 organisms within the estuarine community include plankton, benthic invertebrates, and fish.
28 2.2.5.2 Plankton 29 Plankton are organisms that are moved throughout the water column by tides and currents.
30 They are relatively unable to control their own movements (Moisan et al., 2007). Plankton can 31 be primary producers (phytoplankton) or consumers (zooplankton and microbes).
32 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-46 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Phytoplankton 2
Phytoplankton are microscopic, single-celled algae that are responsible for the majority of 3
primary production in the water column. Primary production is typically limited to the upper 2 m 4
(7 ft) of the water column due to light limitation from high turbidity (NRC, 1984). Water quality 5
parameters such as salinity, temperature, and nutrient availability regulate species composition, 6
abundance, and distribution. Seasonal changes in these parameters cause fluctuations in the 7
density of plankton populations (Versar, 1991). Species composition also varies with water 8
quality parameters. In the highly variable, tidally influenced zone, species with a high tolerance 9
for widely fluctuating environments are found. Species composition also fluctuates seasonally 10 (DRBC, 2008b).
11 Phytoplankton were sampled in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of the pre-operational 12 ecological investigations for Salem performed by Ichthyological Associates (PSEG, 1983). In 13 1978, NJDEP agreed that Salem operation had no effect on phytoplankton populations, and 14 phytoplankton studies related to the operation of Salem Units 1 and 2 were discontinued 15 (PSEG, 1984). Versar (1991) conducted a major literature survey for the Delaware Estuary 16 Program to assess the various biological resources of the estuary and possible trends in their 17 abundance or health. This study found that phytoplankton formed the basis of the primary 18 production in the estuary. More recently, Monaco and Ulanowicz (1997) established that 19 pelagic phytoplankton in the Delaware Bay are responsible for most of the primary production.
20 Sutton et al (1996) determined that phytoplankton in the lower bay (polyhaline zone) where the 21 water is less turbid account for most of the primary production in the system. The Delaware 22 Estuary contains several hundred phytoplankton species, a few of which are highly abundant 23 (Sutton et al., 1996). Skeletonema potamos and various cyanobacteria and green algae are 24 numerically dominant in the oligohaline zone.
25 NJDEP currently surveys phytoplankton in the Delaware estuary. These surveys monitor 26 harmful algal blooms by collecting samples for chlorophyll analysis. The occurrence of blooms 27 is highly variable between years, but blooms most often occur in the spring (NJDEP, 2005b).
28 Algal blooms can have large consequences for the entire estuary because they can contain 29 flagellates that may make fish and shellfish inedible, and they can deplete the oxygen in the 30 water column so severely that large fish kills can result. The EPA also monitors algal blooms 31 using helicopter surveys (NJDEP, 2005c).
32 Zooplankton 33 Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton that consume phytoplankton, other types of 34 zooplankton, and detritus (Moisan et al., 2007). They serve as a vital link between the micro 35 algae, detritus, and larger organisms in the Delaware Estuary. Zooplankton are very small, 36 have limited mobility, and provide a source of food for many other organisms, including filter 37 feeders, larvae of fish and invertebrates, and larger zooplankton. They are dependent on 38 phytoplankton, detritus, or smaller zooplankton for food. In turn, they are either eaten by larger 39 organisms or contribute to the energy web by being decomposed by the detritivores after they 40 settle to the substrate. Zooplankton show seasonal and spatial variability in abundance and 41 species composition (PSEG, 1983). Their distribution can be affected by factors such as 42 currents, salinity, temperature, and light intensity (NRC, 1984).
September 2010 2-47 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Some zooplankton spend their entire life cycle in the water column and others spend only part 2
of their life cycle in the water column. Among the former are invertebrates such as shrimp, 3
mysids, amphipods, copepods, ctenophores (comb jellies), jellyfish, and rotifers. Among the 4
animals that spend a only portion of their life cycle as plankton are larval fish and invertebrates 5
that have a planktonic stage before their development into adult forms. The planktonic stage 6
provides for these organisms an important dispersal mechanism, ensuring that larvae arrive in 7
as many appropriate habitats as possible (Sutton et al., 1996). Studies in the Salem 8
pre-operational phase found many such zooplankton in large numbers, including the larval 9
stages of the estuarine mud crab (Rhithropanopeus harrisi), fiddler crab (Uca minax), grass 10 shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio), and copepods (PSEG, 1983).
11 Zooplankton were sampled by Ichthyological Associates as part of the pre-operational 12 ecological studies for Salem Units 1 and 2. Studies related to plant operations in the early to 13 mid 1970s found that two types of crustaceans, opossum shrimp and amphipods of the genus 14 Gammarus, constituted the numerical majority of the taxa collected. Due to the abundance of 15 these two taxa, they were selected by NJDEP and NRC for future ecological studies related to 16 Salem operations. They also are important as prey items for many of the fishes in the estuary.
17 As a result, general studies of the zooplankton in the estuary were discontinued by PSEG in 18 favor of an approach more focused on individual species (PSEG, 1984). Studies reviewed in 19 Sutton et al (1996) did not show a major change in the zooplankton assemblage since the early 20 1960s. Copepods generally are the most abundant organisms and are a major prey resource 21 for larval and adult fish in the Delaware Estuary (Sutton et al., 1996).
22 Since many of the fish species found in the Delaware Estuary are managed either Federally or 23 by individual States, there have been extensive studies of ichthyoplankton (larval fish and eggs).
24 Additionally, fish have been monitored by PSEG and the States of New Jersey and Delaware 25 since before the operation of Salem Units 1 and 2. Initial ichthyoplankton studies were general 26 surveys. Later studies focused on the 11 target species established during the NPDES 27 permitting process. These studies included impingement and entrainment studies and general 28 sampling consisting of plankton tows and beach seines (PSEG, 1984). Versar (1991) reviewed 29 several studies with respect to ichthyoplankton. This review included both the power plant 30 studies and more general surveys focused on managed fish species. The review revealed that 31 ichthyoplankton of the tidal freshwater region (corresponding to the oligohaline region) had a 32 high abundance of the alosid fishes, including the American shad (Alosa sapidissima), hickory 33 shad (A. mediocris), alewife (A. pseudoharengus), and blueback herring (A. aestivalis), as well 34 as other anadromous species. Due to alosid lifecycles, both eggs and larvae have seasonal 35 peaks in abundance and distribution that vary with the species. The bay anchovy (Anchoa 36 mitchilh) is abundant in the transitional region (corresponding to the mesohaline region) in which 37 Artificial Island is located. Other common ichthyoplankton species in the Delaware Estuary 38 include the naked goby (Gobiosoma bosc), blueback herring, alewife, Atlantic menhaden 39 (Brevoortia tyrannus), weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), and Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia).
40 The number of species was highest in the spring and summer months, and bay anchovy always 41 constituted a large portion of the ichthyoplankton samples (Versar, 1991). The lifecycles, 42 habitats, and other characteristics of fish species identified among the ichthyoplankton are 43 described in Section 2.2.5.4.
44 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-48 September 2010
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2.2.5.3 Benthic Invertebrates 2
Benthic invertebrates (or benthos) are organisms that live within (infauna) or on (epifauna) the 3
substrates at the bottom of the water column, including groups such as worms, mollusks, 4
crustaceans, and microorganisms (Census of Antarctic Marine Life, 2008). Parabenthos are 5
organisms that spend some time in or on the substrate but can also be found in the water 6
column, including crabs, copepods, and mysids (Versar, 1991). The species composition, 7
distribution, and abundance of the benthic invertebrate community are affected by physical 8
conditions, such as salinity, temperature, water velocity, and substrate type, and by interactions 9
between individuals and species. Substrates within the Delaware Estuary include mud, sand, 10 clay, cobble, shell, rock, and various combinations of these; those near Salem and HCGS are 11 mostly fine-grained silts and clays with small areas of sand (USACE, 1992).
12 The benthic invertebrate community of the estuary performs many ecological functions. Some 13 benthic species or groups of species form habitats by building reefs (such as oysters and some 14 polychaete worms) or by stabilizing or destabilizing soft substrates (such as some bivalves, 15 amphipods, and polychaetes). Some benthic organisms are filter feeders that clean the 16 overlying water (such as oysters, other bivalves, and some polychaetes), and others consume 17 detritus. While the benthic community itself contains many trophic levels, it also provides a 18 trophic base for fish and shellfish (such as crabs) valued by humans.
19 A review of.benthic data for the Delaware Estuary was included in a report for the Delaware 20 Estuary Program (Versar, 1991). Benthic data have been collected in the estuary since the 21 early 1800s. Most of the earlier reports were surveys describing species; however, large 22 amounts of quantitative data were collected in the 1970s. Generally, benthic invertebrate 23 species distributions were found to be limited by salinity and substrate type (Versar, 1991).
24 Additionally, localized poor water quality can have a major effect on species composition.
25 Species found in the lower bay are limited by salinity gradients; estuarine species, such as the 26 razor clam (Ensis directus) and the polychaete Heteromastus filiformis, are found throughout the 27 entire bay; and freshwater and oligohaline species, such as the clam Gemma gemma, occur in 28 lower salinity waters in the upper bay. Pre-operational studies by Ichthyological Associates also 29 concluded that species composition varied seasonally, reflecting higher diversity and 30 abundance during periods of higher salinity. The authors postulated that this was a result of 31 both recruitment dynamics and immigration from the lower bay (PSEG, 1983).
32 The benthos of the tidal fresh portion (oligohaline) of the estuary includes tubificid worms, 33 chironomid larvae, sphaerid clams, and unionid mussels. These assemblages are greatly 34 influenced by anthropogenic impacts to the water quality in the area due to proximity of pollutant 35 sources on the river. Highly tolerant species are found here, often with only one extremely 36 dominant species. In the transition zone (mesohaline) oligochaetes and amphipods generally 37 are numerically dominant. The bay region (polyhaline) has abundant bivalves and polychaetes 38 (Versar, 1991). As reported in the applicant's initial environmental report (PSEG, 1983),
39 pre-operational studies for Salem Units 1 and 2 found mostly euryhaline species in the vicinity of 40 the facility, including polychaetes, oligochates, and isopods (NRC, 1984).
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Species composition and abundance of benthic organisms are often used as indicators of 2
ecosystem health. Generally, the greater the diversity of species and the more abundant those 3
species are, the healthier the system is considered. EPA collected benthic samples in the 4
Delaware Estuary between 1990 and 1993 in an effort to assess the health of the system. As a 5
result of this sampling effort, EPA determined that 93 percent of the tidal river between the 6
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and Trenton, NJ was either degraded or severely degraded.
7 South of this area, EPA classified only 2 percent of the benthic invertebrate community as 8
impaired, and none of the area was considered severely impaired (Delaware Estuary Program, 9
1995). More recently, EPA released a report describing the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia coastal 10 bays as impacted over one-fourth of their total area. In the Delaware Bay itself, EPA considered 11 the upper portion as severely impacted, the transition area as impacted, and the lower bay as 12 mostly in good condition. The report described a large central area of -the bay as impacted, 13 possibly due to scouring from high currents or eutrophication resulting in high organic carbon 14 levels in the sediments (EPA, 1998).
15 PSEG and its consultants conducted studies during the 1984 NPDES 316(b) permitting process 16 (PSEG, 1984). They collected over 1,000 grab samples in the Delaware Estuary and identified 17 a total of 57 taxa in 8 phyla. The most abundant species were the same as those found in 18 previous studies. General densities of benthic organisms ranged between 17,000 per square 19 meter (M2; 183,000 per ft2) and 25,000 per M2 (269,000 per ft2). As a result of the PSEG 20 studies, NJDEP determined that benthic invertebrates would not be substantially affected by 21 plant operations, and these organisms were no longer sampled as part of the monitoring effort 22 (PSEG, 1984).
23 Mysids are a key biological resource in Delaware Bay because they are highly abundant and 24 are prey for many other species, especially fish. They also are important predators of other 25 invertebrates. Opossum shrimp are found in water with a salinity of 4 ppt or higher (mesohaline 26 and polyhaline regions), most often in deeper areas. They migrate vertically into the water 27 column at night and settle on the sediments during the day. Sand shrimp are more common in 28 shallower waters and play the same ecological role as opossum shrimp. Amphipods are 29 numerous in the transition region and are primarily represented by the genus Gammarus.
30 These crustaceans also form a link between the smaller plankton and the larger fish species in 31 this part of the estuary (Versar, 1991).
32 The benthos of the Delaware estuary also include mollusks and large crustaceans such as the 33 blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) and horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). These species can 34 be difficult to sample with the equipment typically used for benthos sampling, sediment grab 35 samplers (PSEG, 1984). PSEG monitoring survey efforts often caught blue crabs in the bottom 36 trawl samples. Opossum shrimp and Gammarus spp. also are difficult to sample because they 37 often inhabit vegetation in shallow marsh areas. These species were selected as target species 38 during PSEG's early ecological studies with respect to the operation of Salem Units 1 and 2, but 39 NJDEP and PSEG later determined that they were unaffected by the facility and they were no 40 longer specifically monitored (PSEG, 1999).
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Several benthic invertebrate species that have been given special attention by Federal, 2
regional, or State organizations. For example, the blue crab has been extensively monitored at 3
Salem as an important species, the horseshoe crab has been the focus of several restoration 4
efforts within Delaware Bay due to its general decline and the fact that the bay is considered a 5
major nursery and spawning area for the species, and both the horseshoe crab and the oyster 6
were noted as important species by NMFS (NMFS, 2010a). These three species are discussed 7
below.
8 Blue Crab 9
The blue crab is an important ecological, cultural, commercial, and recreational resource in the 10 Delaware Bay (Hill et al., 1989). Blue crabs mate in low-salinity portions of estuaries during the 11 summer, usually from May through October (ASMFC, 2004). Males can mate several times, but 12 females mate only once (ASMFC, 2004). Once the female has been fertilized, she migrates to 13 higher salinity regions to complete the spawning process. The fertilized eggs are extruded over 14 several months and remain attached to the abdomen of the female. The eggs hatch and are 15 released after 1 to 2 weeks, initiating a series of larval transitions. In the first larval stage, the 16 zoea, the larvae are planktonic filter feeders and develop in the higher-salinity waters outside of 17 the estuary. These larvae molt seven to eight times in 31 to 49 days before progressing to the 18 next stage, the megalops, which are more like crabs, with pincers and jointed legs (Hill et al.,
19 1989). After 6 to 20 days, the megalops stage molts into the first crab stage, resembling an 20 adult crab. Over a period of 1 year, these juveniles migrate up the estuary into lower-salinity 21 regions until they have reached the adult stage (Hill et al., 1989). Initially, sea grass beds are 22 an important habitat, but crabs then make extensive use of marsh areas as nurseries (ASMFC, 23 2004). Natural mortality rates for the blue crab are hard to define as they vary non-linearly with 24 life stage and environmental parameters. The maximum age reached by blue crabs has been 25 estimated to be 8 years (ASMFC, 2004).
26 The blue crab is an omnivore, feeding on many other commercially important species, such as 27 oysters and clams. Young blue crabs also are prey for other harvested species, especially 28 those that use the estuary as a nursery area (Hill et al., 1989). Blue crabs are important in 29 energy transfer within estuarine systems (ASMFC, 2004). They play different roles in the 30 ecosystem depending on their life stage. Zoea larvae consume other zooplankton as well as 31 phytoplankton. Megalops larvae consume fish larvae, small shellfish, aquatic plants, and each 32 other. Post-larval stages consume detritus, carcasses, fish, crabs, and mollusks. Crab eggs 33 are eaten by fish. Larval stages are eaten by other planktivores, including fish, jellyfish, and 34 shellfish. Juvenile crabs are consumed by shore birds, wading birds, and fish. Adult crabs are 35 consumed by mammals, birds, and large fish, including the striped bass (Morone saxatitlis),
36 American eel (Anguilla rostrata), and sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) (Hill et al., 1989).
37 Blue crab population estimates are difficult, as recruitment is highly variable and dependent on 38 temperature, dissolved oxygen, rainfall, oceanographic conditions, parasitism, and contaminant 39 and predation levels (Hill et al., 1989; ASMFC, 2004). Landings of blue crabs on the east coast 40 were in decline in the early 2000s, prompting a symposium led by the ASMFC in an attempt to 41 assess the status of the fishery and to assist in developing sustainable landing limits.
42 Participants in the symposium theorized that declines in blue crab populations could be a result 43 of attempts to increase populations of other fisheries species that prey upon crabs (ASMFC, 44 2004).
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Horseshoe Crab 2
The horseshoe crab is an evolutionarily primitive species that has remained relatively 3
unchanged for 350 million years. It is not a true crab but is more closely related to spiders and 4
other arthropods (FWS, 2006). The largest spawning population in the world inhabits the 5
Delaware Bay. They migrate offshore during the winter months and return to shore in spring to 6
spawn on beaches (ASMFC, 2008a). Spawning peaks in May and June, and crabs spawn 7
repeatedly during the season (ASMFC, 2010a). Spawning occurs during high spring tides on 8
sandy beaches with low wave action (ASMFC, 2008a). The female will partially burrow into the 9
sand and deposit several thousand eggs. Eggs hatch in 3 to 4 weeks, and the larvae (which 10 resemble the adult crabs without tails) will enter the water about 1 month later (FWS, 2006).
11 They spend their first 6 days swimming in shallow water, and then settle to the bottom (FWS, 12 2006; ASMFC, 1998a). Juveniles will spend their first 2 year on intertidal sand flats. Older 13 juveniles and adults inhabit subtidal habitats (ASMFC, 2010a). Molting continues after the 14 juvenile stage, with each molt increasing the crab's size by up to 25 percent. After about 17 15 molts, or 9 to 12 years, the crabs are sexually mature (ASMFC, 2008a). Crabs can live up to 10 16 additional years after the last molt (ASMFC, 201 Oa). Horseshoe crabs exhibit limited beach 17 fidelity, usually returning to their native beaches to spawn (FWS, 2003). However, crabs tagged 18 in the Delaware Bay have been recaptured in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia 19 (ASMFC, 2008b).
20 Horseshoe crabs play a major ecological role in the migration patterns of shore birds from the 21 Arctic to the southern Atlantic. Many bird species eat horseshoe crab eggs during their 22 seasonal migrations on the Atlantic flyway (ASMFC, 2008a; FWS, 2006). Juvenile and adult 23 horseshoe crabs eat mostly mollusks, such as clams and mussels, but also arthropods, 24 annelids, and nemerteans. Larvae consume small polychaetes and nematodes (ASMFC, 25 1998a). In addition to providing a rich food source for birds, eggs and larvae are consumed by 26 fish, crabs, gastropods, and loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) (ASMFC, 1998a). Seagulls 27 often eat overturned adults on the beach (FWS, 2003).
28 Commercial uses for horseshoe crabs include applications in the fishing, biomedical, and 29 livestock and fertilizer industries. Fisherman use horseshoe crabs as bait in the American eel 30 and conch (Busycon carica and B. canaliculatum) fisheries. The biomedical industry uses their 31 blood to detect contaminated medicine. This fishery captures, bleeds and releases the crabs 32 (FWS 2003). At the turn of the 20th century, between 1.5 and 4 million horseshoe crabs were 33 harvested annually for use by the livestock and fertilizer industries. Variations and reductions in 34 harvests since that time are partially due to management and partially due to a decrease in 35 demand. Stock status is currently unknown due to lack of commercial fishing data. Evidence 36 from trawl surveys suggests that the population is growing in Delaware Bay. Harvests have 37 been reduced in Delaware, but are increasing in Massachusetts and New York (ASMFC, 38 2008a). The management plan for the horseshoe crab provides limits on harvet seasons for 39 male and female crabs, and for total hauls (ASMFC, 2008b).
40 Threats to horseshoe crab habitat include coastal erosion, development (particularly shoreline 41 stabilization structures such as bulkheads, groins, seawalls, and revetments), sea level rise/land 42 subsidence, channel dredging, contaminants, and oil spills in spawning areas. Habitats of 43 concern include nearshore shallow water and intertidal sand flats, and beach spawning areas 44 (ASMFC, 2010a).
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American Oyster 2
The American oyster is also known as the eastern oyster and the Atlantic oyster. Oysters 3
inhabit the Delaware Bay from the mouth of the bay to Bombay Hook on the Delaware side and 4
to just south of Artificial Island on the New Jersey side (USACE, 2007). There are three 5
physiological races recognized coast wide, each spawning at different temperatures. The 6
oysters in the Delaware Bay are part of the population that spawns at 20 °C (68 °F). Spawning 7
occurs in the summer months, with several events per season. During spawning events, males 8
release their sperm and a pheromone into the water column and the females respond by 9
releasing their eggs. Larvae remain in the water column for 2 to 3 weeks, dispersing with the 10 water currents. Larvae pass through several morphological changes before settling, preferably 11 on other oyster shells. Adult oysters are sessile and found in beds or reefs in dense masses.
12 They often are the only large organism in the bed and can change water currents enough to 13 affect the sediment deposition rate of the local environment. They are dioecious, but are 14 capable of changing sex, with more oysters becoming female as they age. Growth is affected 15 by environmental variables, such as temperature, salinity, intertidal exposure, turbidity, and food 16 availability (Sellers and Stanley, 1984).
17 Oysters are tolerant of a wide array of environmental variables, as they have evolved to live in 18 estuaries, which experience high and low temperatures, high and low salinities, submersion and 19 exposure, and clear to muddy water. Optimal temperatures for adults are between 200C and 20 300C (680F and 86 0F). Salinities higher than 7.5 ppt are required for spawning, but adults will 21 tolerate salinities between 5 and 30 ppt. Because oysters are filter feeders, water velocity is 22 highly important. The water above a bed must be recharged 72 times every 24 hours2.777778e-4 days <br />0.00667 hours <br />3.968254e-5 weeks <br />9.132e-6 months <br /> for 23 maximum feeding. Tidal flows of greater than 5 to 8.5 fps (152 to 259 centimeters per second 24
[cm/sec]) provide for optimal growth (Sellers and Stanley, 1984).
25 Oyster larvae feed on plankton. Adults are stationary filter feeders, feeding on plankton as well 26 as detritus and other particulate matter. They can filter up to 1.5 liters of water an hour, making 27 them an important ecological resource. Due to their reef building abilities, they are also 28 important because they create three-dimensional habitats, which can be home to over 300 other 29 species. A wide variety of other filter feeders eat oyster larvae. Predators of adult oysters 30 include gastropod oysterdrills (Urosalpinx cinerea and Eupleura caudata), the whelk Busycon 31 canaliculatum, the starfish Asterias forbesi, the boring sponge (Cliona sp.), the flatworm 32 Stylochus ellipticus, and crabs. Competitors for resources include slipper limpets (Crepidula 33 sp.), jingle shells (Anomia sp.), barnacles, and the mussel Brachiodontes exustus (Sellers and 34 Stanley, 1984).
35 The oyster is a commercially important species that has been harvested in Delaware Bay since 36 the early 1800s (Delaware Estuary Program, 2010). By the mid 1850s, oyster fisherman had 37 begun transplanting oysters from the naturally occurring seed beds of New Jersey to other 38 areas in the bay for growth, due to concern over the smaller size of oysters being harvested.
39 The natural seed beds are now protected outside of the leasing system, as these are the 40 sources of the oysters transplanted to other beds. In the early 1900s, one to two million bushels 41 were harvested from the bay annually, concurrent with the use of the new oyster dredge.
42 Production remained relatively stable until the mid 1950s when disease decimated the 43 population. Currently, the oyster harvest remains limited due mainly to diseases such as MSX 44
("multinucleated sphere unknown," later classified as Haplosporidium nelson) and Dermo September 2010 2-53 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
(caused by the southern oyster parasite, Perkinsus marinus). Oysters now are directly 2
harvested from the seed beds (Delaware Estuary Program, 2010).
3 Delaware, New Jersey, and the USACE currently are undertaking a joint effort to reestablish 4
oyster beds and an oyster fishery in Delaware Bay. The majority of these efforts are focused on 5
increasing recruitment and sustaining a population by shell and bed planting and seeding.
6 Since 2001, despite management, oyster abundance has continued to decline due to below 7
average recruitment. Recruitment enhancement is deemed important to stabilize stock 8
abundance, to permit continuation and expansion of the oyster industry, to guarantee increased 9
abundance that produces the shell necessary to maintain the bed, and to minimize the control of 10 oyster population dynamics by disease. These goals will allow the oyster to play its ecological 11 role as a filterer that enhances general water quality (USACE, 2007).
12 2.2.5.4 Fish 13 The Delaware Bay, Estuary, and River make up an ecologically and hydrologically complex 14 system that supports many fish species. Most estuarine fish species have complex life cycles 15 and are present in the estuary at various life stages; thus, they may play several ecological roles 16 during their lives. Changes in the abundance of these species can have far-reaching effects, 17 both within the bay and beyond, including effects on commercial fisheries. Given the complexity 18 of the fish community of this system, the description below is based on species considered to be 19 of particular importance for a variety of reasons.
20 Representative Species 21 To determine the impacts of operation from Salem and HCGS on the aquatic environment of the 22 Delaware Estuary, monitoring has been performed in the estuary annually since 1977. The 1977 23 permitting rule for Section 316(b) of the CWA included a provision to select representative 24 species (RS) to focus such investigations (the terms target species or representative important 25 species have also been used) (PSEG, 1984; PSEG, 1999). RS were selected based on several 26 criteria: susceptibility to impingement and entrainment at the facility, importance to the 27 ecological community, recreational or commercial value, and threatened or endangered status.
28 PSEG currently monitors 12 species as RS: blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), alewife (Alosa 29 pseudoharengus), American shad (Alosa sapidissima), bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchihi), Atlantic 30 menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), spot (Leiostomus xanthurus),
31 Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia), Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), white perch 32 (Morone americana), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), and bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).
33 These species are described below.
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Blueback Herring and Alewife 2
The blueback herring and alewife can be difficult to differentiate and are collectively known and 3
managed as "river herring." The NMFS currently classifies both species as species of concern 4
(NMFS, 2009).
5 The entire length of the Delaware River and portions of Delaware Bay are confirmed spawning 6
runs for river herring (NJDEP, 2005d). River herring are anadromous, migrating inshore to 7
spawn in freshwater rivers and streams in a variety of habitats. They are reported to return to 8
their natal rivers, suggesting a need for management more focused on specific populations as 9
opposed to establishing fishery-wide limits. Spawning migration begins in spring, with the 10 alewife arriving inshore approximately one month before the blueback herring (NMFS, 2009).
11 The adults of both species return to the ocean after spawning (ASMFC, 2009a).
12 Blueback herring can reach 16 inches (41 cm) long and have an average life span of 8 years.
13 Males usually mature at 3 to 4 years of age, females at 5 years. Young of the year and 14 juveniles of less than 2 inches (5 cm) are found in fresh and brackish estuarine nursery areas.
15 They then migrate offshore to complete their growth. The juveniles use many habitats in the 16 estuaries, including submerged aquatic vegetation, rice fields, swamps, and small tributaries 17 outside the tidal zone (NMFS, 2009). Blueback herring prefer swiftly flowing water for spawning 18 in their northern range.
19 Alewife reach maturity at approximately 4 years and can live 10 years, reaching up to 15 inches 20 (38 cm) long (NMFS, 2009). They spawn over gravel, sand, detritus, and submerged aquatic 21 vegetation in slow-moving water. Spawning is more likely to occur at night, and a single female 22 may spawn with 25 males simultaneously. The eggs initially stick to the bottom, but they soon 23 become pelagic and hatch within 2 to 25 days. The yolk sac is absorbed within 5 days and the 24 larvae may remain in the spawning areas or migrate downstream to more brackish waters.
25 Juveniles inhabit the brackish areas in estuaries, near their spawning location. As they develop 26 and the temperature drops, they migrate toward the ocean, completing this process in the 27 beginning of the winter months (NMFS, 2009).
28 While at sea, many predators eat river herring, including marine mammals, sharks, tuna, and 29 mackerel. While in the estuaries, American eel, striped bass, largemouth bass, mammals, and 30 birds consume them. The blueback herring and alewife minimize interspecific competition using 31 several mechanisms, including the timing of spawning, juvenile feeding strategies and diets, and 32 ocean emigration timing (ASMFC, 2009a). Blueback juveniles feed on benthic organisms and 33 copepods, cladocerans, and larval dipterans at or just below the water surface (ASMFC, 34 2009a). While offshore, blueback herring feed on plankton, including ctenophores, copepods, 35 amphipods, mysids, shrimp, and small fish (NMFS, 2009). During the spawning migration 36 (unlike the alewife, which does not feed), the blueback herring feeds on invertebrates and fish 37 eggs (ASMFC, 2009a). Juveniles are opportunistic feeders on a variety of invertebrates 38 (ASMFC, 2009a). Alewife are schooling, pelagic omnivores while offshore, feeding mainly on 39 zooplankton but also small fishes and their eggs and larvae (NMFS, 2009). Alewife not only 40 migrate seasonally to spawn in response to temperatures but also migrate daily in response to 41 zooplankton availability (NMFS, 2009). Adult alewife are eaten by many other fish. Alewife are 42 also important as hosts to parasitic larvae of freshwater mussels, some species of which are 43 threatened or endangered (ASMFC, 2009a). Both species are ecologically important due to September 2010 2-55 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
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their trophic position in both estuarine and marine habitats. As planktivores, they link 2
zooplankton to piscivores, providing a vital energy transfer (Bozeman and VanDen Avyle, 1989).
3 River herring are directly consumed by humans and also are ingredients in fish meal, fish oil, 4
pet and farm animal food, and bait. The eggs (roe) are canned for human consumption. The 5
ASMFC manages the river herring fishery (ASMFC, 2009a). River herring also are often taken 6
as bycatch in other fisheries (NMFS, 2009). The river herring fishery has been active in the 7
United States for 350 years. Alewife landings peaked in the 1950s and the 1970s, then abruptly 8
declined (NMFS, 2009). Blueback herring landing data are limited, but a severe decline was 9
observed in the early 2000s. In addition to the commercial industry, there is an extensive 10 recreational fishery. Blueback herring are exhibiting signs of overfishing in several of the 11 estuary systems on the east coast, including the Delaware River (ASMFC, 2009a). River 12 herring population declines have been attributed to overfishing and the loss of historic spawning 13 habitat all along the east coast of the United States (NMFS, 2009). Reasons for habitat loss 14 include dam construction, stream bank erosion, pollution, and siltation (ASMFC, 2009a). New 15 Jersey currently has a small commercial bait fishery for river herring. Delaware also has a small 16 river herring fishery associated with the white perch fishery. Neither State has specific 17 regulations for river herring, but pending legislation in Delaware could eliminate the fishery in 18 that State (ASMFC, 2009a).
19 American Shad 20 The American shad has been a commercially and culturally important species on the east coast 21 of the United States since colonial times. The entire length of the Delaware River is a confirmed 22 spawning run for the American shad. There is no confirmed information available on Delaware 23 Bay itself, although shad would have to migrate through the bay to get to the river 24 (NJDEP, 2005d). American shad adults are highly abundant in Delaware Bay, potentially 25 confirming the use of the estuary as part of the spawning run (ASMFC, 1998b).
26 The American shad is a schooling, anadromous fish that migrates to freshwater to spawn in 27 winter, spring, or summer, with the timing depending on water temperature. Mature shad can 28 spawn up to six times over their lifetimes of 5 to 7 year. Preferred spawning substrates include 29 sand, silt, muck, gravel, and boulders. Water velocity must be rapid enough to keep the eggs 30 off the bottom. Eggs are spawned in areas that will allow them to hatch before drifting' 31 downstream into saline waters. At 4 weeks, the larvae become juveniles and spend their first 32 summer in the freshwater systems (Mackenzie et al., 1985). The juveniles migrate toward the 33 ocean in the fall months, cued by water temperature changes. In the Delaware River, this 34 happens when the water reaches 200C (680F), usually in October and November. The juveniles 35 will remain in the estuary until they are 1 year old (ASMFC, 1998b), then they migrate into the 36 ocean. Juveniles remain in the ocean until they are mature, approximately 3 to 5 years for 37 males and 4 to 6 years for females. Adults are likely to return to their natal rivers to spawn 38 (MacKenzie et al., 1985).
39 Ecologically, the American shad plays an important role in the coastal estuary systems, 40 providing food for some species and preying on others. It also transfers nutrients and energy 41 from the marine system to freshwater areas because many shad die after they spawn (ASMFC, 42 1998b). Young American shad in the river systems feed in the water column on a variety of 43 invertebrates. While at sea, they feed on invertebrates, fish eggs, and small fish (MacKenzie et 44 al. 1985; ASMFC, 1998b). During the spawning run, shad consume mayflies and small fish.
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Many species prey on shad while they are small, including striped bass, American eels, and 2
birds. Seals, porpoises, sharks, bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), and kingfish (Scomberomorus 3
regahni) consume larger shad (Weiss-Glanz et al., 1986). Much of the American shad's life 4
cycle is dictated by changes in ambient temperature. The peak of the spawning run and the 5
ocean emigration happen when the water temperature is approximately 200C (680F).
6 Deformities develop if eggs encounter temperatures above 220C (72°F) and they do not hatch 7
above 29°C (84°F). Juveniles actively avoid rises in temperature of 40C (390F) (MacKenzie et 8
al., 1985).
9 Historically, huge numbers of American shad were harvested during their annual spring 10 spawning runs. The Atlantic catch in 1896 was 50 million lbs (22,700 metric tons [MT])
11 (MacKenzie et al., 1985). By the end of the 19th century, only 17.6 million lbs (8,000 MT were 12 caught, representing a severe decline in the American shad stock, and the fishery began fishing 13 in the waters of the lower bays. Several States, including Maryland, closed the American shad 14 fishery by 1985 (MacKenzie et al., 1985). The ASMFC currently manages the American shad 15 fishery. The ASMFC stock assessment (2007) showed American shad stocks are continuing to 16 depete severley and are not recovering, with Atlantic harvests of approximately 550 tons (500 17 MT). The shad coastal intercept fishery in the Atlantic has been closed since 2005; additionally 18 there is a 10 fish limit for the recreational inshore fishery. The reasons for their decline include 19 dams, habitat loss, pollution, and overfishing (ASMFC, 2007a). A report published by the 20 ASMFC (1 998a) theorized that increased predation by the striped bass is also a factor in the 21 decline of shad abundance (ASMFC, 1998b).
22 Bay Anchovy 23 The bay anchovy is an abundant forage fish in Delaware Bay. It is a small, schooling, 24 euryhaline fish that grows to approximately 4 inches (10 cm) and can live for several years 25 (Morton, 1989; Smithsonian Marine Station, 2008). It lives in waters ranging from fresh to 26 hypersaline over almost any bottom type, including sand, mud, and submerged aquatic 27 vegetation (Morton, 1989; Newberger and Houde, 1995). The bay anchovy spawns almost all 28 year, typically in waters of less than 65 ft (20 m) deep. In the Middle Atlantic region, spawning 29 occurs in estuaries in water of at least 12 0C (54 OF) and over 10 ppt salinity. The eggs are 30 pelagic and hatch after about 24 hr. Newly hatched fish move upstream into lower-salinity 31 areas to feed, eventually migrating to the lower estuary in the fall (Morton, 1989).
32 The bay anchovy is highly important both ecologically and commercially due to its abundance 33 and widespread distribution (Morton, 1989). It plays a large role in the food webs that support 34 many commercial and sport fisheries by converting zooplankton biomass into food for piscivores 35 (Morton, 1989; Newberger.and Houde, 1995). Young bay anchovies feed mainly on copepods, 36 and adults consume mysids, small crustaceans, mollusks, and larval fish. Copepods are the 37 primary food source of bay anchovies in Delaware Bay. Adult bay anchovies are tolerant of a 38 range of temperatures and salinities and move to deeper water for the winter (Morton, 1989).
39 There is no bay anchovy fishery, so they are not directly economically important. However, they 40 support many other commercial fisheries as they are often the most abundant fish in coastal 41 waters (Morton, 1989). Several authors count them as the most important link in the food web, 42 as they are a primary forage item for many other fish, birds, and mammals (Morton, 1989; 43 Smithsonian Marine Station, 2008; Newberger and Houde, 1995). Juvenile fish and gelatinous 44 predators such as sea nettles and ctenophores consume bay anchovy eggs. Bay anchovy often September 2010 2-57 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
account for over half the fish, eggs, or larvae caught in research trawls (Smithsonian Marine 2
Station, 2008). Striped bass are heavily dependent on bay anchovies as larvae, juveniles, and 3
adults, especially since the menhaden and river herring populations have declined in recent 4
years (Chesapeake Bay Ecological Foundation, Inc., 2010).
5 Atlantic Menhaden 6
The Atlantic menhaden is a small schooling fish inhabiting the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia 7
to northern Florida in estuarine and nearshore coastal waters. It migrates seasonally, spending 8
early spring through early winter in estuaries and nearshore waters, with the larger and older 9
fish moving farther north during summer (ASMFC, 2005a). Spawning occurs offshore in fall and 10 early winter between New Jersey and North Carolina (ASMFC, 2005a). The eggs are pelagic 11 and hatch in 1 to 2 days. Once the yolk sac is absorbed at 4 days old, larvae begin to feed on 12 plankton. Larvae enter estuary nursery areas after 1 to 3 months, between October and June in 13 the Mid-Atlantic. Prejuvenile fish use the shallow, low salinity areas in estuaries as nurseries, 14 preferring vegetated areas in fresh tidal marshes and swamps, where they become juveniles 15 (Rogers and Van Den Ayvle, 1989). Juveniles spend approximately 1 year in the estuarine 16 nurseries before joining the adult migratory population in late fall (ASMFC, 2005a). Larvae that 17 entered the nursery areas late in the year may remain until the next fall. Once juveniles 18 metamorphose to adults, they switch from individual capture to a filter feeding strategy. Fish are 19 mature at age 2 or 3 and will then begin the spawning cycle (Rogers and Van Den Ayvle, 1989).
20 Atlantic menhaden can live up to 8 years, but fish older than 6 years are rare (ASMFC, 2001).
21 Due to its high abundance and trophic positioning in the nearshore and estuarine ecosystems, 22 the Atlantic menhaden is ecologically vital along the Atlantic coast (Rogers and Van Den Ayvle, 23 1989). It is a filter feeder that strains plankton from the water column and provides a trophic link 24 between primary producers and the larger predatory species in nearshore waters (ASMFC, 25 2005a). It also transfers energy in and out of estuary systems and on and off the coastal shelf 26 (Rogers and Van Den Avyle, 1989). It is especially important in this regard, as most marine fish 27 species cannot use plankton as a food source (ASMFC, 2001). Rogers and Van Den Avyle 28 (1989) hypothesized that due to its abundance and migratory movements, the Atlantic 29 menhaden may change the assemblage structure of plankton in the water column. Larvae in 30 the estuaries feed preferentially upon copepods and copepodites and may eat detritus as well.
31 Young fish and adults filter feed on anything larger than 7 to 9 micrometers, including 32 zooplankton, large phytoplankton, and chain diatoms (Rogers and Van Den Avyle, 1989). The 33 Atlantic menhaden provides a food source for many larger fish (ASMFC, 2001; Rogers and Van 34 Den Avyle, 1989). Its filter-feeding habits also have lead to a variety of physiological 35 characteristics, such as high lipid content, which enables their survival during periods of low 36 prey availability (Rogers and Van Den Avyle, 1989).
37 The Atlantic menhaden has been an important commercial fish along the Atlantic coast since 38 colonial times. It has been fished since the early 1800s, and landings increased over time as 39 new technologies developed (ASMFC, 2005a). The ASMFC manages the fishery. Currently, 40 the reduction industry uses Atlantic menhaden for fish meal and oil, and both commercial and 41 recreational fisheries use them as bait. Atlantic menhaden populations suffered in the 1960s 42 when they were severely overfished, but they recovered in the 1970s. A stock assessment 43 completed in 2003 declared that the Atlantic menhaden were not overfished, and a review in 44 2004 resulted in a decision not to require an assessment in 2006 (ASMFC, 2005a).
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-58 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Weakfish 2
The weakfish inhabits the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to southern Florida, but is more 3
common between New York and North Carolina (ASMFC, 2009b). Its growth varies 4
geographically, with northern populations becoming much larger and living longer than the more 5
southern populations. Within the Delaware Bay, the oldest females (age 9 years) were an 6
average of 28 inches (710 mm) long, and the oldest males (6 years) were an average of 27 7
inches [686 mm] long (Mercer, 1989). Spring warming induces inshore migration from offshore 8
wintering areas and spawning (ASMFC, 2009b). Spawning occurs in estuaries and nearshore 9
areas between May and July in the New York Bight (Delaware Bay to New York) (Mercer, 10 1989). The weakfish is a batch spawner that continuously produces eggs during the spawning 11 season, allowing more than one spawning event per female (ASMFC, 2002). Larval weakfish 12 migrate into estuaries, bays, sounds, and rivers to nursery habitats, where they remain until they 13 are 1 year old (ASMFC, 2009b; Mercer, 1989). Eggs are pelagic and hatch between 36 and 40 14 hr after fertilization. Larvae become demersal soon after this. Juvenile weakfish use the deeper 15 waters of estuaries, tidal rivers, and bays extensively but do not often inhabit the shallower 16 areas closer to shore. Within Delaware Bay, juvenile weakfish migrate toward lower salinities in 17 the summer, higher salinities in the fall, and offshore for the winter months. Adults migrate 18 inshore seasonally to spawn in large bays or the nearshore ocean. As temperatures cool for the 19 winter, weakfish migrate to ocean wintering areas, the most important of which is the continental 20 shelf between the Chesapeake Bay and North Carolina (Mercer, 1989).
21 The weakfish plays an important ecological role as both predator and prey in the estuarine and 22 nearshore food webs (Mercer, 1989). Adults feed on peneid and mysid shrimps and a variety of 23 other fishes. Younger weakfish consume mostly mysids and other zooplankton and 24 invertebrates (Mercer, 1989; ASMFC, 2002). Weakfish are tolerant of a relatively wide variety 25 of temperatures and salinities. In Delaware Bay, weakfish have been collected in temperatures 26 between approximately 62.6 OF and 82.4 OF (17 °C and 28 °C) and salinities of 0 to 32 ppt 27 (Mercer, 1989).
28 The weakfish is part of a mixed stock fishery that has been economically vital since the early 29 1800s (ASMFC, 2009b). It was historically highly abundant in Delaware Bay. It topped 30 commercial landings in the State of Delaware until the 1990s and was consistently within the top 31 five species in recreational landings (DNREC, 2006a). Weakfish biomass has declined 32 significantly in recent years, with non-fishing pressures such as increased natural mortality, 33 predation, competition, and environmental variables hypothesized as the cause for the decline 34 (ASMFC, 2009b). Commercial landings have fluctuated since the beginning of the fishery, 35 without apparent trend or sufficient explanation (ASMFC, 2009b; Mercer, 1989). Landings 36 along the Atlantic coast peaked in the 1970s then declined throughout the 1980s and early 37 1990s. Management measures increased stock and commercial harvest until 1998, when the 38 fishery declined again, this time continuously until 2008 (ASMFC, 2009b). Between 1995 and 39 2004, commercial landings in Delaware dropped by 82 percent and the recreational harvest 40 dropped by 98 percent, reflecting a coast-wide drop of 78 percent (DNREC, 2006a). The results 41 of the 2009 stock assessment defined the fishery as depleted, but not overfished, with natural 42 sources of mortality listed as the cause of the low biomass levels. The ASMFC is currently 43 developing an amendment to the management plan to address the decline (ASMFC, 2009b).
September 2010 2-59 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Spot 2
The range of spot along the Atlantic coast stretches from Maine to Florida. They are most 3
abundant from the Chesapeake Bay to North Carolina (ASMFC, 2008c). During fall and 4
summer, they are highly abundant in estuarine and near-shore areas from Delaware Bay to 5
Georgia (Phillips et al., 1989). Spot migrate seasonally, spawning offshore in fall and winter at 6
2 to 3 years of age and spending the spring months in estuaries (ASMFC, 2008c). Spawning 7
occurs offshore over the continental shelf from October to March. The eggs are pelagic and 8
hatch after approximately 48 hr, producing buoyant larvae that become more demersal and 9
migrating from the mid-depths during the day to the surface at night. The larvae move slowly 10 toward shore, entering the post-larval stages when they reach nearshore areas and developing 11 into juveniles when they reach the inlets (Phillips et al., 1989). Juveniles move into the low-12 salinity coastal estuaries, where they grow before moving into higher-salinity areas as they 13 mature (ASMFC, 2008c). Seagrass beds and tidal creeks are.important nursery habitats for 14 spot, which often make up 80 to 90 percent of the total number of fish found in these habitats.
15 Juveniles remain in the nursery areas for approximately a year, migrating back to the ocean in 16 September or October (Phillips et al., 1989). Spot are tolerant of a wide range of environmental 17 conditions; they inhabit water temperatures between 46.4 and 87.8 OF (8 and 31 °C) and 18 salinities between 0 and 61 ppt (Phillips et al., 1989).
19 Due to their large numbers and use of a variety of habitats throughout their lifetimes, spot are an 20 ecologically important species as both prey and predators. Spot may significantly reduce 21 zooplankton biomass during their migration to the ocean. Juvenile and young spot eat benthic 22 invertebrates. Adult spot are also benthic feeders, scooping up sediments and consuming large 23 numbers of polychaetes, copepods, decapods, nematodes, and diatoms. Spot are important 24 prey for fish such as spotted seatrout and striped bass and for birds such as cormorants. Spot 25 make up a major portion of the fish biomass and numbers in estuarine waters of the Mid-Atlantic 26 Region (Phillips et al., 1989).
27 Commercial landings of spot fluctuate widely because spot are a short-lived species (4 to 6 28 years) and most landings are composed of a single age class (ASMFC, 2008c). Commercial 29 landings varied between 3.8 and 14.5 million lbs (1.7 and 6.6 million kg) between 1950 and 30 2005 (ASMFC, 2006a). In addition, spot are a large component of the bycatch in other 31 fisheries, including the south Atlantic shrimp trawl fishery (ASMFC, 2008c). Spot also are a very 32 popular recreational species, with recreational landings sometimes surpassing commercial 33 landings (ASMFC, 2006a).
34 Atlantic Silverside 35 The Atlantic silverside inhabits salt marshes, estuaries, and tidal creeks along the Atlantic coast 36 from Nova Scotia to Florida. It can be the most abundant fish in these habitats. Juveniles and 37 adults inhabit intertidal creeks, marshes, and shore areas in bays and estuaries during spring, 38 summer, and fall. During winter in the Mid-Atlantic Region, Atlantic silversides often migrate to 39 deeper water within the bays or offshore (Fay et al., 1983a). Spawning occurs in the intertidal 40 zones of estuaries between March and July in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Most Atlantic silversides 41 die after their first spawning season, though they may spawn between 5 and 20 times in one 42 season (NYNHP, 2009). Atlantic silverside spawning is a complex behavior in which fish swim 43 parallel to the shore until the appropriate tidal level is reached, then the school rapidly turns 44 shoreward to spawn in the shallows in areas where eggs may attach to vegetative substrates.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-60 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Eggs are demersal and adhesive, sticking to eel grass, cordgrass, and filamentous algae. Eggs 2
hatch after 3 to 27 days, depending on temperature. The sex of an individual fish is determined 3
by water temperature during the larval stage - colder temperatures produce more females and 4
warmer temperatures produce more males. Larvae usually inhabit shallow, low salinity (8 to 9 5
ppt) water in estuaries and are most often found at the surface (Fay et al., 1989a). Eggs and 6
larvae tolerate a wide degree of environmental conditions. Juveniles and adults appear to 7
prefer temperatures between 64.4 OF and 77 OF (18 'C and 25 °C). The optimum salinity for 8
hatching and early development is 30 ppt, but juveniles and adults tolerate a wide range of 9
salinities (0 ppt to 38 ppt) (Fay et al., 1983a).
10 Ecologically, the Atlantic silverside is an important forage fish and plays a large role in the 11 aquatic food web and in linking terrestrial production to aquatic systems. Due to their short life 12 span and high winter mortality (up to 99 percent), they play a vital part in the export of nutrients 13 to the near and offshore ecosystem. Little is known about the larval diet. Juvenile and adult fish 14 are opportunistic omnivores and eat invertebrates, fish eggs, algae, and detritus. They feed in 15 large schools over gravel and sand bars, open beaches, tidal creeks, river mouths, and 16 tidally-flooded zones of marsh vegetation. They are prey for many species of commercially and 17 recreationally important fish, crabs, and shorebirds (Fay et al., 1983a). There is no direct 18 commercial or recreational fishery for this species, although many recreational fishers net these 19 minnows for use as bait (Fay et al., 1983a).
20 Atlantic Croaker 21 The Atlantic croaker is a migratory species that appears to move inshore in the warmer months 22 and southward in winter, although its movements have not been well defined (ASMFC, 2007b).
23 It ranges from Cape Cod to Argentina and is uncommon north of New Jersey. Atlantic croaker 24 are estuarine dependant at all life stages, especially as postlarvae and juveniles (Lassuy, 1983).
25 Spawning occurs at 1 to 2 years of age in nearshore and offshore habitats between July and 26 December (ASMFC, 2007b). Atlantic croaker can live for up to 12 years, and will spawn more 27 than once in a season. Eggs are pelagic and are found in waters of varying salinities. Larvae 28 have been found from the continental shelf to inner estuaries. Recruitment to the nursery 29 habitats in the estuaries depends largely on currents and tides and appears to have seasonal 30 peaks depending on latitude. Peak recruitment in the Delaware Estuary occurs in August 31 through October. Ages at recruitment may vary from 2 months to 10 months. Larvae complete 32 their development into juveniles in brackish, shallow habitats. Juveniles slowly migrate 33 downstream, preferring stable salinity regimes in deeper water, and eventually enter the ocean 34 in late fall as adults. They prefer mud bottoms with detritus and grass beds that provide a stable 35 food source, but they are considered generalists (ASMFC, 2005b). Adult croaker are usually 36 found in estuaries in spring and summer and offshore for the winter; their distribution is related 37 to temperature and depth. They prefer muddy and sandy substrates that can support plant 38 growth, but have also been found over oyster reefs. They are euryhaline, depending on the 39 season, and are also sensitive to low oxygen levels. Atlantic croaker are bottom feeders that 40 eat benthic invertebrates and fish. Larvae tend to consume large amounts of zooplankton, and 41 juveniles feed on detritus (ASMFC, 2005b).
September 2010 2-61 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
The Atlantic croaker is an important commercial and recreational fish on the Atlantic coast and 2
the most abundant bottom-dwelling fish in this region. It has been harvested as part of a mixed 3
stock fishery since the 1880s. Commercial landings appear to be cyclical, with catches ranging 4
between 2 million lbs and 30 million lbs (0.9 million kg and 13.6 million kg). This may be due to 5
variable annual recruitment, which appears to be dependent on natural environmental variables.
6 Recreational landings have been increasing. The 2003 stock assessment determined that the 7
Atlantic croaker was not overfished in the Mid-Atlantic Region (ASMFC, 2007b). A 2005 8
amendment to the management plan established fishing mortality and spawning stock biomass 9
targets and thresholds for this species. There are no recreational or commercial management 10 measures in this amendment, but some states have adopted internal management measures 11 for the Atlantic croaker fishery (ASMFC, 2005b).
12 White Perch 13 The white perch is a member of the bass family that fills a vital trophic niche as both predator 14 and prey to many species. It is a commercially and recreationally important species inhabiting 15 coastal waters from Nova Scotia to South Carolina, with its highest abundance in New Jersey, 16 Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (Stanley and Danie, 1983). The white perch is a schooling 17 fish that can grow up to 10 inches (25 cm) long in freshwater, 15 inches (38 cm) long in brackish 18 water, and can live up to 10 years (Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, 2010; MDNR, 19 2008). It spawns in a wide variety of habitats, such as rivers, streams, estuaries, lakes, and 20 marshes, usually in freshwater. Water speed and turbidity are not important in choosing a 21 spawning location. Rising water temperature induces spawning in April through May in 22 freshwater and in May through July in estuaries (Stanley and Danie, 1983). Marine and 23 estuarine populations migrate to freshwater areas to spawn and, thus, are anadromous 24 (Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, 2010). A single female spawns with several males.
25 The eggs attach to the bottom immediately. Hatchlings remain in the spawning area for up to 26 13 days, then they drift downstream or with estuarine currents and become more demersal as 27 they grow. Larvae can tolerate up to 5 ppt salinity, and adults can tolerate full seawater.
28 Juveniles often inhabit upper estuarine nurseries, where they may stay for a year, preferring 29 habitats with silt, mud, or plant substrates. Older juveniles move to offshore beach and shoal 30 areas during the day, but return to the more protected nursery areas at night (Stanley and 31 Danie, 1983).
32 Ecologically, the white perch plays several important roles in its lifecycle. It is omnivorous and 33 will feed on both plankton and benthic species, but it concentrates on fish after it is fully grown.
34 Freshwater populations feed on aquatic insects, crustaceans, fishes, and detritus (Stanley and 35 Danie, 1983). Estuarine populations consume fish (such as alewife, gizzard shad, and smelt),
36 fish eggs, and invertebrates (Stanley and Danie, 1983; Pennsylvania Fish and Boat 37 Commission, 2010). White perch provide food for Atlantic salmon, brook trout, chain pickerel, 38 smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and other piscivorous fish and terrestrial vertebrates 39 (Stanley and Danie, 1983).
40 The largest commercial landings of white perch occurred at the turn of the 2 0 th century. Catch 41 levels then decreased, rising sporadically to reflect large year classes. White perch are a 42 popular recreational fish in freshwater and estuaries. They are often the most abundant species 43 caught recreationally in the northern Atlantic states (Stanley and Danie, 1983).
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-62 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Striped Bass 2
Striped bass inhabit the Atlantic coast from the St. Lawrence River in Canada to northern 3
Florida. They are highly abundant in both the Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay. Females 4
can grow up to 65 lbs (29.4 kg) and live for 29 years, whereas males over 12 years old are 5
uncommon (Fay et al., 1983b). Striped bass migrate along the coast seasonally and are 6
anadromous, spawning in rivers and estuaries after reaching an age of 2 years (males) to 4 7
years (females) (ASMFC, 2008d). There are known riverine and estuarine spawning areas in 8
the upper Delaware and Chesapeake bays. Spawning occurs in April through June in the 9
Mid-Atlantic Region, with some of the most important spawning areas found in the upper 10 Chesapeake Bay and the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal (Fay et al., 1983b). In the Delaware 11 River, the main spawning grounds are located between Wilmington, DE, and Marcus Hook, PA 12 (Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, 2010b). The eggs are pelagic and both eggs and larvae 13 tend to remain in the spawning area throughout the early developmental stages. Most juveniles 14 also remain in the estuaries where they were spawned until they reach adult size, tending to 15 move downstream after the first year. On the Atlantic coast, some adults leave the estuaries 16 and join seasonal migrations to the north in the warmer months, while others remain in the 17 estuaries. Some of these adults will also migrate into coastal estuaries to overwinter.
18 Reproduction is highly variable, with several poorly successful seasons between each strong 19 year class. Variability in adult and juvenile behavior and the unpredictable importance of strong 20 year classes makes management of the fishery challenging. There are four different stocks 21 identified along the Atlantic coast, including the Roanoke River-Albemarle Sound, Chesapeake 22 Bay, Delaware River, and Hudson River stocks (Fay et al., 1983b).
23 Striped bass are tolerant of a wide variety of environmental variables but require specific 24 conditions for successful reproduction. Higher water flows and colder winters may produce 25 successful year classes. Eggs tolerate temperatures of between 57.2 OF and 73.4 OF (14 °C 26 and 23 'C), salinities of 0 to 10 ppt, dissolved oxygen of 1.5 to 5.0 mg/L, turbidity of 0 to 500 27 mg/L, pH of 6.6 to 9.0, and a current velocity of 1.4 to 197 inches/sec (30.5 to 500 cm/sec).
28 Larvae are slightly more tolerant of variables outside these ranges, and juveniles are even more 29 tolerant (Fay et al., 1983b). Young and juveniles tend to inhabit sandy bottoms in shallow 30 water, but can also inhabit areas over gravel, mud, and rock. Adults use a wide variety of 31 bottom types, such as rock, gravel, sand, and submerged aquatic vegetation (ASMFC, 2010b).
32 Larvae and juveniles consume invertebratesfish eggs, and small fish. Young striped bass eat 33 invertebrates and small fish. Adults are mainly piscivorous, consuming schooling bait fish as 34 well as invertebrates (Fay et al., 1983b; DNREC, 2006b). Young striped bass provide food for 35 weakfish, bluefish, white perch, and other large fishes; a variety of predators eat larvae and 36 eggs. Adult striped bass probably compete with weakfish and bluefish, and juveniles are likely 37 to compete with white perch in the nursery areas (Fay et al., 1983b). Striped bass do not feed 38 while on spawning runs (DNREC, 2006b).
39 The striped bass is historically one of the most important fishery species along the Atlantic coast 40 from Maine to North Carolina, with recreational landings exceeding commercial landings 41 (ASMFC, 2003; ASMFC, 2008d). Its population has recovered since a sharp decline from its 42 peak in the 1970s (ASMFC, 2008d). The 2007 stock assessment declared the fishery 43 recovered, fully exploited, and not overfished. This recovery is considered one of the greatest 44 successes in fisheries management (ASMFC, 2008d). The recovery of the striped bass fishery 45 may be the cause of a decline in weakfish abundance (DNREC, 2006b).
September 2010 2-63 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Bluefish 2
The bluefish is a migratory schooling fish that inhabits estuaries and the oceans over the 3
continental shelf in tropical and temperate waters globally. It occurs in the Atlantic from Nova 4
Scotia to northern Mexico. Adults migrate north during summer between Cape Hatteras and 5
New England and spend winter in the south near Florida in the Gulf Stream. Bluefish spawn in 6
the open ocean (Pottern et al., 1989). There is a single spawning event that begins in the south 7
in the late winter and continues northward into the summer as the fish migrate (ASMFC, 1998c).
8 Eggs are pelagic and larvae drift with the offshore currents until coastal waters become warmer 9
(Pottern et al., 1989; ASMFC, 1998c). Larvae transform to a pelagic juvenile stage in 18 to 25 10 days (NOAA, 2006). Spring-spawned juveniles then migrate into bays and estuaries at 1 to 2 11 months old, where they complete their development before joining the adult population in the fall 12 (Pottern et al., 1989). Summer-spawned juveniles enter the estuaries for only a short time 13 before migrating south for the winter (ASMFC, 1998c). Some juveniles will spend a second 14 summer in the estuaries (Pottern et al., 1989). Bluefish can live for up to 12 years and reach 15 lengths of 39 inches (91.4 cm) and weights of 31 lbs (14 kg) (ASMFC, 2006b).
16 Due to its large size and numbers, the bluefish probably plays a large role in the community 17 structure of forage species along the Atlantic coast. Larval bluefish consume large quantities of 18 zooplankton, mostly copepods, in the open ocean (Pottern et al., 1989; NOAA, 2006). Juveniles 19 in the estuaries eat small shrimp and fish. Adult bluefish are mostly piscivorous but also eat 20 invertebrates. (Pottern et al., 1989). Bluefish are highly sensitive to temperature, preferring an 21 optimum range of 64 OF to 68 OF (18 °C to 20 °C). Temperatures above or below this range can 22 induce rapid swimming, loss of interest in food, loss of equilibrium, and changes in schooling 23 and diurnal behaviors. They are found in estuaries at 10 ppt and waters of up to 38 ppt in the 24 ocean (Pottern et al., 1989).
25 The bluefish has been a highly important recreational fish species since the 1800s. It is 26 harvested for human consumption but there is no commercial bluefish industry. Slightly less 27 than half the recreational catch is in inland bays and estuaries (Pottern et al., 1989). A bluefish 28 management plan was developed in 1990 due to the continuous decline in landings since the 29 early 1980s (ASMFC, 2006b; ASMFC, 1998c). Recent numbers have been rising in response 30 to the management plan amendment developed in 1998 (ASMFC, 2006b).
31 Species with Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) 32 In addition to the 12 species monitored by PSEG and discussed above, there are 14 species 33 that have designated EFH in the upper portion of the Delaware Estuary in the vicinity of Salem 34 and HCGS. EFH is defined as "those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, 35 breeding, feeding or growth to maturity" (16 United States Code [USC] 1802(10); 50 Code of 36 Federal Regulations [CFR] 600.10). This definition includes all developmental stages of the 37 particular fishes in question. Thus, EFH for a given species can vary by life stage.
38 The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) was reauthorized in 39 1996 and amended to focus on the importance of habitat protection for healthy fisheries (16 40 USC 1801 et seq.). The MSA amendments, known as the Sustainable Fisheries Act, required 41 the eight regional fishery management councils to describe and identify EFH in their regions, to 42 identify actions to conserve and enhance their EFH, and to minimize the adverse effects of 43 fishing on EFH. The act strengthened the authorities of the governing agencies to protect and 44 conserve the habitats of marine, estuarine, and anadromous fish, crustaceans, and mollusks Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-64 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
(New England Fisheries Management Council [NEFMC], 1999). EFH was defined by Congress 2
as those waters and substrates necessary for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to 3
maturity (MSA, 16 USC 1801 et seq.). The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 4 designates EFH. The consultation requirements of Section 305(b) of the MSA provide that 5
Federal agencies consult with NMFS on all actions or proposed actions authorized, funded, or 6
undertaken by the agency that may adversely affect EFH.
7 EFH is an essential component in the development of Fishery Management Plans to assess the 8
effects of habitat loss or degradation on fishery stocks and to take actions to mitigate such 9
damage. Many managed species are mobile and migrate seasonally, so some species are 10 managed coast-wide, others are managed by more than one fishery management council, and 11 still others are managed for the entire coast by a single council. In Delaware Bay, various 12 fisheries species are managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC),
13 the New England Fisheries Management Council (NWMFC), the Mid-Atlantic Fishery 14 Management Council (MAFMC), and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC).
15 Several species are regulated by the states of New Jersey and Delaware as well, in some cases 16 with more rigid restrictions than those of the regional councils.
17 Salem and HCGS are located near the interface of the salinity zones classified by NMFS as 18 tidal freshwater and mixing salinity zones. The area of the Delaware Estuary adjacent to 19 Artificial Island is designated by NMFS as EFH for various life stages of several species of fish.
20 The Staff considered all the designated EFH that could occur in the vicinity of Salem and HCGS 21 based on geographic coordinates and eliminated EFH for some species and life stages with 22 EFH requirements that are outside of the conditions that normally occur in the local area.
23 NMFS identifies EFH on their website for the overall Delaware Bay (NOAA, 201 Oe) and for 24 smaller squares within the estuary defined by 10 minutes (') of latitude by 10' of longitude.
25 NMFS provides tables of species and life stages that have designated EFH within the 10 ' by 26 10 ' squares. The 10 ' by 10 ' square that includes Salem and HCGS is defined by the following 27 coordinates:
28 North: 39 0 30.0 'N South: 39 0 20.0 'N 29 East: 75 0 30.0 'W West: 75 0 40.0 'W 30 The description of the general location and New Jersey shoreline within this square confirms 31 that it includes Artificial Island and the Salem and HCGS facilities (NOAA, 2010e):
32 Atlantic Ocean waters within the square within the Delaware River, within the mixing water 33 salinity zone of the Delaware Bay affecting both the New Jersey and Delaware coasts. On the 34 New Jersey side, these waters affect: from Hope Creek on the south, north past Stoney Point, 35 and Salem Nuclear Power Plant on Artificial Island, to the tip of Artificial Island as well as 36 affecting Baker Shoal.
37 NMFS identified 14 fish species with EFH in the Delaware Estuary in the vicinity of Salem and 38 HCGS (NMFS, 2010a). These species and their life stages with EFH in this area are identified 39 in Table 2-5. The salinity requirements of these species and life stages are provided in Table 40 2-6. Salinities in the vicinity of Artificial Island are described above in Section 2.2.5.1 and 41 summarized in Table 2-4. For each of these EFH species, the Staff compared the range of 42 salinities in the vicinity of Salem and HCGS with the salinity requirements of the potentially September 2010 2-65 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
2 3
4 5
6 7
8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 affected life stages (Table 2-6). The salinity requirements of many of these EFH species and life stages were found to be higher than salinity ranges in the vicinity of Salem and HCGS or to overlap these salinity ranges only during periods of low flow (Table 2-6). This comparison allowed the list of species with EFH that potentially could be affected by Salem or HCGS to be further refined. If the salinity requirements of an EFH species life stage were not met in the vicinity of the Salem and HCGS facilities, the EFH for that species and life stage was eliminated from further consideration because its potential to be affected by the proposed action would be negligible. As a result, four species were identified that have potentially affected EFH for one or more life stages in the vicinity of Salem and HCGS (Table 2-7): winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus), windowpane flounder (Scophthalmus aquosus), summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), and Atlantic butterfish (Peprilus triacanthus). Descriptions of these four species are included below.
Table 2-5. Designated Essential Fish Habitat by species and life stage in NMFS' 10' x 10' square of latitude and longitude in the Delaware Estuary that includes Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope Creek Generating Station Scientific Name Common Name Eggs Larvae Juveniles Adults Urophycis chuss Red hake Pleuronectes amenicanus Winter flounder X
X X
X Scophthalmus aquosus Windowpane flounder X
X X
X Pomotomus saltatnx Bluefish X
X Paralichthys dentatus Summer flounder X
X Peprilus triacanthus Atlantic butterfish X
Stenotomus chrysops Scup n/a n/a X
Centroprfstes striatus Black sea bass n/a X
Scomberomorus cavalla King mackerel X
X X
X Scomberomorus maculatus Spanish mackerel X
X X
X Rachycentron canadum Cobia X
X X
X Leucoraja eglantana Clearnose skate X
X Leucoraja ednacea Little skate X
X Leucoraja ocellata Winter skate X
X X indicates designated EFH within this area. Blank indicates no designated EFH in this area. n/a indicates that the species does not have this life stage or has no EFH designation for this life stage.
Sources: NOAA, 2010e; NOAA, 2010f 16 17 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-66 September 2010
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2 Table 2-6. Potential Essential Fish Habitat species eliminated due to salinity requirements from further consideration Species, Life Stage EFH Salinity Requirement (ppt) (a)
Site Salinity~ej Matches Requirement Windowpane, juvenile 5.5-36 low flow only Windowpane, adult 5.5-36 low flow only Windowpane, spawner 5.5-36 low flow only Bluefish, juvenile 23-36 no Bluefish, adult
>25 no Scup, juvenile
>15 no Black sea bass, juvenile
>18 no King mackerel
>30 no Spanish mackerel
>30 no Cobia
>25 no Clearnose skate, juvenile probably >22 (b) no Clearnose skate, adult probably >22 (b) no Little skate, juvenile mostly 25-30 (c) no Little skate, adult probably >20 (c) no Winter skate, juvenile probably >20 (d) no Winter skate, adult probably >2 0(d) no (a) Salinity data from NOAA table "Summary of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) and General Habitat Parameters for Federally Managed Species" unless otherwise noted.
(b) NOAA Technical Memorandum. NMFS-NE-174 (NOAA, 2003a).
(c) NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-1 75 (NOAA, 2003b).
(d) NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-1 79 (NOAA, 2003c).
(e) Salinities in Delaware Estuary in vicinity of Salem/HCGS: high flow 0-5 ppt, low flow 5-12 ppt.
Table 2-7. Fish Species and Life Stages with Potentially Affected Essential Fish Habitat in the Vicinity of Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope Creek Generating Station Species Eggs Larvae Juveniles Adults Winter flounder X
X X
X Windowpane X
X X
X Summer flounder X
X Atlantic butterfish X
Source: NRC, 2007 3
4 5
September 2010 2-67 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
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Winter Flounder 2
There are two major populations of winter flounder in the Atlantic: one inhabits estuarine and 3
coastal waters from Newfoundland to Georgia, the other lives offshore on Georges Bank and 4
Nantucket Shoal (Buckley, 1989). In the Mid-Atlantic, winter flounder are most common 5
between the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and Chesapeake Bay (Grimes et al., 1989). In the 6
Delaware Bay region, winter flounder spawn in coastal waters in February and March.
7 Spawning occurs at depths of 7 to 260 ft (2 to 80 m) over sandy substrates in inshore coves and 8
inlets at salinities of 31 to 32.5 ppt (Buckley, 1989; NOAA, 1999a). Sexual maturity is 9
dependent on size rather than age, with southern individuals (age 2 or 3) reaching spawning 10 size more rapidly than northern fish (age 6 or 7). The eggs are demersal, stick to the substrate, 11 and are most often found at salinities between 10 and 30 ppt (Buckley, 1989). Larvae initially 12 are planktonic but become increasingly benthic as they develop (NOAA, 1999a). Juveniles and 13 adults are completely benthic, with juveniles preferring a sandy or silty substrate in estuarine 14 areas (Buckley, 1989). Juveniles move seaward as they grow, remaining in estuaries for the 15 first year (Buckley, 1989; Grimes et al., 1989). Water temperature appears to-dictate adult 16 movements; south of Cape Cod, winter flounder spend the colder months in inshore and 17 estuarine waters and move farther offshore in the warmer months (Buckley, 1989). Winter 18 flounder can live for up to 15 years and may reach 23 inches (58 cm) in length (NOAA, 1999a).
19 Winter flounder tolerate salinities of 5 to 35 ppt and prefer waters temperatures of 32 'F to 77 *F 20 (0 'C to 25 0C). Higher temperatures for extended periods can cause mortality (Buckley, 1989).
21 Winter flounder larvae feed on small invertebrates, invertebrate eggs, and phytoplankton 22 (Buckley, 1989; NOAA, 1999a). Adults feed on benthic invertebrates such as polychaetes, 23 cnidarians, mollusks, and hydrozoans. Adults and juveniles are an important food source for 24 predatory fish such as the striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix),
25 goosefish (Lophius americanus), spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), and other flounders, and 26 birds such as the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), great blue heron (Ardea herodias),
27 and osprey (Pandion haliaetus) (Buckley, 1989).
28 Winter flounder are highly abundant in estuarine and coastal waters and, therefore, are one of 29 the most important species of the commercial and recreational fisheries on the Atlantic coast 30 (Buckley, 1989). The NEFMC and ASMFC manage the winter flounder fishery as part of the 31 groundfish fishery, which comprises 15 demersal species (NEFMC, 2010). Winter flounder also 32 are very popular recreational fish, with the recreational catch sometimes exceeding the 33 commercial catch (Buckley, 1989). Biomass in the New England Mid-Atlantic winter flounder 34 stock declined from 1981 to 1992, and the fishery was declared overexploited. As of 1999, 35 biomass remains significantly lower than prior to overexploitation (NOAA, 1999a). As part of the 36 management program, EFH has been established for the winter flounder along the Atlantic 37 coast. The Delaware Bay's mixing and saline waters are EFH for all parts of the winter flounder 38 lifecycle, including eggs, larvae, juveniles, adults, and spawning adults (NEFMC, 1998a).
39 Windowpane Flounder 40 Windowpane flounder inhabit estuaries, coastal waters, and oceans over the continental shelf 41 along the Atlantic coast from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to Florida. They are most abundant in 42 bays and estuaries south of Cape Cod in shallow waters, over sand, sand and silt, or mud 43 substrates (NOAA, 1999b). They spawn from April to December, and in the Mid-Atlantic Region 44 spawning peaks in May and September (NOAA, 1999b; Morse and Able, 1995). The eggs are Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-68 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
pelagic and buoyant and hatch in approximately 8 days. Larvae begin life as plankton, but soon 2
settle to the bottom (at 0.39 to 0.78 inches [10 to 20 mm] in length) and become demersal. This 3
settling occurs in estuaries and over the continental shelf for spring-spawned fish, which inhabit 4
the polyhaline portions of the estuary throughout the summer. Fall-spawned fish settle mostly 5
on the shelf. Juveniles migrate to coastal waters from the estuaries as they grow larger during 6
autumn, and they overwinter in deeper waters. Adults remain offshore throughout the year and 7
are highly abundant off southern New Jersey. Sexual maturity is reached between 3 and 4 8
years of age, and length generally does not exceed 18 inches (46 cm) (NOAA, 1999b).
9 Juvenile and adult windowpane flounder have similar food sources, including small crustaceans 10 and fish larvae (NOAA, 1999b). Adult windowpane tolerate a wide range of temperatures and 11 salinities, from 23 OF to 80.2 OF (0 °C to 26.8 'C), and 5.5 ppt to 36 ppt. Adults and juveniles are 12 abundant in the mixing and saline zones of Delaware Bay (NOAA, 1999b), and these zones as 13 well as the inland bays are EFH for all life stages of the windowpane flounder, including eggs, 14 larvae, juveniles, adults, and spawning adults (NEFMC, 1998b). The windowpane flounder is 15 managed by the NEFMC under the multispecies groundfish plan (NEFMC, 2010). The fishery 16 does not directly target windowpane, but groundfish trawls take them as bycatch (NOAA, 1999b; 17 Morse and Able, 1995).
18 Summer Flounder 19 The summer flounder is a demersal fish inhabiting coastal waters over sandy substrates from 20 Nova Scotia to Florida, but it is most abundant between Cape Cod and Cape Fear 21 (ASMFC, 2008e). It lives in bays and estuaries in spring, summer, and autumn, and migrates 22 offshore for the winter (NEFSC, 2006a). Migrating adults tend to return to the same bay or 23 estuary every year (NOAA, 1999c). Spawning occurs in autumn and early winter as the fish are 24 migrating over the continental shelf (NEFSC, 2006a; NOAA, 1999c). Eggs are pelagic and 25 buoyant, as are the early stages of larvae (NOAA, 1999c). Larvae move inshore between 26 October and May, where they develop in estuaries and bays (NEFSC, 2006a; ASMFC, 2008e).
27 Larvae become demersal as soon as the right eye migrates to the top of the head, then they 28 bury themselves in the substrate while they are in the inshore nursery areas. Within the 29 estuaries, marsh creeks, seagrass beds, mud flats, and open bay areas are important habitats 30 for juveniles. Some juveniles stay in the estuary habitat until their second year, while others 31 migrate offshore for the winter. Juveniles inhabit the deeper parts of the Delaware Bay 32 throughout the winter (NOAA, 1999c). Sexual maturity is reached by age 2, females may live 33 up to 20 years and reach 26 lbs (12 kg) in weight, but males generally live for only 10 years 34 (NEFSC, 2006a).
35 Tidal movements of juveniles may be due to the desire to stay within a desired set of 36 environmental variables, including temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. Larvae and 37 juveniles live in waters with temperatures between 32 and 73 OF (0 and 23 'C) and usually 38 inhabit the higher-salinity portions of estuaries. Newly recruited juveniles live over a variety of 39 substrates, including mud, sand, shell hash, eelgrass beds, and oyster bars, but as they grow, 40 they are more often over sand. Larvae feed on invertebrates and small fish, with benthic prey 41 items becoming increasingly important with age. Adult summer flounder most often live over September 2010 2-69 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
substrates of sand, coarse sand, or shell fragments and may occur in marsh creeks and 2
seagrass beds. Their diet consists of varioius invertebrates and fish. Large predators, such as 3
sharks, rays, and goosefish, consume adult summer flounder (NOAA, 1999c).
4 The summer flounder, is a highly important commercial and recreational species along the 5
Atlantic coast. Both the ASMFC and the MAFMC manage the fishery under the summer 6
flounder, scup, and black sea bass fishery management plan. The recreational harvest makes 7
up a sizeable portion of the total and is occasionally larger than the commercial harvest. In 8
1999, the summer flounder stock was considered overexploited, but as of 2005, the stock was 9
considered not overfished (NOAA, 1999c; NEFSC, 2006a). In 2009, the ASMFC increased total 10 allowable landings. Although the stock is currently considered not overfished, it has not 11 reached rebuilt status (ASMFC, 2008e).
12 The Delaware Bay is important as a habitat for adults and as a nursery for juveniles, and NMFS 13 has designated EFH for summer flounder larvae, juveniles, and adults in the Delaware Bay 14 (NOAA, 2010g). Summer flounder adults and juveniles are present in the Delaware Bay in 15 salinity zones of 0.5 ppt to above 25 ppt (NOAA Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, 16 2005), which includes the vicinity of Salem and HCGS.
17 Atlantic Butterfish 18 The Atlantic butterfish is a pelagic schooling fish that is ecologically important as a forage fish 19 for many larger fishes, marine mammals, and birds. Its range includes the Atlantic coast from 20 Newfoundland to Florida, but it is most abundant from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras 21 (NEFSC, 2006b; NOAA, 1999d). Butterfish migrate seasonally in response to changes in water 22 temperature. During summer, they migrate inshore into southern New England and Gulf of 23 Maine waters, and in winter they migrate to the edge of tlhe continental shelf in the Mid-Atlantic 24 Bight (Cross et al., 1999). Butterfish inhabit bays, estuaries, and coastal waters up to 200 mi 25 offshore during the summer. Butterfish spawn offshore and in large bays and estuaries from 26 June through August. They are broadcast spawners that spawn at night in the upper part of the 27 water column in water of 15 °C (59 OF) or more. Eggs are pelagic and buoyant (NOAA, 1999d).
28 Butterfish eggs and larvae are found in water with depths ranging from the shore to 6,000 ft and 29 temperatures between 9 'C (48 OF) and 19 'C (66 OF). Juvenile and adult butterfish are found in 30 waters from 33 to 1,200 ft deep and at temperatures ranging from 3 °C (37 OF) to 28 °C (82 OF) 31 (NMFS 2010b). Butterfish reach sexual maturity by age 1, rarely live more than 3 years, and 32 normally reach a weight of up to 1.1 lbs (0.5 kg) (NEFSC, 2006b). Adult butterfish prey on small 33 fish, squid, crustaceans, and other invertebrates and in turn are preyed upon by many species 34 of fish and squid. In summer, butterfish can be found over the entire continental shelf, including 35 sheltered bays and estuaries, to a depth of 200 m over substrates of sand, rock, or mud (Cross 36 et al., 1999).
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The Atlantic butterfish is an important commercial fish species that is also bycatch in other 2
fisheries (NEFSC, 2006b; NEFSC, 2004). The fishery has been in operation since the late 3
1800s (NOAA, 1999d). U.S. commercial landings peaked in 1984 and a record low catch 4
occurred in 2005 (NEFSC, 2006b). The MAFMC manages the Atlantic butterfish under the 5
Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish fishery management plan (NEFSC, 2006b). Due to a 6
lack of data, it has not been established if overfishing is currently occurring, but during the last 7
stock assessment in 1993, it was established that biomass was at medium levels, the catch was 8
not excessive, and recruitment was high (NEFSC, 2004). EFH for Atlantic butterfish juveniles 9
may exist in the vicinity of Salem and HCGS. Inshore EFH for the butterfish includes the mixing 10 or saline zones of estuaries where butterfish eggs, larvae, juveniles, and adults are common or 11 abundant on the Atlantic coast, from Passamaquoddy Bay in Maine to the James River in 12 Virginia (NMFS 2010b).
13 2.2.6 Terrestrial Resources 14 This section describes the terrestrial resources in the immediate vicinity of the Salem and 15 HCGS facilities on Artificial Island and within the transmission line ROWs connecting these 16 facilities to the regional power grid. For this assessment, terrestrial resources were considered 17 to include plants and animals of non-wet uplands as well as wetlands of Artificial Island and 18 bodies of freshwater located on Artificial Island or the ROWs.
19 2.2.6.1 Artificial Island 20 The project site is within the Middle Atlantic coastal plain of the eastern temperate forest 21 ecoregion. This ecoregion, which runs along the eastern seaboard from Delaware to the South 22 Carolina/Georgia border, is characterized by low, flat plains with many marshes, swamps, and 23 estuaries (EPA, 2007). As discussed in Section 2.2.1, Land Use, Artificial Island, on which the 24 Salem and HCGS facilities were constructed, is a man-made island approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) 25 long and 5 mi (8 km) wide that was created by the deposition of dredge spoil material atop a 26 natural sandbar. All terrestrial resources on the island have become established since creation 27 of the island began approximately 100 years ago. Consequently, Artificial Island contains poor 28 quality soils and very few trees. Approximately 65 percent of the island is undeveloped and 29 dominated by tidal marsh, which extends from the higher areas along the river eastward to the 30 marshes of the former natural shoreline adjacent to the eastern boundary of Artificial Island 31 (Figure 2-9). Terrestrial, non-wetland habitats of the island, which are limited and occur 32 primarily on the periphery of the developed portions of PSEG property, consist principally of 33 areas covered by grasses and other herbs with scrub/shrubs and planted trees. Almost all of 34 the undeveloped portions of the island consist of estuarine emergent wetlands (tidal), with 35 scattered occurrences of freshwater wetlands. Small, isolated, freshwater impoundments are 36 also present, particularly along the northwest shoreline.
37 The Salem and HCGS facilities were constructed on adjacent portions of the PSEG property, 38 which occupies the southwest corner of Artificial Island. The PSEG property is low and flat with 39 elevations rising to about 18 ft (5.5 m) above the level of the river at the highest point.
40 Developed areas covered by facilities and pavement occupy over 70 percent of the 740-ac 41 (300-ha) PSEG site (approximately 525 ac [212 ha]). Maintained areas of grass, including two 42 baseball fields, cover about 12 ac (5 ha) of the site interior. The remaining 27 percent of the September 2010 2-71 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Figure 2-11. Aerial Photo Showing the Boundaries of Artificial Island (dotted), PSEG Property (dashed), and Developed Areas (solid).
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-72 September 2010
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PSEG property (approximately 200 ac [81 ha]) consists primarily of tidal marsh dominated by 2
the common reed (Phragmites australis) and several cordgrass species (Spartina spp.) (PSEG, 3
2009b).
4 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 5 classifies all land on the project site as Urban, while the soils on the remainder of Artificial Island 6
are Udorthents consisting of dredged fine material (NRCS, 2010). The National Wetlands 7
Inventory (NWI) identifies a non-tidal inland marsh/swamp area on the periphery of the project 8
site adjacent to Hope Creek Road and two small, man-made freshwater ponds immediately 9
north of the Hope Creek reactor. NWI classifies the rest of Artificial Island as estuarine 10 emergent marsh, with the exception of the northernmost 1 mi (1.6 km) of the island, which is 11 contains freshwater emergent wetlands and freshwater ponds (FWS, 2010a).
12 The tidal marsh vegetation of the site periphery and adjacent areas is dominated by common 13 reed, but other plants present include big cordgrass (Spartina cynosuroides), salt marsh 14 cordgrass (S. alterniflora), saltmeadow cordgrass (S. patens), and saltmarsh bulrush (Scirpus 15 robustus) (PSEG, 2009b). Fragments of this marsh community exist along the eastern edge of 16 the PSEG property. The non-estuarine vegetation on the undeveloped areas within the facilities 17 consists mainly of small areas of turf grasses and planted shrubs and trees around buildings, 18 parking lots, and roads.
19 The animal species present on Artificial Island likely are typical of those inhabiting estuarine 20 tidal marshes and adjacent habitats within the Delaware Estuary. Tidal marshes in this region 21 are commonly used by many migrant and resident birds because they provide habitat for 22 breeding, foraging, and resting (PSEG, 2004b). In 1972, Salem pre-construction surveys 23 conducted within a 4 mi (6 km) radius of the project site recorded 44 avian species, including 24 many shorebirds, wading birds, and waterfowl associated with open water and emergent marsh 25 areas of the estuary. During construction of the Salem facility, several avian species were 26 observed on the project site, including the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), common 27 grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), northern harrier (Circus cyaneus), song sparrow (Melospiza 28 melodia), and yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) (AEC, 1973). HCGS construction studies 29 reported the occurrence of 178 bird species within 10 mi (16 km) of the project site.
30 Approximately half of these species were recorded primarily from tidal marsh and the open 31 water of the Delaware River (habitat similar to the project site) and roughly 45 of the 178 total 32 observed species were classified as permanent resident species (PSEG, 1983). The osprey 33 (Pandion haliaetus) has been observed nesting on transmission line towers on Artificial Island 34 (PSEG, 1983; NRC, 1984; NJDFW, 2009b). Resident songbirds, such as the marsh wren 35 (Cistothorus palustris), and migratory songbirds, such as the swamp sparrow (Melospiza 36 georgiana), have been observed using the nearby Alloway Creek Estuary Enhancement 37 Program restoration site for breeding purposes (PSEG, 2004b). These and other marsh 38 species likely occur in the marsh habitats on Artificial Island.
39 Mammals reported to occur on Artificial Island in the area of the Salem and HCGS facilities 40 before their construction include the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), Norway rat 41 (Rattus norvegicus), and house mouse (Mus musculus) (AEC, 1973). Signs of raccoon 42 (Procyon lotor) have been observed near Salem, and other mammals likely to occur in the 43 vicinity of the two facilities include the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), muskrat 44 (Ondatra zibethica), opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis).
September 2010 2-73 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Surveys conducted in association with the construction of HCGS identified 45 mammals that 2
could be expected to occur within 10 mi (16 km) of the project site (PSEG, 1983). Of the 45 3
species identified, eight were species associated with marsh habitats, such as the meadow vole 4
(Microtus pennsylvanicus) and marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris).
5 Eight of 26 reptile species observed during surveys related to the early operation of HCGS were 6
recorded from tidal marsh (PSEG, 1983). Three species, the snapping turtle (Chelydra 7
serpentina), northern water snake (Natrix sipedon), and eastern mud turtle (Kinosternon 8
subrubrum), prefer freshwater habitats but also occur in brackish marsh. The northern 9
diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), inhabits saltwater and brackish habitats and 10 occurs in tidal marsh adjacent to the project site. Amphibians likely to occur in the upland 11 and/or freshwater wetland habitats of the island include the New Jersey chorus frog 12 (Pseudoacris triseriata kalmi), southern leopard frog (Rana utricularia), and Fowler's toad (Bufo 13 woodhousii fowlen) (NJDEP, 2001 b).
14 Two Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) managed by the New Jersey Division of Fish and 15 Wildlife are located near Salem and HCGS:
16 9 Abbotts Meadow WMA encompasses approximately 1,000 ac (405 ha) and is about 4 mi 17 (6.4 km) northeast of HCGS.
18 Mad Horse Creek State WMA encompasses roughly 9,500 acres (3,844 ha), of which the 19 northernmost portion is less than 1 mi (1.6 km) northeast of the northeast corner of the 20 PSEG property boundary. The southern portion of this WMA includes Stowe Creek, which 21 is designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) in New Jersey. Stowe Creek IBA provides 22 breeding habitat for several pairs of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), which are 23 State-listed as endangered, and the adjacent tidal wetlands support large populations of the 24 northern harrier, which also is State-listed as endangered, as well as many other birds 25 dependent on salt marsh/wetland habitats (National Audubon Society, 2010).
26 Over 1,600-ac (647-ha) of wetlands and uplands of the 3,096-ac (1,253-ha) Alloway Creek 27 Wetland Restoration Site were restored by PSEG between 1996 and 1999 (PSEG 2009c). This 28 restoration area is less than 3 mi (5 km) northeast of HCGS and Salem. Restoration efforts 29 focused on increasing fish habitat and reducing invasive vegetation species, such as 30 Phragmites australis. The site includes two nature trails, several observation platforms, a 31 boardwalk to the beach, and a wildlife viewing blind.
32 The Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), part of the Cape May NWR Complex, 33 is located approximately 7 mi (11 km) north of the project site and, like Artificial Island, consists 34 primarily of brackish tidal marshes (FWS, 2009a). Supawna Meadows NWR is adjacent to the 35 Delaware River and estuary and is recognized as a wetland of international importance and an 36 international shorebird reserve that provides important feeding and resting grounds for migratory 37 shorebirds and waterfowl.
38 2.2.6.2 Transmission Line Right-of-Ways 39 Section 2.2.1 describes the existing power transmission system that distributes electricity from 40 Salem and HCGS to the regional power grid. There are four 500-kV transmission lines within 41 three ROWs that extend beyond the PSEG property on Artificial Island. Two ROWs extend 42 northeast approximately 40 mi (64 km) to the New Freedom substation south of Philadelphia.
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The other ROW extends north then west approximately 25 mi (40 km), crossing the Delaware 2
River to end at the Keeney substation in Delaware (Figure 2-8).
3 In total, the three ROWs for the Salem and HCGS power transmission system occupy 4
approximately 4,376 ac (1,771 ha) and pass through a variety of habitat types, including 5
marshes and other wetlands, agricultural or forested land, and some urban and residential 6
areas (PSEG, 2009a). The major land cover types crossed by these ROWs are cultivated land 7
(23 percent), palustrine forested wetland (19 percent), deciduous forest (13 percent),
8 scrub/shrub (12 percent), and estuarine emergent wetland (11 percent). Other types, such as 9
pasture/hay, urban/developed, and water, collectively cover less than 22 percent of the land 10 crossed by these ROWs (PSEG 2010). As the three ROWs exit the PSEG property, they cross 11 estuarine tidal marsh to the east and north of Artificial Island.
12 The initial segments of the New Freedom North and New Freedom South ROWs traverse 13 approximately 3 mi (5 km) of estuarine emergent marsh east of the PSEG property boundary.
14 This tidal marsh is part of the northern portion of the Mad Horse Creek State WMA. The middle 15 segments of the New Freedom North and New Freedom South ROWs, extending a distance of 16 approximately 30 mi (48 km), cross a mixture of mainly agricultural and forested lands.
17 The Keeney ROW turns north after exiting HCGS, traversing approximately 5 mi (8 km) of 18 emergent marsh and swamp paralleling the New Jersey shore of the Delaware Estuary before 19 crossing 8 mi (13 km) of agricultural, sparsely forested, and rural residential lands. The Keeney 20 ROW then continues west across the Delaware River approximately 3 mi (5 km) to the Red Lion 21 substation. From the substation, the Red Lion-Keeney portion of the line within the Keeney 22 ROW remains exclusively within Delaware, crossing primarily highly developed, residential land.
23 Animals likely to occur in the habitats within the Salem and HCGS transmission line ROWs 24 include a wide variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates that have 25 ranges encompassing southern New Jersey and northeastern Delaware. Species especially 26 likely to occur in ROWs are those that prefer open fields, agricultural areas, marshes, and 27 edges where forest changes to open habitats. Such species are more likely to use the open 28 habitats maintained within the ROWs than are species that prefer forest or swamp habitats.
29 For approximately the last one-quarter of their length, before their termination at the New 30 Freedom substation, the New Freedom ROWs traverse the New Jersey Pinelands National 31 Reserve (PNR) (National Park Service [NPS], 2006a). The New Freedom North and New 32 Freedom South ROWs cross a total of approximately 10 mi (16 km) and 17 mi (27 km) of the 33 PNR, respectively. The PNR preserves the New Jersey Pinelands, also known as the Pine 34 Barrens, which is a heavily forested area of the southern New Jersey Coastal Plain that 35 supports a unique and diverse assemblage of unusual species such as orchids and carnivorous 36 plants; low, dense forests of oak and pine; a 12-ac (5-ha) stand of pygmy pitch pines; and 37 scattered bogs and marshes (New Jersey Pinelands Commission, 2010). The United Nations 38 Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated the Pinelands a U.S.
39 Biosphere Reserve in 1988. Biosphere Reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal 40 ecosystems with three complementary roles: conservation; sustainable development; and 41 logistical support for research, monitoring, and education (UNESCO, 2010). The PNR is 42 protected and its future development is guided by the Pinelands Comprehensive Management 43 Plan, which is implemented by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission.
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The two New Freedom ROWs also cross the Great Egg Harbor River, a designated National 2
Scenic and Recreational River located within the PNR. This 129-mi (208-km) river system 3
(including 17 tributaries) starts in suburban towns near Berlin, NJ and meanders southeast for 4
approximately 60 mi (97 km), gradually widening as tributaries enter, until terminating at the 5
6 PSEG vegetation management practices provide guidance to ensure that all vegetation under 7
HCGS and Salem transmission lines is regularly inspected and maintained to avoid vegetation-8 caused outages to transmission systems in accordance with regulations of the New Jersey 9
Board of Public Utilities (BPU, 2009) and standards of the North American Electric Reliability 10 Council (NERC, 2006). If removal of woody vegetation is necessary in the ROWs, PSEG 11 coordinates its removal with the New Jersey BPU. In addition, PSEG has incorporated into their 12 vegetation management practices measures to prevent impacts to wetlands and threatened and 13 endangered species (PSEG, 2010c). For example, PSEG schedules ROW maintenance to 14 avoid conflicts with the annual surveys it conducts for threatened and endangered species in its 15 ROWs (PSEG, 2010c).
16 The New Jersey Pinelands Commission regulates the maintenance of the ROW portions within 17 the PNR. The commission's Comprehensive Management Plan directs the creation and 18 maintenance of early successional habitats within ROWs that represent characteristic Pinelands 19 communities while ensuring the safety and reliability of transmission lines (New Jersey 20 Pinelands Commission, 2009).
21 2.2.7 Threatened and Endangered Species 22 This discussion of threatened and endangered species is organized based on the principal 23 ecosystems in which such species may occur in the vicinity of the Salem and HCGS facilities 24 and the associated transmission line ROWs. Thus, Section 2.2.7.1 discusses aquatic species 25 that may occur in adjacent areas of the Delaware Estuary, and Section 2.2.7.2 discusses 26 terrestrial species that may occur on Artificial Island or the three ROWs, as well as freshwater 27 aquatic species that may occur in the relatively small streams and wetlands within these 28 terrestrial areas.
29 2.2.7.1 Aquatic Species of the Delaware Estuary 30 There are five aquatic species with a Federal listing status of threatened or endangered that 31 have the potential to occur in the Delaware Estuary in the vicinity of the Salem and HCGS 32 facilities. These species include four sea turtles and one fish (Table 2-8). In addition, there is 33 one fish species that is a Federal candidate for listing (NMFS, 2010b; FWS, 2010b). These six 34 species also have a State listing status of threatened or endangered in New Jersey and/or 35 Delaware (NJDEP, 2008b; DNREC, 2008).These species are discussed below.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-76 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Table 2-8. Threatened and Endangered Aquatic Species of the Delaware Estuary Scientific Name Common Name Statuspa Federal New Jersey Delaware Reptiles Caretta caretta Loggerhead sea turtle T
E E
Chelonia mydas Green sea turtle T
T E
Lepidochelys kempii Kemp's ridley sea turtle E
E E
Dermochelys coriacea Leatherback sea turtle E
E E
Fish Acipenser brevirostrum Shortnose sturgeon E
E A. oxyrinchus oxyrinchus Atlantic sturgeon C
E (a) E = Endangered; T = Threatened; C = Candidate 2
Kemp's Ridley, Loggerhead, Green, and Leatherback Sea Turtles 3
The four species of sea turtles identified by NMFS as potentially occurring in the Delaware 4
Estuary are the threatened loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) and the 5
endangered Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempi) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea).
6 Kemp's ridley, loggerhead, and green sea turtles have been documented in the Delaware 7
Estuary at or near the Salem and HCGS facilities; the leatherback sea turtle is less likely to 8
occur in the vicinity (NMFS, 2010b).
9 Kemp's ridley, loggerhead, and green sea turtles have a similar appearance, though they differ 10 in maximum size and coloration. The Kemp's ridley is the smallest species of sea turtle; adults 11 average about 100 pounds (Ibs; 45 kilograms [kg]) with a carapace length of 24 to 28 inches (61 12 to 71 centimeters [cm]) and a shell color that varies from gray in young individuals to olive green 13 in adults. The loggerhead is the next largest of these three species; adults average about 250 14 lbs (113 kg) with a carapace length of 36 inches (91 cm) and a reddish brown shell color. The 15 green is the largest of the three; adults average 300 to 350 lbs (136 to 159 kg) with a length of 16 more than 3 ft (1 m) and brown coloration (its name comes from its greenish colored fat). The 17 leatherback is the largest species of sea turtle and the largest living reptile; adults can weigh up 18 to about 2,000 lbs (907 kg) with a length of 6.5 ft (2 m). The leatherback is the only sea turtle 19 that lacks a hard, bony shell. Instead, its carapace is approximately 1.5 inches (4 cm) thick with 20 seven longitudinal ridges and consists of loosely connected dermal bones covered by leathery 21 connective tissue (NMFS, 2010c).
22 The Kemp's ridley has a carnivorous diet that includes fish, jellyfish, and mollusks. The 23 loggerhead has an omnivorous diet that includes fish, jellyfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and 24 aquatic plants. The green has a herbivorous diet of aquatic plants, mainly seagrasses and 25 algae, that is unique among sea turtles. The leatherback has a carnivorous diet of soft-bodied, 26 pelagic prey such as jellyfish and salps. All four of these sea turtle species nest on sandy 27 beaches; none nest on the Delaware Estuary (NMFS, 2010c).
28 Major threats to these sea turtles include the destruction of beach nesting habitats and 29 incidental mortality from commercial fishing activities. Sea turtles are killed by many fishing 30 methods, including longline, bottom, and mid-water trawling; dredges; gillnets; and pots/traps.
September 2010 2-77 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
The required use of turtle exclusion devices has reduced bycatch mortality. Additional sources 2
of mortality due to human activities include boat strikes and entanglement in marine debris 3
(NMFS and FWS, 2007a; NMFS and FWS, 2007b; NMFS and FWS, 2007c; NOAA, 2010i).
4 Shortnose Sturqeon 5
The shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) is a primitive fish, similar in appearance to 6
other sturgeon (NOAA, 201Oj), and has not evolved significantly for the past 120 million years 7
(NEFSC, 2006). This species was not specifically targeted as a commercial fishery species, but 8
has been taken as bycatch in the Atlantic sturgeon and shad fisheries. As they were not easily 9
distinguished from Atlantic sturgeon, early data is unavailable for this species (NMFS, 1998).
10 Furthermore, since the 1950s, when the Atlantic sturgeon fishery declined, shortnose sturgeon 11 data has been almost completely lacking. Due to this lack of data, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 12 Service (FWS) believed that the species had been extirpated from most of its range; reasons 13 noted for the decline included pollution and overfishing. Later research indicated that the 14 construction of dams and industrial growth along the larger rivers on the Atlantic coast in the 15 late 1800s also contributed to their decline due to loss of habitat.
16 Shortnose sturgeon can live from 30 years (males) to 67 years (females), grow up to 4.7 ft (143 17 cm) long, and reach a weight of 51 lbs (23 kg). Age at sexual maturity varies within their range 18 from north to south, with individuals in the Delaware Bay area reaching maturity at 3 to 5 years 19 for males and approximately 6 years for females (NOAA, 2010j). Shortnose sturgeon are 20 demersal and feed predominantly on benthic invertebrates (NMFS, 1998).
21 The shortnose sturgeon is found along the Atlantic coast from Canada to Florida in habitats that 22 include fast-flowing rivers, estuaries, and, in some locations, offshore marine areas over the 23 continental slope. They are anadromous, spawning in coastal rivers and later migrating into 24 estuaries and nearshore environments during non-spawning periods. They do not appear to 25 make long-distance offshore migrations like other anadromous fishes (NOAA, 2010j). Migration 26 into freshwater to spawn occurs between late winter and early summer, depending on latitude 27 (NEFSC, 2006). Spawning occurs in deep, rapidly flowing water over gravel, rubble, or boulder 28 substrates, to which the demersal eggs adhere before hatching in 9 to 12 days (NMFS, 1998).
29 Juveniles remain in freshwater or the fresher areas of estuaries for 3 to 5 years, then they move 30 to more saline areas, including nearshore ocean waters (NEFSC, 2006). In the Delaware Bay 31 drainage, shortnose sturgeon most often occur in the Delaware River and may be found 32 occasionally in the nearshore ocean but little is known of the distribution of juveniles in the 33 Delaware Estuary. Their abundance is greatest in the river between Trenton, New Jersey and 34 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Adults overwinter in large groups between Trenton and 35 Bordentown, New Jersey (USACE, 2009).
36 NMFS began a status review of the shortnose sturgeon in 2007 (NMFS, 2008) which is ongoing.
37 Due to its distinct population segments, the status of the species varies depending on the river 38 in question. NMFS (2008) estimated the size of the population in the Delaware River system as 39 12,047 adults based on surveys from 1999 through 2003. Current threats to the shortnose 40 sturgeon vary among rivers. Generally, over the entire range, most threats include dams, 41 pollution, and general industrial growth. Drought and climate change could aggravate the 42 existing threats due to lowered water levels, which can reduce access to spawning areas, 43 increase thermal injury, and concentrate pollutants. Additional threats include discharges, 44 dredging or disposal of material into rivers, development activities involving estuaries or riverine Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-78 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
mudflats and marshes, and mortality due to bycatch in the shad gillnet fishery. NMFS (2008) 2 determined that the Delaware River population is most threatened by dredging operations and 3
water quality issues.
4 Atlantic Sturqeon 5
Atlantic sturgeon supported a large commercial fishery by 1870, but the fishery crashed in 6
approximately 100 years due to overfishing. The effects of overfishing were exacerbated by the 7
fact that this species takes a very long time to reach sexual maturity. The ASMFC adopted a 8
Fishery Management Plan in 1990 that implemented harvest quotas. The current status of the 9
Atlantic sturgeon stock is unknown due to little reliable data. In 1998, a coastwide stock 10 assessment by ASMFC determined that biomass was much lower than it had been in the early 11 1900s (ASMFC, 2009c). This assessment resulted in an amendment to the Fishery 12 Management Plan that instituted a coastwide moratorium on Atlantic sturgeon harvest that will 13 remain in place until 2038 in an effort to accumulate 20 years worth of breeding stock. The 14 Federal government similarly enacted a moratorium in 1999 prohibiting harvest in the exclusive 15 economic zone offshore (ASMFC, 2009c). Concurrent with the coastwide stock assessment, 16 NMFS decided that listing the Atlantic sturgeon as threatened or endangered was not warranted 17 (ASMFC, 2009c).
18 NMFS initiated a second status review in 2005 and concluded that the stock should be broken 19 into five distinct population segments: Gulf of Maine, New York Bight, Chesapeake Bay, 20 Carolina, and South Atlantic stocks (ASMFC, 2009c). The Delaware River and Estuary are in 21 the New York Bight segment. NMFS determined that three of these distinct population 22 segments are likely (>50 percent chance) to become endangered in the next 20 years (New 23 York Bight, Chesapeake Bay, and Carolina), and these three were recommended by NMFS for 24 listing as threatened under the ESA. The other two population segments were determined by 25 NMFS to have a moderate (<50 percent) chance of becoming endangered in the next 20 years 26 and were not recommended for listing (ASMFC, 2009c; Greene et al., 2009). In October 2009, 27 the Natural Resources Defense Council submitted a petition under the ESA to list the Atlantic 28 sturgeon. NMFS announced in January 2010 that it agreed listing may be warranted and 29 decided to request public comment to update the 2007 species status review before beginning a 30 12-month finding and determination on whether to propose listing (NOAA, 201 Oc).
31 ASMFC (2009c) lists threats to the Atlantic sturgeon that include bycatch mortality, poor water 32 quality, dredging activities, and for some populations, habitat impediments (dams blocking 33 access to spawning areas) and ship strikes. As of 2009, NMFS designates the Atlantic 34 sturgeon over its entire range as a species of concern and a candidate species. Reasons for 35 the listing include genetic diversity (distinct populations) and lack of adequate estimates of the 36 size of most population segments (NOAA, 2009b).
37 Atlantic sturgeon inhabit the Atlantic coast in the ocean, large rivers, and estuaries from 38 labrador to northern Florida. Populations have been extirpated from most coastal systems 39 except for the Hudson River, the Delaware River, and some South Carolina systems (ASMFC, September 2010 2-79 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
2010c). Atlantic sturgeon are anadromous, migrating inshore to coastal estuaries and rivers to 2
spawn in the spring. A single fish will spawn only every 2 to 6 years (ASMFC, 2009c). Females 3
broadcast eggs in fast-flowing, deep water with hard bottoms (ASMFC, 201 Oc). Eggs are 4
demersal and stick to the substrate after 20 min of dispersal time. Larvae are pelagic and swim 5
in the water column before they become benthic juveniles within 4 weeks (Greene et al., 2009).
6 Juveniles remain where they hatch for 1 to 6 years before migrating to the ocean to complete 7
their growth (ASMFC, 2009c). Little is known about the distribution and timing of juveniles and 8
their migration, but aggregations at the freshwater/saltwater interface suggest that these areas 9
are nurseries (ASMFC, 2010c). At between 30 and 36 inches (76 to 91 cm) in length, juveniles 10 move offshore (NOAA, 2009b). Data are lacking regarding adult and sub-adult distribution and 11 habitats in the open ocean (ASMFC, 201 Oc). Atlantic sturgeon can live for up to 60 years and 12 can reach 14 ft (4.3 m) and 800 lbs (363 kg). Females reach sexual maturity between 7 and 30 13 years of age and by males between 5 and 24 years (ASMFC, 2009c).
14 Atlantic sturgeon feed predominantly on benthic invertebrates, such as mussels, worms, and 15 shrimps, as well as on small fish (ASMFC, 2009c). Juveniles consume annelid worms, isopods, 16 amphipods, insect larvae, small bivalve mollusks, and mysids. Little is known of the adult and 17 subadult feeding habits in the marine environment, but some studies have found that these life 18 stages consume mollusks, polychaetes, gastropods, shrimps, amphipods, isopods, and small 19 fish (ASMFC, 2009c).
20 The Delaware River and associated estuarine habitats may have historically supported the 21 largest Atlantic sturgeon stock on the east coast. Juveniles once were caught as bycatch in 22 numbers large enough to be a nuisance in the American shad fishery. Over 180,000 females 23 spawned annually in the Delaware River before 1890. Juveniles have more recently been 24 captured in surveys near Trenton, New Jersey. Gill net surveys by the DNREC have captured 25 juveniles frequently near Artificial Island. The DNREC also tracks mortality during the spawning 26 season. In 2005 and 2006, 12 large adult fish carcasses were found with severe external 27 injuries presumed to be caused by boat strikes (Greene et al., 2009).
28 2.2.7.2 Terrestrial and Freshwater Aquatic Species 29 There are five terrestrial species Federally listed as threatened or endangered that have 30 recorded occurrences or the potential to occur either in Salem County, in which the Salem and 31 HCGS facilities are located, or the counties crossed by the three ROWs (Gloucester and 32 Camden counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware). These species include the 33 bog turtle (Clemmys muhlenbergil) and four plants (Table 2-9) (FWS, 201 Ob). Four of these 34 species (all except one plant) are also listed as endangered in New Jersey, and the bog turtle is 35 listed as endangered in both New Jersey and Delaware (NJDEP, 2008b; DNREC, 2008). In 36 letters provided in accordance with the consultation requirements under Section 7 of the 37 Endangered Species Act, FWS confirmed that no Federally-listed species under their 38 jurisdiction are known to occur in the vicinity of the Salem and HCGS facilities (FWS, 2009c; 39 FWS, 2009c; FWS, 201 Od). However, two of the species Federally-listed as threatened, the 40 bog turtle and swamp pink (Helonias bullata), were identified by the New Jersey Field Office of 41 FWS (FWS, 2010d) as having known occurrences or other areas of potential habitat along the 42 New Freedom North and New Freedom South transmission line ROWs. The bog turtle and 43 swamp pink are discussed below.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-80 September 2010
co~
CD
-a CD 07 Cý Table 2-9. Threatened and Endangered Terrestrial and Freshwater Aquatic Species Recorded in Salem County and Counties Crossed by Transmission Lines Status Scientific Name Common Name Federal(a)
State(a),(b)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
Birds Deciduous, coniferous, and mixed Accipiter cooperni Cooper's hawk T/T Gloucester, Salem riparian or wetland forests; specifically remote red maple or black gum swamps.1 )
Open fallow fields with high, thick herbaceous vegetation (not woody)
Ammodramus henslowii Henslow's sparrow E
Gloucester with a few scattered shrubs; and grassy fields between salt marsh and uplands along the Delaware Bay coast.(1 )
Grasslands, pastures, agricultural A. savannarum grasshopper sparrow T/S Salem lands, and other habitats with short-to medium-height grasses scattered with patches of bare ground.(')
Open meadows and fallow fields Bartramia longicauda upland sandpiper E
Gloucester, Salem often associated with pastures, airports or farms with a mixture of tall and short grasses.(1)
Deciduous, riparian, or mixed woodlands in remote, old growth Buteo lineatus red-shouldered hawk EfT Gloucester forests; and hardwood swamps with standing water, or vast contiguous, freshwater wetlands.(1 )
Freshwater, brackish, and saline tidal Circus cyaneus northern harrier E/U Salem marshes; emergent wetlands; fallow fields; grasslands; meadows; airports; and agricultural areas.(1) z C:
X CD 3,
CD 0
CI 0~
CD
z M
- -4 CD M
Status Scientific Name Common Name Federal(a)
State(a),(b)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
Wet meadows, freshwater marshes, Cistothonrs platensis sedge wren E
Salem bogs, and drier portions of salt or brackish coastal marshes.0')
Hayfields, pastures, grassy meadows, and other low-intensity Dolichonyx oryzivonis bobolink T/T Salem agricultural areas; may occur in coastal and freshwater marshes during migration.01 )
ECamden, Gloucester, Nest on buildings, bridges, man-Falco peregrinus peregrine falcon E
Cmade structures and forage in open Salem area' near water(1)
Large, perch trees in forested areas Haliaeetus leucocephalus bald eagle E
Gloucester, Salem associated with water and tidal areas.0) red-headed Camden, Gloucester, Upland and wetland open woods that Melanerpes erythrocephalus woodpecker T/T Salem contain dead or dying trees, and sparse undergrowth.(')
Dead trees or platforms near coastal/inland rivers, marshes, bays, Pandion haliaetus osprey T/T Gloucester, Salem inlets, and other areas associated with bodies of water that support adequate fish populations.0)
Open habitats such as alfalfa fields, Passerculus sandwichensis savannah sparrow T/T Salem grasslands, meadows, fallow fields, airports, along the coast; and within salt marsh edges as well."'1 Freshwater marshes associated with Podilymbus podiceps pied-billed grebe E/S Salem bogs, lakes, or slow-moving rivers.01 MD 0-CD 0.m3 3
0r CD C)
C)
C,,
CD
-cý CD C-CD 00 03 z
C X
Cn CD CD
=31 Status Scientific Name Common Name a(a)
Statu la),(b)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
Federala Stateab)
Open habitats such as alfalfa fields, Passerculus sandwichensis savannah sparrow TT Salem grasslands, meadows, fallow fields, airports, along the coast; and within salt marsh edges as well(1 )
Freshwater marshes associated with Podilymbus podiceps pied-billed grebe E/S Salem bogs, lakes, or slow-moving rivers~1 )
Pastures, grasslands, cultivated fields Pooecetes gramineus vesper sparrow E
Gloucester, Salem containing crops, and other open areas.()
Remote, contiguous, old growth wetland forests, including deciduous Stnx varia barred owl T/T Gloucester, Salem wetland forests; and Atlantic white cedar swamps associated with stream corridors.(1)
Reptiles and Amphibians Uplands and wetlands containing breeding ponds, forests, and Ambystoma tigninum eastern tiger E
Gloucester, Salem burrowing-appropriate soil types such as old fields, and deciduous or mixed woods.(1)
E Camden, Gloucester, Open, wet, grassy pastures or bogs Clemmys muhlenbergii bog turtle T
Salem with soft, muddy bottoms.0)
DE: E New Castle Deciduous upland forests or Crotalus hormdus horndus timber rattlesnake E
Camden pinelands habitats, often near cedar swamps and along streambanks.0) 0 CD 0.
CD rn
a, C,
CD CD Status Scientific Name Common Name Status b)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
FederalP)
State(ab,(b Specialized acidic habitats such as Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic white cedar swamps and Hyla andersoni pine barrens treefrog E
Salem pitch pine lowlands with open canopies, dense shrub layers, and heavy ground cover.1 )
Pituophis melanoleucus northern pine snake T
Camden, Gloucester, Dry pine-oak forest types growing on Salem infertile sandy soils.( )
Uplands and wetlands containing breeding ponds, forests, and Ambystoma tignnum eastern tiger E
Gloucester, Salem burrowing-appropriate soil types such salamander as old fields, and deciduous or mixed woods.
1 )
E Camden, Gloucester, Open, wet, grassy pastures or bogs Clemmys muhlenbergii bog turtle T
Salem with wet, muddy pastursorg DE: E New Castle with soft, muddy bottoms.( 11 Deciduous upland forests or Crotalus horndus hormdus timber rattlesnake E
Camden pinelands habitats, often near cedar swamps and along streambanks.1 )
Specialized acidic habitats such as gCamden, Gloucester, Atlantic white cedar swamps and Hyla andersoni pine barrens treefrog E
C e
les pitch pine lowlands with open canopies, dense shrub layers, and heavy ground cover.0)
T Camden, Gloucester, Dry pine-oak forest types growing on Pituophis melanoleucus northern pine snake T
Salem infertile sandy soils.(
Invertebrates Dry clearings and open areas, Callophrys irus frosted elfin T
Camden savannas, Rower-line ROWs, roadsides.
CD 0-M CD 0,
CD CD 03 C3
(n, CD CD C)
C) mP O0 M,
Cn CD CD C3 Status Scientific Name Common Name lo)
Statu (a),(b)
County(c)
Habitate)
Federala State~ab Lampsilis canosa Medium to large rivers, lakes and ponds; substrate types - sand, silt, yellow lampmussel
-T Gloucester cobble, and gravel; larval hosts -
white perch and yellow perch.(22 )
Freshwater water with tidal influence Leptodea ochracea tidewater mucket T
Camden, Gloucester on the lower coastal plain, pristine rivers.(
32)
Lakes, ponds, streams and rivers of Ligumia nasuta eastern pond mussel T
Camden, Gloucester variable depths with muddy, sandy, or gravelly substrates.(
32)
Brackish and freshwater marshes, Lycaena hyllus bronze copper E
Salem bogs, fens, seepages, wet sedge meadows, riparian zones, wet grasslands, and drainage ditches.01 )
Open areas, savannas, old fields, Pontia protodice checkered white T
Camden vacant lots, power-line ROWs, forest edges. (1)
Dry clearings and open areas, Callophrys irus frosted elfin T
Camden savannas, power-line ROWs, roadsides.0)
Medium to large rivers, lakes and Lampsilis cariosa yellow lampmussel T
Gloucester ponds; substrate types - sand, silt, cobble, and gravel; larval hosts -
white perch and yellow perch.(22 )
Freshwater water with tidal influence Leptodea ochracea tidewater mucket T
Camden, Gloucester on the lower coastal plain, pristine rivers.(
32)
Lakes, ponds, streams and rivers of Ligumia nasuta eastern pond mussel T
Camden, Gloucester variable depths with muddy, sandy, or gravelly substrates.(
32)
Plants CL 0~
m3
- 3 0D
- 3
z CD 3
(1)
Cn
~0' CD Cl)
C)
Status Scientific Name Common Name Federal(')
State(a),(b)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
Aeschynorene virginica sensitive joint vetch T
E Camden, Gloucester, Fresh to slightly salty (brackish) tidal Salem marshes.(2)
Moist, deciduous upland to swampy Aplectrum hyemale putty root E
Gloucester forests.(3)
Aristida lanosa wooly three-awn grass
- ECamden, Salem Dry fields, uplands, pink-oak woods, primarily in sandy soil."4 '
Shady, open-woods areas in wet, Asimina tnloba pawpaw E
Gloucester fertile bottomlands, or upland areas on rich soils. (5)
Camden, Gloucester, Wet meadows, open boggy woods, Aster radula low rough aster E
and along the edges; or openings in Salem wet spruce or tamarack forests.(6)
Rocky, open slopes, woodlands, and Bouteloua curtipendula side oats grama grass E
Gloucester forest openings up to an elevation of approximately 7000 ft.(5)
Dry, ?pen woods, thickets, and rocky Cacalia atnplicifolia pale Indian plantain E
Camden, Gloucester Dropenwd(6) openings.~
Dry, open, sandy to rocky sites such Calystegia spithamaea erect bindweed E
Camden, Salem as pitch pine/scrub oak barrens, sandy roadsides, riverbanks, and ROWs.(7)
Swamps, bogs, marshes, very wet Carex aquatilis water sedge E
Camden soil, ponds, lakes, marshy meadows, and other wetland-type sites.(9)
Dry to mesic grasslands, and forest C. bushii Bush's sedge E
Camden margins.(3)
CD
(-)
0.
3
cn CD 3
CD CD Cý Status Scientific Name Common Name Federal(a)
State(a),(b)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
C. limosa Fens, sphagnum bogs, wet mud sedge E
Gloucester meadows, and shorelines. (3)
Dry, sandy, open areas of scrub, C. polymorpha variable sedge E
Gloucester forests, swampy woods, and along banks and marsh edge. (8)
High ridges and slopes within mixed Castanea pumila chinquapin E
Gloucester, Salem hardwood forests, dry pinelands, and ROWs. (5)
Rich, moist wooded areas in the Cercis canadensis redbud E
Camden forest understory, streambanks, and abandoned farmlands.(5 )
Chenopodium rubrum red goosefoot E
Camden Moist, often salk soils along the Riverbanks, floodplains, and other Cyperus lancastriensis Lancaster flat sedge E
Camden, Gloucester disturbed, sunny or partly sunny places in mesic, or dry-mesic soils.(3)
Along shores, in ditches, and swales C. polystachyos coast flat sedge E
F Salem between dunes.(3)
Open mesic forests, stream edges, C. pseudovegetus marsh flat sedge E
Salem swamps, moist sandy areas, and bottomland prairies.(11)
Wet meadows in wet soils, and pond Diodia virginiana larger buttonweed E
Camden margins. (11)
Fresh, oligotrophic, often drying, Eleochanis melanocarpa black-fruit spike-rush E
Salem sandy shores, ponds, and ditches.(3) zC Xn 0
CD CD CP 0
0~
CD
0) zC:
x Cn CD ac CD CD (D
CD M
Cý Status Scientific Name Common Name (a)
Statu (a),(b)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
Federala State~ab E. equisetoides knotted spike-rush E
Gloucester Fresh lakes, ponds, marshes, streams, and cypress swamps.(3)
E. tortilis twisted spike-rush E
Gloucester Bogs, ditches, seeps, and other freshwater, acidic places. (3)
Enophorum tenellum rough cotton-grass E
Camden, Gloucester Bogs and other wet, peaty Coastal meadows, fallow fields, Eupatorium capillifoium og-E Camden flatwoods, marshes, and disturbed thoroughwort sites.(15 )
Tidal marshes, wetlands, open swamps, wet ditches, sandy acidic E. resinosum pine barren boneset E
Camden, Gloucester soils of grass-sedge bogs, pocosin-savannah ecotones, beaver ponds, and shrub swamps.(
17)
Darlington's glade E
Salem Rich, cool woods alon9 seeps, Euphorbia purpurea spurge streams, or swamps.
Glyceria grandis American manna grass E
Camden Grassy areas.(6) small-flower halfchaff Emergent shorelines, but rarely Hemicarpha micrantha sedge E
Camden freshwater tidal shores.(3)
Quiet, shallow water of pools, Hottonia inflata featherfoil E
Salem streams, ditches, and occasionally in wet soil.(2")
Mesic, deciduous forests, often on Hydrastis canadensis golden seal E
Camden clayey soil.(3)
CD 0
CD CL m
0 3
CD)
CD CD C-CD 00 zC:
X C',
CD
-3 CD Status Scientific Name Common Name Federala State(a),(b)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides floating marsh E
Salem Ponds, marshes, and wet ground.(19) pennywort Hypencum adpressum Barton's St. John's-wort E
Salem Pond shore. (7)
Mixed deciduous forests in second-or third-growth successional stages, coniferous forests; typically light to Isotna meleoloides small-whorled pogonia T
moderate leaf litter, open herb layer, moderate to light shrub layer, and relatively open canopy; flats or slope bases near canopy breaks.(3)
Borders of wet woods, wet springy Juncus caesaniensis New Jersey rush E
Camden bors of wewos, wsi bogs, and swamps.(3)
Edge of sloughs, wet sandy shores; along slightly alkaline watercourses; J. torreyi Torrey's rush E
Camden swamps; sometimes on clay soils, alkaline soils, and calcareous wet meadows.(3)
Limestone edges of bluffs, rocky Kuhnia eupatorioides false boneset E
Camden wooded slopes, and rocky limestone talus.(
11)
Lemna petpusilla minute duckweed E
Camden, Salem Mesotrophic to eutrophic, quiet waters with relatively mild winters.(3)
Limosella subulata awl-leaf mudwort E
Camden Freshwater marshes.(18)
Open, dry, sandplain grasslands or Linum intercursum sandplain flax
- ECamden, Salem moors; sand barrens; mown fields; and swaths under powerlines, usually in small colonies.(
23)
CD C) 73.
0 CD 3
z C
X G)
Cn CID C,,
Cl)
CD (D
C-CD INa C)
CD Status Scientific Name Common Name (a)
Statu (a)b)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
Federala State~ab Luzula acuminate hairy wood-rush E
Gloucester, Salem Grassy areas.(6)
Fens, bottomland prairies; mesic Melanthium virginicum Virginia bunchflower E
Camden, Gloucester, upland forests; mesic upland prairies; Salem along streams, roadsides, and railroads.(11 )
Sandy, pine openings; dry praires; Muhlenbergia capillaries long-awn smoke grass E
Gloucester and exposed ledges.(6)
Myriophyllum tenellum slender water-milfoil E
Camden Sandy soil, water to 5 ft deep.(1 3)
Floodplain marsh; associated with M. pinnatum cut-leaf water-milfoil E
Salem Asclepias perrenis, Salix caroliniana, and Ludwigia repens.(
1 6)
Mostly floodplains of major rivers in Nelumbo lutea American lotus E
Camden, Salem ponds, lakes, pools in swamps and marshes, and backwaters of reservoirs.(3)
Onosmodium virginianum Virginia false-gromwell E
Camden, Gloucester, Sandy soil, and dry open woods.(10)
Salem Rich wooded slopes, shaded Ophioglossum vulgatum southern adder's E
Salem secondary woods, forested pycnostichum tongue bottomlands, and floodplain woods, south of Wisconsin glaciations. (3)
Penstemon laevigatus smooth beardtongue E
Gloucester Rich woods and fields. (6)
Floodplain forests; white cedar, Platanthera flava flava southern rein orchid E
Camden hardwood, and cypress swamps; ri arian thickets; and wet meadows.
Moist, stream banks; and deciduous Polemonium reptans Greek-valerian
-E Salem woods. (6)
CD 0
- 3
- 3 CID
(I)
CD
-0 CD N)
(0 0
C X
C')
C:
-0 CD CD
-N Status Scientific Name Common Name (a)
Statu (a),(b)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
Federal)
State~ab Prunus angustifolia Woodland edges, forest openings, chickasaw plum E
Camden, Gloucester, open woodlands, savannahs, prairies, Salem plains, meadows, pastures, roadsides, and fence rows. (6)
Dry south or west facing slopes on Pycnanthernum basil mountain mint E
Camden rocky soils; open oak-hickory forests, clinopodioides woodlands, or savannas with exposed bedrock. (11)
Open, dry, including red cedar P. torrei Torrey's mountain mint E
Gloucester barrens, rocky summits, roadsides and trails, and dry upland woods.(8)
Rich bottomlands, and dry to moist Quercus imbricana shingle oak E
Gloucester uplands. (6)
Lowlands, bottoms, wet forests, Q. lyrata overcup oak E
Salem streamside forests, and periodically inundated areas. (3)
Rhododendron atlanticum dwarf azalea E
Salem Moist, flat, pine woods, and savannas.
coarse grass-like
- ECamden, Gloucester, Sandy and rocky stream banks, sink-Rhynchospora globulas rs lehole ponds, upland prairies, open beaked-rush Salem rocky, and sandy areas. (11)
Knieskern's beaked-Moist to wet pine barrens, borrow.
R. knieskernii rush T
E Camden pits, and sand pits.(3)
Swamps of acid waters and sandy Sagittaria teres slender arrowhead E
Camden pool shores, and mostly along Atlantic Coastal Plain. )
CD 0_
CD 0~n (D
zC:
X C
CD CD (D
3 CD 0
Cý Status Scientific Name Common Name Statu (a),(bl County(c)
Habitat(d)
Federal(')
State~ab Acidic, sandy or peaty soils in open flatwoods, streamhead pocosins, pitch pine lowland forests, longleaf Schwalbea americana chaffseed E
E Camden pine/oak sandhills, seepage bogs, palustrine pine savannahs, ecotonal areas between peaty wetlands, and xeric sandy soils.(17)
Scirpus longii Long's woolgrass E
Camden Marshes. (3)
Scutellaria leonardii small skullcap E
Salem Fields, meadows, and prairies. (6)
Primarily on coastal plain marshes, swamps, dry to damp roadsides, Spiranthes laciniata lace-lip ladies' tresses E
Gloucester meadows, ditches, fields, cemeteries, lawns; and occasionally in standing water. (3)
Tniadenum waiten Walter's St. John's wort E
Camden Buttonbush swamps, swamp woods, thickets, and streambanks. (21)
Utricularia biflora two-flower bladderwort E
Gloucester, Salem Shores and shallows.( 13)
Pastures, prairies, valleys, creek Valenianella radiata beaked cornsalad E
Gloucester beds, wet meadows, roadsides, glades, and railroads. (11)
Verbena simplex narrow-leaf vervain E
Camden, Gloucester Fields, meadows, and prairies.(6)
Dry fields clearings, and upland Vemonia glauca broad-leaf ironweed E
Gloucester, Salem forests. (21f g,
Vulpia elliotea squirrel-tail six-weeks E
Camden, Gloucester, Grass-like, or grassy habitats.( 6 )
grass Salem Quiet waters in warm-temperature Wolffiella floridana sword bogmat E
Salem regions with relatively mild winters, and mesotrophic.(3)
Low pine savanna, bogs, seeps, Xynis fimbriarta fringed yellow-eyed E
Camden peats and mucks of pond shallows, grass and sluggish shallow streams.(3)
CD CL 0
3 CD
(j,CD CD N)
Cý C) zC:
X G.)
CD CD Status Scientific Name Common Name Federal(a)
State(a)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
Federl~a)
State~ab Aeschynomene virginica sensitive joint vetch T
E Camden, Gloucester, Fresh to slightly salty (brackish) tidal Salem marshes.(2)
Moist, deciduous upland to swampy Aplectrum hyemale putty root E
Gloucester forests.(3)
Dry fields, uplands, pink-oak woods, Anstida lanosa wooly three-awn grass
-E Camden, Salem primarily in sandy soil.(4)
Shady, open-woods areas in wet, Asimina tnloba pawpaw E
Gloucester fertile bottomlands, or upland areas on rich soils.(5)
ECamden, Gloucester, Wet meadows, open boggy woods, Aster radula land along the edges; or openings in Salem wet spruce or tamarack forests. 6)
Rocky, open slopes, woodlands, and Bouteloua curtipendula side oats grama grass E
Gloucester forest openings up to an elevation of approximately 7000 ft.(5)
Dry, open woods, thickets, and rocky Cacalia atnplicifolia pale Indian plantain E
Camden, Gloucester openings.w6 )
Dry, open, sandy to rocky sites such as pitch pine/scrub oak barrens, Calystegia spithamaea erect bindweed E
Camden, Salem s
roadsidesribak and sandy roadsides, riverbanks, and ROWs.(7)
Swamps, bogs, marshes, very wet Carex aquatilis water sedge E
Camden soil, ponds, lakes, marshy meadows, and other wetland-type sites.(9)
Dry to mesic grasslands, and forest C. bushli Bush's sedge E
Camden margins.(3)
Fens, sphagnum bogs, wet C. limosa mud sedge E
Gloucester meadows, and shorelines.(3)
Dry, sandy, open areas of scrub, C. polymorpha variable sedge E
Gloucester forests, swampy woods, and along banks and marsh edge.i8) 0 CD m
0 2
zC:
X Cn CD 3
CD Status Scientific Name Common Name FederaC)
State(a)
County(c)
Habitat(d)
High ridges and slopes within mixed Castanea pumila chinquapin E
Gloucester, Salem hardwood forests, dry pinelands, and ROWs.(5)
Rich, moist wooded areas in the Cercis canadensis redbud E
Camden forest understory, streambanks, and abandoned farmlands.(5)
Chenopodium rubrum red goosefoot E
Camden Moist, often salty soils along the Atlantic coast.(1 Riverbanks, floodplains, and other Cyperus lancastriensis Lancaster flat sedge E
Camden, Gloucester disturbed, sunny or partly sunny places in mesic, or dry-mesic soils.(3)
Along shores, in ditches, and swales C. polystachyos coast flat sedge E
Salem between dunes.(3)
Open mesic forests, stream edges, C. pseudovegetus marsh flat sedge E
Salem swamps, moist sandy areas, and bottomland prairies.(Il)
Wet meadows in wet soils, and pond Diodia virginiana larger buttonweed E
Camden margins.(11)
Eleochanis melanocarpa black-fruit spike-rush E
Salem Fresh, oligotrophic, often drying, sandy shores, ponds, and ditches.(3 )
CD CL 0~
- 0 3
CD 1
C,,
CD
-0 CD 3
or CD N) 0ý 0D
(I)
CD CD 0D (a) Species with a State listing status of E, T, or SC are not included in this table if they have a State Element Rank of S3 (rare), S4 (apparently secure), or SH (occurred historically, but no extant occurrences known).
(b) E = Endangered; T = Threatened; C = Candidate; - = Not Listed. Source of listing status: FWS 2009b, NJDEP 2008c, and DNREC 2009.
(c) State status shown is for the counties shown. All are for New Jersey except where a Delaware status (DE:) is shown for New Castle County.
New Jersey: State status for birds separated by a slash (/) indicates a dual status. First status refers to the breeding population in the state, and the second status refers to the migratory or winter population in the state. S = Stable species (a species whose population is not undergoing any long-term increase/decrease within its natural cycle); U = Undetermined (a species about which there is not enough information available to determine the status). SC
= Species Concern (a species showing evidence of decline, may become threatened) (NJDEP 2008c).
Delaware: Delaware does not maintain T&E species lists" by county. Upon request, Delaware provided PSEG the locations of species of greatest conservation need that occur within 0.5 mi (0.8 km) of the transmission corridor in New Castle County (DNREC 2009). State Rank S1-extremely rare in the state (typically 5 or fewer occurrences); S2-very rare within the state (6 to 20 occurrences); S3-rare to uncommon in Delaware; B - Breeding; N -
Nonbreeding (DNREC 2009).
(d) Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties are in New Jersey; New Castle County is in Delaware. Source of county occurrence data: FWS 2009c, NJDEP 2008b, and DNREC 2009.
(e) Habitat Information Sources:
CD CL, 0~
CD (0
(n (1) NJDEP, 2004b (2) FWS, 2008a (3) eFloras.org, 2003 (4) Utah State University, 2010 (5) USDA, 2006 (6) University of Texas at Austin, 2010 (7) New England Wild Flower Society, 2003 (8) NYNHP, 2010 (9) USDA, 2010 (10) neartica.com, 2010 (11) Missouriplants.com, 2010 (12) Michigan Natural Features Inventory, 2010 (13) University of Wisconsin, 2010 (14) Missorui Botanical Gardens, 2010 (15) Alabamaplants.com, 2010 (16) NatureServe, 2009 (17) CPC, 2010a (18) Calflora, 2010 (19) University of Washington Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, 2006 (20) Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 1983; Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 1994 (21) Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, 2007 (22) Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, 2009 (23) Georgia Department of Natural Resources, 2008 (24) USDA, 1999 (25) University of Georgia, 2010 (26) South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 2010 (27) Hilty, 2010 (28) Wernert, 1998 zC:
m 0X C)
C
-o CD 3
CD 01
Affected Environment 1
The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), which occurs in the vicinity of the site, was 2
Federally delisted in 2007. However, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the 3
Migratory Bird Treaty Act continue to provide Federal protection for the bald eagle from a wide 4
range of activities, including those that may disturb eagles sufficiently to cause injury, decreased 5
productivity, or nest abandonment (FWS, 2009e).
6 Bog Turtle 7
The bog turtle (now also referred to as Glyptemys muhlenbergil) has two discontinuous 8
populations. The northern population, which occurs in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, 9
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, was federally listed as threatened in 10 1997 under the ESA (16 USC 1531 et seq.). The southern population was listed as threatened 11 due to its similarity of appearance to the northern population. The bog turtle was federally listed 12 due to declines in abundance caused by loss, fragmentation, and degradation of early 13 successional wet-meadow habitat, and by collection for the wildlife trade (FWS, 2001 b). The 14 northern population was listed as endangered by the state of New Jersey in 1974 (NJDFW, 15 2010b). In New Jersey, bog turtles are mainly restricted to rural areas of the state, including 16 Salem, Sussex, Warren, and Hunterdon Counties, and as of 2003 were found in over 200 17 individual wetlands (NJDFW, 2010c).
18 The bog turtle is one of the smallest turtles in North America. Its upper shell is 3 to 4 inches 19 (7.6 to 10.2 cm)' long and light brown to black in color, and each side of its black head has a 20 distinctive patch of color that is red, orange, or yellow. Its life span is generally 20 to 30 years.
21 In New Jersey, the bog turtle usually is active from April through October and hibernates the 22 remainder of the year, often within the ground water-washed root systems of woody plants 23 (FWS, 2004; NJDFW, 201 Oc). Hibernation usually occurs in densely vegetated areas near the 24 edges of wooded swamps. Hatchlings usually emerge from the clutches of one to five eggs in 25 September (FWS 2001b).
26 The bog turtle is diurnal and semi-aquatic, foraging on land and in water for a diet of plants 27 (seeds, berries, duckweed), animals (slugs, snails, and insects), and carrion (FWS, 2001b; 28 FWS, 2004; NJDFW, 2004). Northern bog turtles primarily inhabit wetlands fed by groundwater 29 or associated with the headwaters of streams and dominated by emergent vegetation. These 30 habitats typically include wet meadows with open canopies and shallow, cool water that flows 31 slowly (FWS, 2001b). Bog turtle habitats in New Jersey typically are characterized by native 32 communities of low-lying grasses, sedges, mosses, and rushes; however, many of these areas 33 are in need of restoration and management due to the encroachment of woody species and 34 invasive species such as common reed, cattail, and Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium 35 vimineum) (NJDFW, 2010d). Livestock grazing maintains the early successional stage 36 vegetation favorable for bog turtles (NJDFW, 2010b). Areas of potential habitat for the bog 37 turtle occur along the New Freedom North and New Freedom South transmission line ROWs 38 (FWS, 2009a).
39 Swamp Pink 40 Swamp pink historically occurred between New York State and the southern Appalachian 41 Mountains of Georgia. It currently is found in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, 42 Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, but the largest concentrations are Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-96 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
found in New Jersey (CPC, 2010b). Swamp pink was federally listed as a threatened species in 2
1988 due to population declines and threats to its habitat (FWS, 1991). It also was listed as 3
endangered by the State of New Jersey in 1991 and currently is also designated as endangered 4
in Delaware and six other states (CPC, 201 Ob). New Jersey contains 70 percent of the known 5
populations of swamp pink, most of which are on private lands. Swamp pink continues to be 6
threatened by direct loss of habitat to development, and by development adjacent to 7
populations, which can interfere with hydrology and reduce water quality (FWS, 2010c).
8 Swamp pink, a member of the lily family, has smooth evergreen leaves. It flowers in April and 9
May. The flower stem is 1 to 3 ft (30 to 91 cm) tall with small leaves, and pink flowers are 10 clustered (30 to 50 flowers) at the top of the stalk (FWS, 201 Oc). Fruits are trilobed, heart-11 shaped, and contain many seeds (Center for Plant Conservation, 2010; FWS, 1991). Swamp 12 pink is not very successful at dispersing through seeds; rhizomes are the main source of new 13 plants (FWS, 1991). Swamp Oink has a highly clumped distribution where it occurs.
14 Populations can vary from a few individuals to several thousand plants and could be considered 15 colonies due to the the rhizomes connecting the plants (FWS, 1991).
16 Swamp pink is a wetland plant that usually grows on hummocks in soil that is saturated but not 17 persistently flooded. It is thought to be limited to shady areas. Specific habitats include Atlantic 18 white-cedar (Chamaecypa tisthyoides) swamps, swampy forested wetlands that border small 19 streams, meadows, and spring seepage areas. It is most commonly found with other wetland 20 plants such as red maple (Acer rubrum), sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), sweetbay 21 magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.), cinnamon fern (Osmunda 22 cinnamomea), and skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) (FWS, 201 Oc; CPC, 2010).
23 As of 1991, when a recovery plan for swamp pink was completed, New Jersey supported over 24 half the known populations of the species, with 71 confirmed occurrences mostly on the coastal 25 plain in pinelands fringe areas in the Delaware River drainage (FWS, 1991). In Delaware, 15 26 sites were confirmed in the coastal plain province in the counties of New Castle, Kent, and 27 Sussex (FWS, 1991). In Delaware, one occurrence of swamp pink currently is recognized in 28 New Castle County. Delaware does not have regulations specifically for protection of rare plant 29 species (FWS, 2008b). As of 2008 in New Jersey, Salem County had 20 confirmed 30 occurrences of swamp pink, Gloucester County had 13, and Camden County had 28 (FWS, 31 2008b). According to FWS (2009c), known occurrences of swamp pink as well as other areas 32 of potential habitat occur along the New Freedom North and New Freedom South transmission 33 line ROWs.
34 2.2.8 Socioeconomic Factors 35 This section describes current socioeconomic factors that have the potential to be directly or 36 indirectly affected by changes in operations at Salem and HCGS. Salem, HCGS, and the 37 communities that support them can be described as dynamic socioeconomic systems. The 38 communities provide the people, goods, and services required to operate Salem and HCGS.
39 Salem and HCGS operations, in turn, create the demand and pay for the people, goods, and 40 services in the form of wages, salaries, and benefits for jobs and dollar expenditures for goods 41 and services. The measure of the communities' ability to support the demands of Salem and 42 HCGS depends on their ability to respond to changing environmental, social, economic, and 43 demographic conditions.
September 2010 2-97 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
1 The socioeconomic region of influence (ROI) for Salem is defined as the areas in which Salem 2
employees and their families reside, spend their income, and use their benefits, thereby 3
affecting the economic conditions of the region. The Salem ROI consists of a four-county region 4
where approximately 85 percent of Salem employees reside: Salem, Gloucester, and 5
Cumberland counties in New Jersey and New Castle County in Delaware. The ROI for HCGS 6
is defined as the areas in which HCGS employees and their families reside. The HCGS ROI 7
consists of the same four-county region, where 82 percent of HCGS employees reside. Salem 8
and HCGS staff include shared corporate and matrixed employees, 79 percent of whom reside 9
in the four-county region. The following sections describe the housing, public services, offsite 10 land use, visual aesthetics and noise, population demography, and the economy in the ROI for 11 Salem and HCGS.
12 Salem employs a permanent workforce of approximately 644 employees and the HCGS 13 permanent workforce includes approximately 521 employees (PSEG, 2010d). Salem and HCGS 14 share an additional 340 PSEG corporate and 109 matrixed employees. Approximately 15 85 percent of the Salem workforce, 82 percent of the HCGS workforce, and 79 percent of the 16 PSEG corporate and matrixed employees live in Salem, Gloucester, and Cumberland counties 17 in New Jersey and New Castle County in Delaware (Table 2-10). The remaining 15 percent of 18 the Salem workforce are divided among 14 counties in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and 19 Maryland, as well as one county in Georgia, with numbers ranging from 1 to 42 employees per 20 county. The remaining 18 percent of the HCGS workforce are divided among 16 counties in 21 New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, as well as one county in each of three States 22 (Delaware, New York, and Washington), with numbers ranging from 1 to 38 employees per 23 county. The remaining 21 percent of the corporate and matrixed employees reside in 13 24 counties in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, as well as one county in Delaware, one 25 county in North Carolina, and the District of Columbia. Given the residential locations of Salem 26 and HCGS employees, the most significant impacts of plant operations are likely to occur in 27 Salem, Gloucester, and Cumberland counties in New Jersey and New Castle County in 28 Delaware. Therefore, the socioeconomic impact analysis in this draft SEIS focuses on the 29 impacts of Salem and HCGS on these four counties.
30 Table 2-10. Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope Creek Generating Station 31 Employee Residence by County Number of Number of Number of Total Percent of County Salem HCGS Corporate and Number of Total Matrixed Employees Employees Employees Employees Workforce Salem, NJ 253 198 189 640 39.7 Gloucester, NJ 100 74 68 242 15.0 Cumberland, NJ 73 51 35 159 9.8 New Castle, DE 123 106 64 293 18.2 Other 95 92 93 280 17.3 Total 644 521 449 1,614 100 Source: PSEG, 2010d Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-98 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
2 3
4 5
6 7
8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Refueling outages at Salem and HCGS generally occur at 18-month intervals for both stations.
During refueling outages, site employment increases by as many as 600 workers at each station for approximately 23 days (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b). Most of these workers are assumed to be located in the same geographic areas as the permanent Salem and HCGS Staff.
2.2.8.1 Housing Table 2-11 lists the total number of occupied and vacant housing units, vacancy rates, and median value in the four-county ROI. According to the 2000 census, there were nearly 373,600 housing units in the ROI, of which approximately 353,000 were occupied. The median value of owner-occupied units ranged from $91,200 in Cumberland County to $136,000 in New Castle County. The vacancy rate was highest in Salem County (7.1 percent) and Cumberland County (7.0 percent) and lower in New Castle County (5.3 percent) and Gloucester County (4.6 percent).
By 2008, the total number of housing units within the four-county ROI had grown by approximately 28,000 units to 401,673 housing units, while the total number of occupied units grew by 17,832 units to 370,922. The median house value increased approximately $101,600 between the 2000 census and the 3-year estimation period (2006 through 2008). As a result, the vacancy rate increased from 6 percent to 8 percent of total housing units.
Table 2-11. Housing in Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem New Castle County, Delaware Counties, New Jersey, and Cumberland Gloucester Salem New Castle ROI 2000 Total Housing Units 52,863 95,054 26,158 199,521 373,596 Occupied housing units 49,143 90,717 24,295 188,935 353,090 Vacant units 3,720 4,337 1,863 10,586 20,506 Vacancy rate (percent) 7 4.6 7.1 5.3 5.5 Median value (dollars) 91,200 120,100 105,200 136,000 113,125 2008,a, Total Housing Units 55,261 106,641 27,463 212,308 401,673 Occupied housing units 50,648 100,743 24,939 194,592 370,922 Vacant units 4,613 5,898 2,524 17,716 30,751 Vacancy rate (percent) 8.3 5.5 9.2 8.3 7.7 Median value (dollars) 171,600 238,200 197,100 252,000 214,725 (a) Housing values for the 2008 estimates are based on 2006-2008 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: USCB, 2010c.
20 2.2.8.2 Public Services 21 This section presents a discussion of public services, including water, education, and 22 transportation.
September 2010 2-99 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
1 Water Supply 2
Information for the major municipal water suppliers in the three New Jersey counties, including 3
firm capacity and peak demand, is presented in Table 2-12. Population served and water source 4
for each system is also provided. The primary source of potable water in Cumberland County is 5
groundwater withdrawn from the Cohansey-Maurice watershed. In Gloucester County, the water 6
is primarily groundwater obtained from the Lower Delaware watershed. The major suppliers in 7
Salem County obtain their drinking water supply from surface water or groundwater from the 8
Delaware Bay watershed.
9 Information for the major municipal water suppliers in New Castle County, DE, is provided in 10 Table 2-13, including maximum capacity and average daily production, as well as population 11 served and water source for each system. The majority of the potable water supply is surface 12 water withdrawn from the Brandywine-Christina watershed.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-100 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
2 Table 2-12. Major Public Water Supply Systems in Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties, New Jersey Water System Population Primary Water PDemandcaDily Total Capacity Served Source DMGD)
(MGD)
Cumberland County City of Bridgeton 22,770 GW 4.05 3.35 City of Millville 27,500 GW 5.71 7.83 City of Vineland 33,000 GW 15.26 16.49 Gloucester County Borough of Clayton 7,155 GW 1.09 1.22 Deptford Township 26,000 SW 4.79 8.80 (Purchased)
Borough of Glassboro 19,238 GW 4.29 6.31 Mantua Township 11,713 SW 2.19 2.74 (Purchased)
Monroe Township 26,145 GW 6.22 7.15 Borough of Paulsboro 6,200 GW 1.25 1.80 Borough of Pitman 9,445 GW 0.96 1.59 Washington Township 48,000 GW 8.25 12.92 West Deptford Township 20,000 GW 4.26 7.03 Borough of Westville 6,000 GW 0.70 1.73 City of Woodbury 11,000 SW 1.76 4.32 (Purchased)
Salem County Pennsville Township 13,500 GW 1.63 1.87 City of Salem 6,199 SW 1.66 4.27 MGD = million gallons per day; GW = groundwater; SW = surface water (a) Current peak yearly demand plus committed peak yearly demand.
Sources: EPA, 2010f (population served and primary water source); NJDEP, 2009d (peak annual demand and available capacity) 3 4
September 2010 2-101 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
1 Table 2-13. Major Public Water Supply Systems in New Castle County, Delaware Water System Population Primary Water AveproductionDaily Maximum Served Source PMGDi Capacity (MGD)
City of Middletown 16,000 GW NA NA City of New Castle 6,000 GW 0.5 1.3 City of Newark 36,130 Sw 4
6 City of Wilmington 140,000 SW 29 61 GW = groundwater; SW = surface water; NA = not available Sources: EPA, 2010f (population served and primary water source); PSEG, 2009a and PSEG, 2009b (reported production and maximum capacity) 2 Education 3
Salem and HCGS are located in Lower Alloways Creek School District, which had an enrollment 4
of approximately 223 students in pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade for the 2008-2009 school 5
year. Salem County has 15 public school districts, with a total enrollment of 12,012 students.
6 Cumberland County has a total of 15 school districts with 26,739 students enrolled in public 7
schools in the county in 2008-2009. Gloucester County has 28 public school districts with a 8
total 2008-2009 enrollment of 49,782 students (NJDOE, 2010). There are five public school 9
districts in New Castle County, DE; total enrollment in the 2009-2010 school year is 10 66,679 students (DDE, 2010).
11 Transportation 12 Figures 2.1-1 and 2.1-2 show the Salem and HCGS location and highways within a 50-mi (80 13 km) radius and a 6-mi (10-km) radius of the facilities. At the larger regional scale, the major 14 highways serving Salem and HCGS are Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike, located 15 approximately 15 mi (24 km) north of the facilities. Interstate 295 crosses the Delaware River via 16 the Delaware Memorial Bridge, providing access to Delaware and, via Interstate 95, to 17 Pennsylvania.
18 Local road access to Salem and HCGS is from the northeast via Alloway Creek Neck Road, a 19 two-lane road which leads directly to the facility access road. Alloway Creek Neck Road 20 intersects County Route (CR) 658 approximately 4 mi (6.4 km) northeast of Salem and HCGS.
21 CR 658 leads northward to the City of Salem, where it intersects New Jersey State Route 49, 22 which is the major north-south route through western Salem County and connects local traffic to 23 the Delaware Memorial Bridge to the north. Approximately 1 mi (1.6 km) east of its intersection 24 with Alloway Creek Neck Road, CR 658 intersects with CR 623 (a north-south road) and CR 25 667 (an east-west road). Employees who live to the north, northeast, and northwest of Salem 26 and HCGS, as well as those from Delaware and Pennsylvania, could travel south on State 27 Route 49, connecting to CR 658 and from there to Alloway Creek Neck Road to reach the 28 facilities. Employees from the south could travel north on CR 623, connecting to Alloway Creek 29 Neck Road via CR 658. Employees living farther south or to the southeast could use State 30 Route 49, connecting to Alloway Creek Neck Road via CR 667, and CR 658 or CR 623 (PSEG, 31 2009a; PSEG, 2009b).
32 Traffic volumes in Salem County are highest on roadways in the northern and eastern parts of 33 the county, where all of the annual average daily traffic counts greater than 10,000 were Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-102 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
measured. The highest annual average daily traffic count in the county is 27,301 on Interstate 2
295 in the northeastern corner of the county. In western Salem County, in the vicinity of Salem 3
and HCGS, annual average daily traffic counts range from 236 to 1,052, while within the City of 4
Salem they range from 4,218 to 9,003. At the traffic count location closest to Salem and HCGS, 5
located on CR 623, the annual average daily traffic count is 895 (NJDOT, 2009). Level of 6
service data, which describe operational conditions on a roadway and their perception by 7
motorists, are not collected by the State of New Jersey (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b).
8 2.2.8.3.Offsite Land Use 9
This section describes offsite land use in the four-county ROI, including Salem, Gloucester, and 10 Cumberland counties in New Jersey and New Castle County in Delaware, which is where the 11 majority of Salem and HCGS employees reside. Salem and HCGS are located in western 12 Salem County adjacent to the Delaware River, which is the border between New Jersey and 13 Delaware.
14 Salem County, New Jersey 15 Salem County is rural in nature, consisting of more than 338 square miles (mi 2; 875 square 16 kilometers [km 2]) of land with an estimated 66,141 residents, a 2.9 percent increase since 2000 17 (USCB, 2010c). Only 13 percent of the land area in the county is considered urban (in 18 residential, commercial, or industrial use), with development concentrated in western Salem 19 County along the Delaware River. The remaining 87 percent of the county is dedicated farmland 20 under active cultivation (42 percent) or undeveloped natural areas, primarily tidal and freshwater 21 wetlands (30 percent) and forests (12 percent) (Morris Land Conservancy, 2008). There are 199 22 farms for a total of 26,191 ac (10,600 ha), or 12 percent of the county, which have been 23 preserved in Salem County under the New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program (SADC, 24 2009).
25 Two municipalities within Salem County, Lower Alloways Creek Township and the City of 26 Salem, receive annual real estate tax payments from Salem and from HCGS. Over half of the 27 land area in Lower Alloways Creek Township is wetlands (65 percent), 15 percent is used for 28 agriculture, and 8 percent is urban. The City of Salem is largely urban (49 percent), with 29 24 percent of its area wetlands and 12 percent in agricultural use (Morris Land Conservancy, 30 2006).
31 Land use within Salem County is guided by the Smart Growth Plan (Rukenstein & Associates, 32 2004), which has the goal of concentrating development within a corridor along the Delaware 33 River and Interstate 295/New Jersey Turnpike in the northwestern part of the county and 34 encouraging agriculture and the preservation of open space in the central and eastern parts of 35 the county. Land development is regulated by the municipalities within Salem County through 36 the use of zoning and other ordinances.
37 Lower Alloways Creek Township has a master plan to guide development, which includes a 38 land use plan (LACT, 1992). The plan encourages development in those areas of the township 39 most capable of providing necessary services, continuation of agricultural use, and restriction on 40 development in the conservation district (primarily wetlands). The land use plan includes an 41 industrial district adjacent to Artificial Island. The master plan was updated in the 2005 Master September 2010 2-103 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
1 Plan Reexamination Report (Alaimo Group, 2005), which looked at key issues and reaffirmed 2
the importance of preserving farmland, open space, and environmental resources.
3 Cumberland County, New Jersey 4
Cumberland County, which is located to the south and east of Salem County, occupies about 5
489 mi2 (1,300 km 2) of land along the Delaware Bay at the south end of New Jersey. In 2008, 6
the county had an estimated population of 156,830 residents, which is a 7.1 percent increase 7
since 2000 (USCB, 201 Oc). Over 60 percent of the land area in the county is forest (32 percent) 8 or wetlands (30 percent). Approximately 19 percent is occupied by agriculture, mostly 9
concentrated in the northwestern part of the county near Salem County. Only 12 percent of 10 Cumberland County is considered urban (DVRPC, 2009). Under the New Jersey Farmland 11 Preservation Program, 117 farms, including a total of 14,569 ac (5,900 ha) of farmland, have 12 been preserved in Cumberland County (SADC, 2009).
13 Cumberland County has assembled a series of planning initiatives that together provide a 14 strategic plan for the future of the county (Ortho-Rodgers, 2002). A recently completed 15 Farmland Preservation Plan for the county seeks to maintain its productive farmland in active 16 use. The Western/Southern Cumberland Region Strategic Plan (issued as a draft in 2005) 17 identifies 32 existing community centers in the county for concentration of future residential and 18 commercial growth, and the county Master Plan, prepared in 1967, is in the process of being 19 updated. The municipalities within Cumberland County regulate land development through 20 zoning and other ordinances (DVRPC, 2009).
21 Gloucester County, New Jersey 22 Gloucester County is located northeast of Salem County. Gloucester County has approximately 23 325 mi2 (840 km 2) of land and in 2008, had an estimated population of 287,860 residents, which 24 represents a 12.6 percent increase since 2000 (USCB, 2010c). It is the fastest growing county 25 in New Jersey and has the fastest growing municipality (Woolwich Township) on the East Coast 26 (Gloucester County, 2010). Major land uses in the county are urban (26 percent) and agriculture 27 (26 percent), with 30 percent of the county land area vacant and 10 percent wetlands 28 (Gloucester County, 2009). There are 113 farms with a total of 9,527 ac (3,800 ha; 4 percent of 29 the county land area) that have been preserved in Gloucester County under the New Jersey 30 Farmland Preservation Program (SADC, 2009).
31 The County Development Management Plan and its various elements provide guidance for land 32 use planning in Gloucester County. It encourages a growth pattern that will concentrate 33 development rather than disperse it, enhancing existing urban areas and preserving natural 34 resources. The Gloucester County Northeast Region Strategic Plan goals include taking 35 advantage of infill opportunities to avoid sprawl into undeveloped areas and creating compact 36 development that allows preservation of farms and open spaces. Land development is regulated 37 by the municipalities within Gloucester County through zoning and other ordinances 38 (GCPD, 2005).
39 New Castle County, Delaware 40 New Castle County, the northernmost county in the State of Delaware, is located east of Salem 41 County across the Delaware River. The county encompasses slightly more than 426 mi 2 (1,100 42 km 2) and has an estimated resident population of 529,641, which is a 5.9 percent increase from 43 2000 to 2008. It is the most populous of the three counties in Delaware (USCB, 2010c). The 44 three major land uses in New Castle County are agriculture (29 percent), residential (28 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-104 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
percent), and forests (15 percent) (New Castle County, 2007). In 2007, the county had a total of 2
347 farms (less than 14 percent of all farms in the State) located on approximately 67,000 ac 3
(27,000 ha) of land. This reflects a decrease of 6 percent in land used for farming compared to 4
2000 (USDA, 2007).
5 The New Castle County Comprehensive Development Plan addresses county policies with 6
regard to zoning, density, and open space preservation. It seeks to concentrate new growth, as 7
well as redevelopment, in established communities in order to preserve limited resources. This 8
is accomplished through the use of a future land use map. The plan proposes policies to 9
encourage development in the northern part of the county with growth in the southern portion 10 more centralized and compact (New Castle County, 2007).
11 2.2.8.4 Visual Aesthetics and Noise 12 Salem and HCGS are bordered by the Delaware River to the west and south and by a large 13 expanse of wildlife management areas on the north, east, and southeast. The access road runs 14 east to west along the shoreline of Artificial Island then continues east through the wetlands.
15 The immediate area is flat in relief, consisting of open water and large expanses of tidal and 16 freshwater marsh. Across the bay, in Delaware, the shoreline consists of State parks and 17 wildlife areas with low profile marshy habitats and very few structures to interrupt the view.
18 Beyond the parks and wetland areas are farmlands and then small to medium sized towns, in 19 both Delaware and New Jersey.
20 The main vertical components of the Salem and HCGS building complex are the HCGS natural 21 draft cooling tower (514-ft [157-m] tall), the most prominent feature on Artificial Island, and the 22 three-domed reactor containment buildings (190 to 200-ft [58 to 61--m] tall). The structures are 23 most visible from the Delaware River. Portions of the Salem and HCGS building complex can be 24 seen from many miles away, in particular the cooling tower and the plume it produces. The 25 complex can easily be seen from the marsh areas and the river itself, while in the more 26 populated areas, it is often blocked by trees or houses and can only be seen from certain 27 angles. The structures within the Salem and HCGS building complex are for the most part made 28 of concrete and metal, with exposed non-concrete buildings and equipment painted light, 29 generally neutral colors, such as brown and blue (AEC, 1973; PSEG, 1983). The overhead 30 transmission lines leading away to the north, northeast, and east can also be seen from many 31 directions as they cross over the low profile expanses of the marshes. Farther inland, portions of 32 the transmission lines are visible, especially as they pass over roads and highways.
33 Sources of noise at Salem and HCGS include the cooling tower, transformers, turbines, circuit 34 breakers, transmission lines and intermittent industrial noise from activities at the facilities.
35 Noise studies were conducted prior to the operation of the Salem generating units. The 36 transformers were each estimated to produce between 82 and 85 adjusted decibels (dBA) at 6 ft 37 (1.8 m) away and the turbines were each estimated to produce 95 dBA at 3 ft (0.9 m) away.
38 The combined noise from all sources was estimated at 36 dBA at the site boundary. The noise 39 from the plant at the nearest residence, approximately 3.5 mi (5.6 km) from the Salem and 40 HCGS facilities, was estimated to be approximately 27 dBA. The U. S. Department of housing 41 and urban development (HUD) criterion guidelines for non-aircraft noise define 45 dBA as the 42 maximum noise level for the "clearly acceptable" range. An ambient noise survey, within a 43 radius of 5 mi (8 km), established that most of the existing sound levels were within New September 2010 2-105 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
1 Jersey's limits for industrial operations, as measured at residential property boundaries (PSEG, 2
1983).
3 Given the industrial nature of these two stations, noise emissions are generally nothing more 4
than an intermittent minor nuisance. Noise levels may sometimes exceed the 55 dBA level that 5
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses as a threshold level to protect against 6
excess noise during outdoor activities (EPA, 1974). However, according to the EPA this 7
threshold does "not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation," but was intended to 8
provide a basis for state and local governments establishing noise standards. To date, no noise 9
complaints associated with operations at Salem and HCGS have been reported from 10 neighboring communities.
11 2.2.8.5 Demography 12 According to the 2000 census, approximately 501,820 people lived within a 20-mi (32-km) 13 radius of Salem and HCGS, which equates to a population density of 450 persons per mi 2. This 14 density translates to a Category 4 (greater than or equal to 120 persons per mi 2 within 20 mi) 15 using the generic environmental impact statement (GELS) measure of sparseness.
16
-Approximately 5,201,842 people live within 50 mi (80 km) of Salem and HCGS, for a density of 17 771 persons per mi 2 (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b). Applying the GElS proximity measures, this 18 density is classified as Category 4 (greater than or equal to 190 persons per mi 2 within 50 mi 19
[80 km]). Therefore, according to the sparseness and proximity matrix presented in the GELS, a 20 Category 4 value for sparseness and for proximity indicates that Salem and HCGS are located 21 in a high population area.
22 Table 2-14 shows population projections and growth rates from 1970 to 2050 in Cumberland, 23 Gloucester, and Salem counties in New Jersey and New Castle County in Delaware. All of the 24 four counties experienced continuous growth during the period 1970 to 2000, except for Salem 25 County, which saw a 1.5 percent decline in population between 1990 and 2000. Gloucester 26 County experienced the greatest rate of growth during this period. Beyond 2000, county 27 populations are expected to continue to grow in the next decades, with Gloucester County 28 projected to experience the highest rate of growth.
29 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-106 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Table 2-14. Population and Percent Growth in Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem 2
Counties, New Jersey, and New Castle County, Delaware from 1970 to 2000 and 3
Projected for 2010 to 2030 Cumberland County Gloucester County Salem County New Castle County Year Percent Percent Percent Percent Population Growth(')
Population Growth(a) Population Growth(a)
Population Growth(a) 1970 121,374 172,681 60,346 385,856 1980 132,866 9.5 199,917 15.8 64,676 7.2 398,115 3.2 1990 138,053 3.9 230,082 15.1 65,294 1.0 441,946 11.0 2000 146,438 6.1 254,673 10.7 64,285
-1.5 500,265 13.2 2008 155,388 6.1 284,886 11.9 65,952 2.6 526,414 5.2 2010 157,745 7.7 289,920 13.8 66,342 3.2 535,572 7.1 2
0 2 0 1b) 164,617 4.4 307,688 6.1 69,433 4.7 564,944 5.5 2 0 3 0(b) 176,784 7.4 338,672 10.1 74,576 7.4 586,387 3.8 20401c) 185,421 4.9 360,845 6.5 78,351 5.1 613,116 4.6 2050'cl 194,941 5.1 385,221 6.8 82,468 5.3 638,524 4.1
= Not applicable (a) Percent growth rate is calculated over the previous decade.
(b) The 2020 and 2030 population projections for Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties are for 2018 and 2028, respectively.
(c) Calculated.
Sources: Population data for 1970 through 1990 (USCB, 1995a; USCB, 1995b); population data for 2000 (USCB, 2000d); Population estimates for 2008 (USCB, 2010c); New Jersey counties estimated population for 2009 (USCB, 2010b); New Castle County projected population for 2010 to 2040 (DPC, 2009); New Jersey counties projected population for 2018 and 2028 (CUPR, 2009).
4 5
6 The 2000 demographic profile of the four-county ROI is included in Table 2-15. Persons self-designated as minority individuals comprise approximately 30 percent of the total population. This minority population is composed largely of Black or African American residents.
September 2010 2-107 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
1 2
Table 2-15. Demographic Profile of the Population in the Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope Creek Generating Station Region of Influence in 2000 Cumberland, NJ Gloucester, NJ Salem, NJ New Castle, DE ROI Total Population 146,438 254,673 64,285 500,265 965,661 Race, Not-Hispanic or Latino (percent of total population)
White 58.4 85.7 79.6 70.7 73.4 Black or African American 19.2 8.9 14.4 19.9 16.5 American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 Asian 0.9 1.5 0.6 2.6 1.9 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.03 0.03 Some other race 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 Two or more races 1.63 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.2 Ethnicity Hispanic or Latino 27,823 6,583 2,498 26,293 63,197 Percent of total population 19.0 2.6 3.9 5.3 6.5 Minority Populations (including Hispanic or Latino ethnicity)
Total minority population 60,928 36,411 13,114 146,505 256,958 Percent minority 41.6 14.3 20.4 29.3 26.6 Source: USCB, 2000d According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006-2008 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates, minority populations were estimated to have increased by approximately 61,000 persons and comprised 30.8 percent of the four-county ROI population (see Table 2-16). Most of this increase was due to an estimated influx of Hispanic or Latinos (over 25,000 persons), an increase in population of over 39.8 percent from 2000. The next largest increases in minority populations were Black or African American and Asian populations with increases of approximately 23,000 and 9,700 persons or 14.4 and 53 percent, respectively, from 2000.
3 4
5 6
7 8
9 10 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-108 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
2 Table 2-16. Demographic Profile of the Population in the Salem and HCGS Region of Influence, 2006-2008 Three-Year Estimate New Region Gloucester,
- Salem, Castle, of Cumberland, NJ NJ NJ DE Influence Total Population 155,388 284,886 65,952 526,414 1,032,640 Race (percent of total population, Not-Hispanic or Latino)
White 53.6 82.8 77.8 65.3.
69.2 Black or African American 19.2 9.5 14.8 22.0 17.7 American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 Asian 1.1 2.3 0.6 3.7 2.7 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.01 0.03 0.00 0.02 0.02 Some other race 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 Two or more races 1.6 1.6 0.9 1.4 1.4 Ethnicity Hispanic or Latino 36,530 10,409 3,489 37,929 88,357 Percent of total population 23.5 3.7 5.3 7.2 8.6 Minority Populations (including Hispanic or Latino ethnicity)
Total minority population 72,112 48,927 14,653 182,540 318,232 Percent minority 46.4 17.2 22.2 34.7 30.8 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2008 American Community Survey (USCB, 2010c).
3 4
Transient Population 5
Within 50 mi (80 km) of Salem and HCGS, colleges and recreational opportunities attract daily 6
and seasonal visitors who create demand for temporary housing and services. In 2000, in the 7
four-county ROI, 0.5 percent of all housing units were considered temporary housing for 8
seasonal, recreational, or occasional use. Table 2-17 provides information on seasonal housing 9
for~the counties located within the Salem and HCGS ROI (USCB, 2000b). In 2008, there were 10 49,498 students attending colleges and universities located within 50 mi (80 km) of Salem and 11 HCGS (NCES, 2009).
12 September 2010 2-109 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
1 Table 2-17. Seasonal Housing in the Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope Creek 2
Generating Station Region of Influence in 2000 Number of Housing Vacant Housing Units for Seasonal, County Units Recreational, or Occasional Use Percent Cumberland 52,863 826 1.6 Gloucester 95,054 274 0.3 Salem 26,158 131 0.5 New Castle 199,521 707 0.4 ROI 373,596 1,938
0.5 Source
USCB, 2000c 3
4 Migrant Farm Workers 5
Migrant farm workers are individuals whose employment requires travel to harvest agricultural 6
crops. These workers may or may not have a permanent residence. Some migrant workers may 7
follow the harvesting of crops, particularly fruit, throughout the northeastern U.S. rural areas.
8 Others may be permanent residents near Salem and HCGS who travel from farm to farm 9
harvesting crops.
10 Migrant workers may be members of minority or low-income populations. Because they travel 11 and can spend a significant amount of time in an area without being actual residents, migrant 12 workers may be unavailable for counting by census takers. If uncounted, these workers would 13 be "underrepresented" in U.S. Census'Bureau (USCB) minority and low income population 14 counts.
15 The 2007 Census of Agriculture collected information on migrant farm and temporary labor.
16 Table 2-18 provides information on migrant farm workers and temporary (less than 150 days) 17 farm labor within 50 mi (80 km) of Salem and HCGS. According to the 2007 Census of 18 Agriculture, 15,764 farm workers were hired to work for less than 150 days and were employed 19 on 1,747 farms within 50 mi (80 km) of Salem and HCGS. The county with the largest number of 20 temporary farm workers (4,979 persons on 118 farms) was Atlantic County, NJ (USDA, 2007).
21 Salem County had 804 temporary farm workers on 121 farms; Cumberland County had 1,857 22 temporary workers on 141 farms, and Gloucester County had 1,228 on 110 farms 23 (USDA, 2007). New Castle County reported 320 temporary workers on 52 farms.
24 Farm operators were asked whether any hired workers were migrant workers, defined as a farm 25 worker whose employment required travel that prevented the migrant worker from returning to 26 their permanent place of residence the same day. A total of 453 farms in the region (within a 27 50-mi [80 km] radius of Salem and HCGS) reported hiring migrant workers. Chester County, PA 28 reported the most farms (101) with hired migrant workers. Within the four-county ROI, a total of 29 164 farms were reported with hired migrant farm workers, including Cumberland County with 65 30 farms, followed by Gloucester County with 56 and Salem County with 33. New Castle County 31 reported a total of 10 farms with hired migrant workers (USDA, 2007).
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-110 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
2 Table 2-18. Migrant Farm Worker and Temporary Farm Labor within 50 Miles of Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope Creek Generating Station Farm workers Farms hiring workers (a) working less than for less than 150 Farms reporting Farms with hired County 150 days days migrant farm labor farm labor Delaware:
Kent 728 106 22 169 New Castle 320 52 10 81 County Subtotal 1,048 158 32 250 Maryland:
Caroline 478 121 13 153 Cecil 546 87 5
128 Hartford 266 101 12 155 Kent 245 78 8
111 Queen Anne's 317 89 13 126 County Subtotal 1,852 476 51 673 New Jersey:
Atlantic 4,979 118 74 163 Camden 470 43 17 52 Cape May 173 38 8
46 Cumberland 1,857 141 65 192 Gloucester 1,228 110 56 163 Salem 804 121 33 172 County Subtotal 9,511 571 253 788 Pennsylvania:
Chester 2,687 403 101 580 Delaware 106 19 2
25 Montgomery 560 115 14 155 Philadelphia 5
5 County Subtotal 3,353 542 117 765 County Total 15,764 1,747 453 2,746 (a) Includes counties with approximately more than half their area within a 50-mi radius of Salem and HCGS.
Source: USDA, 2007 3
2.2.8.6 Economy 4
This section contains a discussion of the economy, including employment and income, 5
unemployment, and taxes.
6 Employment and Income 7
8 Between 2000 and 2007, the civilian labor force in Salem County decreased 4.4 percent to 18,193. During the same time period, the civilian labor force in Gloucester County and September 2010 2-111 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
1 Cumberland County grew 18.5 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively, to the 2007 levels of 2
92,154 and 48,468. In New Castle County, DE, the civilian labor force increased slightly 3
(0.9 percent) to 284,647 between 2000 and 2007 (USCB, 2010a).
4 In 2008, trade, transportation, and utilities represented the largest sector of employment in the 5
three New Jersey counties, followed by education and health services in Salem and Gloucester 6
counties and manufacturing in Cumberland County (NJDLWD, 2010a; NJDLWD, 2010b; 7
NJDLWD, 2010c). The trade, transportation, and utilities sector employed the most people in 8
New Castle County, DE in 2008, followed closely by the professional and business services 9
sector (DDL, 2009). A list of some of the major employers in Salem County is provided in Table 10 2-19. The largest employer in the county in 2006 was PSEG with over 1,300 employees.
11 Table 2-19. Major Employers in Salem County in 2007 Firm Number of Employees PSEG 1,300+(a)
E.I. duPont 1,250 Mannington Mills 826 Memorial Hospital of Salem County 600 Atlantic City Electric 426 R.E. Pierson Construction 400+
Anchor Glass 361 McLane NJ 352 Elmer Hospital 350 Wal-Mart 256 Berkowitz Glass 225 Siegfried (USA) 155 Source: Salem County, 2007 (a) PSEG (2010c) reports that Salem and HCGS employ approximately 1,165 employees and share an additional 340 PSEG corporate and 109 matrixed employees, for a total of 1,614 employees.
12 13 Income information for the four-county ROI is presented in Table 2-20. Median household 14 incomes in Gloucester and New Castle counties were each above their respective State median 15 household income averages, while Salem and Cumberland counties had median household 16 incomes below the State of New Jersey average. Per capita incomes in Salem, Gloucester, and 17 Cumberland counties were each below the State of New Jersey average, while the New Castle 18 County per capita income was above the State of Delaware average. In Salem and Cumberland 19 counties, 9.9 and 15.1 percent of the population, respectively, was living below the official 20 poverty level, which is greater than the percentage for the State of New Jersey as a whole 21 (8.7 percent). Only 7.5 percent of the Gloucester County population was living below the poverty 22 level. In Delaware, 9.9 percent of the New Castle County population was living below the 23 poverty level, while the State average was 10.4 percent. In addition, Cumberland County has 24 the highest percentage of families living below the poverty level in the ROI.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-112 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Table 2-20. Income Information for the Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope.
2 Creek Generating Station Region of Influence, 2008 Salem Gloucester Cumberland New New Castle Delaware County County County Jersey County Median household 61,204 72,316 49,944 69,674 62,628 57,270 income (dollars)
Percapitaincome 27,785 30,893 21,316 34,899 31,400 29,124 (dollars)
Persons below poverty level 9.9 7.5 15.1 8.7 9.9 10.4 (percent)
Families below poverty level 5.9 5.7 12.6 6.3 6.1 7.1 (percent)
Source: USCB, 2010c.
3 4
Unemployment 5
In 2008, the annual unemployment average in Salem, Gloucester, and Cumberland counties 6
was 7.5, 6.4, and 9.6 percent, respectively, all of which were higher than the unemployment 7
average of 6.0 percent for the State of New Jersey. Conversely, the annual unemployment 8
average of 5.6 for New Castle County was lower than the State of Delaware average of 9
6.0 percent (USCB, 2010c).
10 Taxes 11 The owners of Salem and HCGS pay annual property taxes to Lower Alloways Creek Township.
12 From 2003 through 2009, PSEG and Exelon paid between $1,191,870 and $1,511,301 annually 13 in property taxes to Lower Alloways Creek Township (Table 2-21). During the same time 14 period, these tax payments represented between 54.2 and 59.3 percent of the township's total 15 annual property tax revenue. Each year, Lower Alloways Creek Township forwards this tax 16 money to Salem County, which provides most services to township residents. The property 17 taxes paid annually for Salem and HCGS during 2003 through 2009 represent approximately 18 2.5 to 3.5 percent of Salem County's total annual property tax revenue. As a result of the 19 payment of property taxes for Salem and HCGS to Lower Alloways Creek Township, residents 20 of the township do not pay local municipal property taxes on residences, local school taxes, or 21 municipal open space taxes; they pay only Salem County taxes and county open space taxes 22 (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b).
23 In addition, PSEG and Exelon pay annual property taxes to the City of Salem for the Energy and 24 Environmental Resource Center, located in Salem. From 2003 through 2009, between 25
$177,360 and $387,353 in annual property taxes for the Center were paid to the city (Table 2-26 22).
September 2010 2-113 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
z M
G)
I (D
(D 0,I 1
2 Table 2-21. Salem Nuclear Generating Station and Hope Creek Generating Station Property Tax Paid and Percentage of Lower Alloways Creek Township and Salem County Tax Revenues, 2003 to 2009 Lower Alloways Creek Township Salem County Total Property Tax PSEG and/or Exelon PSEG and/or Exelon TotalProperty Tax PProperty Tax as Total Property Tax Property Tax as Exelon (dollars)
Township Percentage of Total Revenue in County Percentage of Total (dollars)
Property Tax Revenue (dollars)
Property Tax Revenue (percent)
(percent)
Year Salem HCGS Total Salem HCGS Total Salem HCGS Total 2003 748,537 464,677 1,213,214 2,099,185 35.7 22.1 57.8 34,697,781 2.2 1.3 3.5 2004 764,379 474,512 1,238,891 2,251,474 34.0 21.1 55.0 36,320,365 2.1 1.3 3.4 2005 783,644 485,624 1,269,268 2,325,378 33.7 20.9 54.6 40,562,971 1.9 1.2 3.1 2006 734,841 457,029 1,191,870 2,195,746 33.5 20.8 54.3 43,382,037 1.7 1.1 2.7 2007 772,543 480,476 1,253,019 2,310,262 33.4 20.8 54.2 46,667,551 1.7 1.0 2.7 2008 745,081 463,397 1,208,478 2,038,467 36.6 22.7 59.3 49,058,072 1.5 0.9 2.5 2009 931,785 579,516 1,511,301 2,644,636 35.2 21.9 57.1 51,636,999 1.8 1.1
2.9 Source
PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b; PSEG, 2010e (D
CL m
_7.
0 M
3CD C,,
CD
-D CD 3
CD C)
Affected Environment 1
Table 2-22. Energy and Environmental Resource Center Property Tax Paid and 2
Percentage of City of Salem Tax Revenues, 2003 to 2009 PSEG and/or Exelon Property Tax as Year Property Tax Paid by PSEG Total Property Tax Revenue Percentage of Total and/or Exelon (dollars) in City of Salem (dollars)
Property Tax Revenue in City of Salem (percent) 2003 177,360 5,092,527 3.5 2004 211,755 6,049,675 3.5 2005 220,822 6,294,613 3.5 2006 228,492 6,485,947 3.5 2007 318,910 7,389,319 4.3 2008 184,445 8,423,203 2.2 2009 387,353 8,313,289
4.7 Source
PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b; PSEG, 2010e 3
4 This represented between 2.2 and 4.7 percent of the city's total annual property tax revenue.
5 Ownership of the Energy and Environmental Resource Center was transferred to PSEG Power 6
in the fourth quarter of 2008; therefore, Exelon is no longer minority owner of the center.
7 In 1999, the State of New Jersey deregulated its utility industry (EIA, 2008). Any changes to the 8
tax assessment for Salem or HCGS would already have occurred and are reflected in the tax 9
payment information provided in Table 2-21. Potential future changes to Salem and HCGS 10 property tax rates due to deregulation would be independent of license renewal.
11 The continued availability of Salem and HCGS and the associated tax base is an important 12 feature in the ability of Salem County communities to continue to invest in infrastructure and to 13 draw industry and new residents.
14 2.2.9 Historic and Archaeological Resources 15 This section presents a brief summary of the region's cultural background and a description of 16 known historic and archaeological resources at the Salem/HCGS site and its immediate vicinity.
17 The information presented was collected from area repositories, the New Jersey State Historic 18 Preservation Office (SHPO), the New Jersey State Museum (NJSM), and the applicant's ER 19 (PSEG, 2009a; PSEG, 2009b).
20 2.2.9.1 Cultural Background 21 The prehistory of New Jersey includes four major temporal divisions based on technological 22 advancements, the stylistic evolution of the lithic tool kit, and changes in subsistence strategies 23 related to a changing environment and resource base. Thesedivisions are as follows:
24 The Paleo-lndian Period (circa 12,000-10,000 years before present [BP])
25 The Archaic Period (circa 10,000-3,000 years BP)
September 2010 2-115 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
The Woodland Period (circa 3,000 BP-1 600 AD) 2 The Contact Period (circa 1600-1700 AD) 3 These periods are typically broken into shorter time intervals reflecting specific adaptations and 4
stylistic trends and are briefly discussed below.
5 Paleo-lndian Period 6
The Paleo-lndian Period began after the Wisconsin glacier retreated from the region 7
approximately 12,000 years ago, and represents the earliest known occupation in New Jersey.
8 The Paleo-lndian people were hunter-gatherers whose subsistence strategy may have been 9
dependent upon hunting large game animals over a wide region of tundra-like vegetation that 10 gradually developed into open grasslands with scattered coniferous forests (Kraft, 1982). The 11 settlement pattern during this period likely consisted of small, temporary camps (Kraft, 1982).
12 Few Paleo-lndian sites have been excavated in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Within New Jersey, 13 Paleo-lndian sites, such as the Plenge site excavated in the Musconetcong Valley in the 14 northwestern part of the State, have largely been identified in valley and ridge zones 15 (Marshall, 1982).
16 Archaic Period 17 The Archaic Period is marked by changes in subsistence and settlement patterns. While hunting 18 and gathering were still the primary subsistence activities, the emphasis seems to have shifted 19 toward hunting the smaller animals inhabiting the deciduous forests that developed during this 20 time. Based on archaeological evidence, the settlement pattern that helps define the Archaic 21 Period consisted of larger, more permanent habitation sites. In addition to game animals, the 22 quantities of plant resources, as well as fish and shellfish remains that have been identified at 23 these sites, indicate that the Archaic people were more efficiently exploiting the natural 24 environment (Kraft, 1982)..
25 An example of a typical Archaic Period site in southern New Jersey is the Indian Head Site, 26 located about 35 mi (56 km) northeast of the Salem/HCGS site. The Indian Head Site is a large 27 multi-component site with evidence of both Middle and Late Archaic Period occupations.
28 Woodland Period 29 The Woodland Period marks the introduction of ceramic manufacture, as clay vessels replaced 30 the earlier carved soapstone vessels. Hunting and gathering subsistence activities persisted, 31 however, the period is notable for the development of horticulture. As horticulture became of 32 increasing importance to the subsistence economy of the Woodland people, settlement patterns 33 were affected. Habitation sites increased in size and permanence, as a larger population size 34 could be sustained due to the more efficient exploitation of the natural environment for 35 subsistence (Kraft, 1982).
36 Examples of Woodland Period occupations in southern New Jersey are well documented in the 37 many Riggins Complex sites recorded in the Cohansey Creek and Maurice River drainages.
38 Contact Period 39 European exploration of the Mid-Atlantic Region began in the 16th century, and by the early 40 17th century, maps of the area were being produced (aclink.org). The Dutch ship Furtuyn 41 explored the Mullica River in 1614. The Dutch and Swedish were the first to colonize the area, Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-116 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
though they were eventually forced to give control of lands to the British in the later part of the 2
17th century. These settlements mark the beginning of the Contact Period, a time of 3
ever-increasing contact between the Native Americans of the region and the Europeans.
4 The native groups of the southern New Jersey region were part of the widespread Algonquin 5
cultural and linguistic tradition (Kraft, 1982). Following initial contact, a pattern of 6
Indian/European trade developed and the Native Americans began to acquire European-made 7
tools, ornaments, and other goods. This pattern is reflected in the archaeological record, as the 8
artifact assemblages from Contact Period sites contain both Native American and European 9
cultural material.
10 At the time of contact, the Lenni Lenape inhabited the Salem/HCGS area. The Lenni Lenape, 11 who eventually became known as the Delaware tribe, also occupied lands throughout New 12 Jersey, as well as in present-day Pennsylvania and New York (Eaton, 1899). The group 13 occupying southern New Jersey spoke the Southern Unami dialects of the Algonquin language 14 (Kraft, 2001).
15 Historic Period 16 The first European settlement in the vicinity of the Salem/HCGS site occurred in 1638, when a 17 Swedish fort was established along the Delaware River in the present day town of Elsinborough 18 (CSS, 2010). This settlement was short lived, as the location was plagued with mosquitoes and 19 was eventually deemed untenable. Later attempts to settle the area by Swedish, Finnish, and 20 Dutch groups also met with limited success. In 1675, the Englishman John Fenwick and his 21 group of colonists landed along the Delaware River, north of the original Swedish settlement at 22 Elsinborough (Brown, 2007). They established "Fenwicks Colony" and the town of Salem. In 23 1790, the population of Salem County was 10,437. By 1880, the county's population had more 24 than doubled in size, reaching 24,579. Today, approximately 65,000 people inhabit Salem 25 County (USCB, 2010a).
26 During the 18th and 19th century, the predominant industries in Salem County included 27 commercial fishing, shipping of agricultural products, ship building businesses, glass 28 manufacturing, and farming (DSC, 2010). In the latter part of the 19th century, the DuPont 29 Company established a gunpowder manufacturing plant in Salem County. At its peak, in the 30 early part of the 20th century, the plant employed nearly 25,000 workers. The DuPont facilities 31 continued operation into the late 1970s. In addition to generation of electric power at the Salem 32 and HCGS sites, furniture and glass manufacturing have been the predominate industries in 33 Salem County in the latter part of the 20th and the early part of the 21st centuries 2.
34 2.2.9.2 Historic and Archaeological Resources at the Salem/Hope Creek Site 35 Previously Identified Resources 36 The NJSM houses the State's archaeological site files, and the New Jersey SHPO houses 37 information on historic resources such as buildings and houses, including available information 38 concerning the National or State Register eligibility status of these resources. The NRC cultural 39 resource team visited the NJSM and collected site files on archaeological sites and information 2 Personal communication with B. Gallo, Editor of Today's Sunbeam, Salem County, New Jersey. March 9, 2010.
September 2010 2-117 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
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on historic resources located within or nearby the Salem/HCGS property. Online sources were 2
used to identify properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in Salem 3
County, NJ and New Castle County, DE (NRHP, 2010).
4 A review of the NJSM files to identify archaeological resources indicated that no archaeological 5
or historic sites have been recorded on Artificial Island. The nearest recorded prehistoric 6
archaeological site, 35CU99, is located approximately 3.5 mi (5.6 km) southeast of the plant 7
site, in Cumberland County. 35CU99 is an Archaic Period archeological site containing stone 8
tools and evidence of stone tool making activity. The closest NRHP-listed site is the Joseph 9
Ware House, which is located 6 mi (9.6 km) to the northeast, in Hancock's Bridge. To date, 6 10 properties within a 10-mi (16 km) radius of the Salem/HCGS site in Salem County, NJ have 11 been listed on the NRHP. A total of 17 NRHP-listed sites in New Castle County, DE fall within a 12 10-mi radius of the Salem/HCGS site.
13 Potential Archaeoloqical Resources 14 The Salem and HCGS sites are located on a man-made island in the Delaware River. This 15 would suggest a very low potential for the discovery of previously undocumented prehistoric 16 archaeological sites on the plant property. However, given the age of the artificial island upon 17 which the generating stations were constructed, it is possible that previously undocumented 18 historic-period resources may be present. Further research would be required to determine 19 historic period land use patterns on the island during the 20th century.
20 2.3 Related Federal Project Activities 21 The Staff reviewed the possibility that activities of other Federal agencies might impact the 22 renewal of the operating licenses for Salem and HCGS. Any such activity could result in 23 cumulative environmental impacts and the possible need for a Federal agency to become a 24 cooperating agency in the preparation of the Salem and HCGS SEIS.
25 The Staff has determined that there are no Federal projects that would make it desirable for 26 another Federal agency to become a cooperating agency in the preparation of the SEIS.
27 Federal facilities and parks and wildlife areas within 50 mi (80 km) of Salem and HCGS are 28 listed below.
29 0
Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May (New Jersey) 30 0
Dover Air Force Base (Delaware) 31 0
Aberdeen Test Center (Maryland) 32 0
United States Defense Government Supply Center, Philadelphia 33 (Pennsylvania) 34 0
Federal Correctional Institution, Fairton (New Jersey) 35 0
Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) 36 0
New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail 37 0
Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River (New Jersey) 38 0
New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-118 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
0 Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (Delaware, 2
Maryland) 3 0
Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network (Delaware, Maryland) 4 0
Hopewell Furnace - National Historic Site (Pennsylvania) 5 0
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge (New Jersey) 6 0
Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (New Jersey) 7 0
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge (Maryland) 8 0
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge (Delaware) 9 0
Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge (Delaware) 10 0
Independence National Historical Park (Pennsylvania) 11 The USACE is involved in a project that could affect resources in the vicinity of Salem and 12 HCGS. The USACE plans on deepening the Delaware River main navigation channel from 13 Philadelphia to the Atlantic Ocean to a depth of 45 ft (14 m). This channel passes close to 14 Artificial Island and the Salem and HCGS effluent discharge area. Studies determined that 15 potential minor changes in hydrology, including salinity, would be possible. Temporary 16 increases in turbidity would be expected during construction (USACE, 2009).
17 Although it is not a Federal project, the potential construction of a fourth unit at the Salem and 18 HCGS site would require action by a Federal agency. PSEG intends to submit an early site 19 permit application to the NRC regarding possible construction of a new nuclear power plant unit 20 at the Salem and HCGS site on Artificial Island (PSEG, 2010f).
21 The NRC is required under Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 22 (NEPA), as amended, to consult with and obtain the comments of any Federal agency that has 23 jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved. The 24 NRC consulted with the NMFS and the FWS. Federal agency consultation correspondence and 25 comments on the SEIS are presented in Appendix D.
26 2.4 References 27 10 CFR Part 20. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Energy, Part 20, "Standards for 28 Protection Against Radiation."
29 10 CFR Part 50. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Energy, Part 50, "Domestic'Licensing of 30 Production and Utilization Facilities."
31 10 CFR Part 51. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Energy, Part 51, "Environmental 32 Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions."
33 10 CFR Part 54. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Energy, Part 51, "Requirements for 34 Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants."
35 10 CFR Part 72. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Energy, Part 72, "Licensing 36 Requirements for the Independent Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level Radioactive 37 Waste, and Reactor-Related Greater Thank Class C Waste."
September 2010 2-119 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
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16 USC 1456. United States Code. Title 16, Chapter 33, Part 1456, "Coordination and 2
Cooperation."
3 40 CFR Part 81. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Protection of the Environment, Part 81, 4
"Designation of Areas for Air Quality Planning Purposes."
5 40 CFR Parts 239 through 259. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Protection of the 6
Environment, "Non-hazardous Waste Regulations."
7 40 CFR Part 261. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Protection of the Environment, 8
Part 261, "Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste."
9 40 CFR Part 262. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Protection of the Environment, 10 Part 262, "Standards Applicable to Generators of Hazardous Waste."
11 40 CFR Part 273. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Protection of Environment, Part 273, 12 "Standards for Universal Waste Management."
13 42 USC 11001. United Stated Code. Title 42, Chapter 116, Subchapter I, Part 11001, 14 "Establishment of State commissions, planning districts, and local committees."
15 50 CFR Part 600. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 50, Wildlife and Fisheries, Part 600, 16 "Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions."
17 63 FR 31268, Environmental Protection Agency. Washington D.C. "Emergency Planning and 18 Community Right-to-Know Programs; Amendments to Hazardous Chemical Reporting 19 Thresholds Streamlining Requirements. "Federal Register,.Vol. 63, No. 109, pp. 31268-31280 20 June 8, 1998.
21 73 FR 13032, Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Washington D.C. "PSEG Nuclear, LLC; Hope 22 Creek Generating Station Final Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact; Related to 23 the Proposed License Amendment to increase the Maximum Reactor Power Level." Federal 24 Register, Vol. 73, No. 48, pp. 13032-13044, March 11,2008.
25 Alabamaplants.com. 2010. "Photographs and Information for the plants of Alabama, USA."
26 Accessed at: http://alabamaplants.com/ on April 7, 2010.
27 Alaimo Group. 2005. "2005 Master Plan Reexamination Report, Township of Lower Alloways 28 Creek, Salem County, NJ," Approved by the Lower Alloways CreekTownship Planning Board,
'29 June 22, 2005.
30 Arcadis. 2006. "Site Investigation Report, Salem Generating Station," Newtown, PA, 31 July 15, 2006.
32 Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). 1998a. "Fishery Management Report 33 No. 32 of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Interstate Fishery Management Plan 34 for Horseshoe Crab," December 1998. Accessed at:
35 http://www.asmfc.orglspeciesDocuments/horseshoeCrab/fmps/hscFMP.pdf on April 9, 2010.
36 ASMFC. 1998b. "Amendment 1 to the Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (Includes 37 Environmental Impact Statement and Regulatory Review) Volume I," Mid-Atlantic Fishery 38 Management Council and ASMFC in cooperation with the NMFS, the New England Fishery 39 Management Council, and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, October 1998.
40 Accessed at:
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-120 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/bluefish/fmps/bluefishAmendmentlVol1.pdf on April 9, 2
2010 3
ASMFC. 1999. "Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Shad & River 4
Herring," April 1999. Accessed at:
5 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/shad/fmps.shadaml.pdf on April 9, 2010.
6 ASMFC. 2001. "Fishery Management Report No. 37 of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 7
Commission, Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden,"
8 July 2001. Accessed at:
9 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/menhaden/fmps/menhadenAm%201.pdf on April 9, 10 2010.
11 ASMFC. 2002. "Fishery Management Report No. 39 of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 12 Commission, Amendment 4 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Weakfish,"
13 November 2002. Accessed at:
14 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/weakfish/fmps/weakfishAmendment4.pdf on April 9, 15 2010.
16 ASMFC. 2003. "Fishery Management Report No. 41 of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 17 Commission, Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped 18 Bass," February 2003. Accessed at:
19 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/stripedBass/fmps/sbAmendment6.pdf on February 19, 20 2010.
21 ASMFC. 2004. "Special Report No. 80 of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, 22 Status of the Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) on the Atlantic Coast," Final Report, October 23 2004. Accessed at:
24 http://www.asmfc.org/publications/specialReports/SR8OFinalBlueCrabStatus.pdf on February 25 12,2010.
26 ASMFC. 2005a. "Species Profile: Atlantic Menhaden.Species Profile: Atlantic Menhaden Stock 27 Healthy Coastwide, But Questions Remain Regarding Localized Stock Condistions."." Accessed 28 at: http://fishtheisland.com/Species/Menhaden/menhadenProfile.pdf on June 21, 2010.
29 ASMFC. 2005b. "Fishery Management Report No. 44 of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 30 Commission, Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Croaker,"
31 November 2005. Accessed at:
32 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/southAtianticSpecies/atlanticcroaker/fmps/croakerAme 33 ndmentl.pdf on February 19, 2010.
34 ASMFC. 2006a. "2006 Review of the Fishery Management Plan for Spot (Leiostomus 35 xanthurus)," prepared by The Spot Plan Review Team: Herb Austin, Ph.D., Virginia Institute of 36 Marine Science; John Schoolfield, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries; Harley Speir, 37 Maryland Department of Natural Resources; Nichola Meserve, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 38 Commission, October 24, 2006. Accessed at:
39 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/southAtlanticSpecies/spot/fmpreviews/spot06FMPrevi 40 ew.pdf on February 19 2010.
41 ASMFC. 2006b. "Species Profile: Bluefish: Joint Plan Seeks to Restore Premier Fighting Fish."
42 Accessed at: http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/bluefish/bluefishProfile.pdf on April 9, 43 2010.
September 2010 2-121 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
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ASMFC. 2007a. "Species Profile: Shad & River Herring: Atlantic States Seek to Improve 2
Knowledge of Stock Status and Protect Populations Coastwide." Accessed at:
3 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/shad/speciesProfile07.pdf on April 9, 2010.
4 ASMFC. 2007b. "Species Profile: Atlantic Croaker. Amendment Seeks to Maintain Healthy 5
Mid-Atlantic Stock Component." Accessed at:
6 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/southAtlanticSpecies/atlanticcroaker/speciesProfile.pd 7
f on April 9, 2010.
8 ASMFC. 2008a. "Species Profile: Horseshoe Crab: Populations Show Positive Response to 9
Current Management Measures." Accessed at: www.asmfc.org on April 9, 2010 10 ASMFC. 2008b. "Fishery Management Report No. 32e of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 11 Commission, Addendum V to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Horseshoe Crab,"
12 September 2008. Accessed at:
13 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/horseshoeCrab/fmps/hscAddendumV.pdf on April 9, 14 2010.
15 ASMFC. 2008c. "Species Profile: Spot: Short-Lived Fish Supports South Atlantic Fisheries &
16 Serves as Important Prey Species." Accessed at:
17 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/southAtianticSpecies/spot/speciesProfile0505.pdf on 18 February 9, 2010.
19 ASMFC. 2008d. "Species Profile: Atlantic Striped Bass: New Stock Assessment Indicates a 20 Healthy Stock and Continued Management Success." Accessed at:
21 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/stripedBass/profiles/speciesprofile.pdf on February 19, 22 2010.
23 ASMFC. 2008e. "Species Profile: Summer Flounder: Positive Assessment Results Yield Higher 24 Quotas." Accessed at:
25 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/sfScupBSB/summerflounder/sFIounderProfie.pdf on 26 March 2, 2010.
27 ASMFC. 2009a. "Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Shad and River 28 Herring (River Herring Management)," May 2009. Accessed at:
29 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/shad/fmps/amendment2_RiverHerring.pdf on April 9, 30 2010.
31 ASMFC. 2009b. "Species Profile: Weakfish: Board Initiates Addendum to Address All Time Low 32 in Weakfish Biomass." Accessed at:
33 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/weakfish/weakfishProfile.pdf on February 19, 2010.
34 ASMFC. 2009c. "Species Profile: Atlantic Sturgeon: Ancient Species' Slow Road to Recovery."
35 Accessed at: http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/sturgeon/sturgeonProfile.pdf on April 13, 36 2010.
37 ASMFC. 2009d. "Atlantic Coast Diadromous Fish Habitat: A Review of Utilization, Threats, 38 Recommendations for Conservation, and Research Needs Habitat Management Series #9.
39 Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus)," January 2009. Accessed at:
40 http://www.link75.org/mmb/Cybrary/pages/hms9_diadrohabitat_2009_9.pdf on April 7, 2010.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-122 September 2010
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ASMFC. 201 Oa. "Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus): Life History and Habitat Needs."
2 Accessed at: http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/horseshoeCrab/hscHabitatFactsheet.pdf 3
on April 12, 2010.
4 ASMFC. 2010b. "Atlantic Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis): Life History and Habitat Needs."
5 Accessed at:
6 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/stripedBass/stripedbassHabitatFactsheet. pdf on 7
February 23, 2010.
8 ASMFC. 2010c. "Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Habitat Factsheet: Atlantic 9
Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus oxyrhynchus)." Accessed at:
10 http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocuments/sturgeon/habitatFactsheet.pdf on April 13, 2010.
11 Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). 1971. "Salem Nuclear Generating Station Units 1 and 2, 12 Supplemental Environmental Report, Operating License Stage," Docket Nos. 50-272 and 13 50-311, Washington, D.C.
14 AEC. 1973. "Final Environmental Statement Related to the Salem Nuclear Generating Station 15 Units 1 and 2, Public Service Electric and Gas Company," Docket Nos. 50-272 and 50-311, 16 Washington, D.C., April 1973.
17 Bozeman, E.L., Jr., and M.J. VanDen Avyle. 1989. "Species Profiles: Life Histories and 18 Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (South Atlantic) -Alewife and 19 Blueback Herring," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report, 82(11.111), U.S. Army 20 Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4, pp. 17.
21 Brown, J. 2007. "A Brief History of Salem County, New Jersey." Accessed at:
22 http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/-njsalem/documents/History-SalemCounty-NJ.txt on April 6, 23 2010.
24 Buckley, J. 1989. "Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal 25 Fishes and Invertebrates (North Atlantic) -Winter Flounder," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 26 Biological Report, 82(11.87), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4, pp. 12.
27 Burrell, V.G., Jr. 1986. "Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of 28 Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (South Atlantic) -American Oyster," U.S. Fish and Wildlife 29 Service Biological Report, 82(11.57), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4, pp. 17 30 Calflora. 2010. "Limosella subulata," Berkeley, California. Accessed at:
31 http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/speciesquery.cgi?where-calrecnum=4845 on April 8, 2010.
32 Center for Plant Conservation (CPC). 2010a. National Collection Plant Profile. Accessed at:
33 http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/Collection/NationalCollection.asp on April 8, 2010.
34 CPC. 201 Ob. "Helonias bullata," CPC National Collection Plant Profile. Accessed at:
35 http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/collection/cpc-viewprofile.asp?CPCNum=2210 on 36 May 10, 2010.
37 Census of Antarctic Marine Life. 2008. Benthos. Accessed at:
38 http://www.caml.aq/benthos/index.html on July 29, 2010.
39 Center for Urban Policy Research (CUPR). 2009. "Impact Assessment of the New Jersey State 40 Development and Redevelopment Plan," Prepared for New Jersey Department of Community September 2010 2-123 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
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Affairs, December 11, 2009. Accessed at:
2 http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/osg/docs/dfplanprojections.pdf on May 12, 2010.
3 Chesapeake Bay Ecological Foundation, Inc. 2010. "Ecological Depletion of Atlantic Menhaden 4
& Bay Anchovy: Effects on Atlantic Coast Striped Bass, First Year-Round Ecological Study of 5
Large Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass." Accessed at:
6 http://www.chesbay.org/articles/striped%20bass%20study(1-09).asp on February 19, 2010.
7 Chesapeake Bay Program. 2009. "American Shad Harvest," November 2009. Accessed at:
8 http://www.chesapeakebay.net/americanshadharvest.aspx?menuitem=15315 on February 18, 9
2010.
10 Clean Air Act, as amended. 42 USC 7410, 7491 (a)(2), 7601(a). 1963 11 Colonial Swedish Society (CSS). 2010. A Brief History of New Sweden in America. Accessed 12 at: http://www.colonialswedes.org/History/History.html on April 12, 2010.
13 Cowardin, L. M., V. Carter, F. C. Golet, E. T. LaRoe. 1979. Classification of wetlands and 14 deepwater habitats of the United States. U. S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife 15 Service, Washington, D.C. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home 16 Page. Accessed at: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/classwet/classwet.htm (Version 17 04DEC98) on July 30, 2010.
18 Delaware Department of Education (DDE). 2010. School Profiles, Fall Student Enrollment 19 (School Year 2009-2010), School Districts in New Castle County, DE. Accessed at:
20 http://profiles.doe.k12.de.us/SchoolProfiles/State/Default.aspx on May 11, 2010.
21 Delaware Department of Labor (DDL). 2009. Delaware State and County Level Employment 22 and Wages by Industry for 2008, Office of Occupational and Labor Market Information, 23 September 2, 2009. Accessed at:
24 http://www.delawareworks.com/oolmi/lnformation/LMIData/QCEW/QCEW-Annual_V1132.aspx 25 on April 27, 2010.
26 Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). 2003. "Public 27 Water Supply Source Water Assessment for Artesian Water Co. (Bayview), PWS ID:
28 DE0000553. New Castle County, Delaware," Division of Water Resources, October 2, 2003.
29 Accessed at:
30 http://www.wr.udel.edu/swaphome-oId/phase2/finaI-assess/artesianother/awc-bayview.pdf on 31 February 24, 2010.
32 DNREC. 2006a. "Weakfish Tagging Project," May 2006. Accessed at:
33 http://www.fw.delaware.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/FW%20Gallery/WeakfishTagging. pdf on 34 February 19, 2010.
35 DNREC. 2006b. "Striped Bass Food Habits Project," May 2006. Accessed at:
36 http://www.fw.delaware.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/FW%2OGallery/StripedBassFoodHabits. p 37 df on February 19, 2010.
38 DNREC. 2008. "Endangered Species of Delaware." Accessed at:
39 http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/nhp/information/endangered.shtml on May 4, 2010.
40 DNREC. 2009. Letter from E. Stetzar, Natural Heritage and Endangered Species, Division of 41 Fish and Wildlife, to E. J. Keating, PSEG Nuclear LLC, Hancocks Bridge, NJ. Response to Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-124 September 2010
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request from PSEG for information on rare, threatened, and endangered species and other 2
significant natural resources relevant to operating license renewal for Salem and HCGS and 3
specifically addressing the ROW alignment extending from Artificial Island, NJ across the 4
Delaware River to end in New Castle County, DE. April 21.
5 DNREC. 2010. "Delaware's Oyster Management Program." Accessed at:
6 http://www.fw.delaware.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/FW%2OGallery/Research/oyster%20doc.
7 pdf on April 14, 2010.
8 Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife. 201 Oa. "Augustine Wildlife Area (2,667 Acres), Silver 9
Run Area, Deer/Upland," Dover, DE. Accessed at:
10 www.fw.delaware.gov/Hunting/DocumentsANMA%20Maps/9.pdf May 18, 2010.
11 Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife. 2010b. "Delaware River: Striped Bass Spawning Stock 12 Survey." Accessed at:
13 http://www.fw.delaware.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/FW%2OGallery/Striped%2OBass%20Spa 14 wning%20Stock%20Survey%20Flyer.pdf on February 19, 2010.
15 Delaware Estuary Program. 1995. "Delaware Estuary: Discover its Secrets: A Management 16 Plan for the Delaware Estuary." Accessed at: http://www.delawareestuary.org/pdf/CCMP.pdf on 17 February 18, 2010.
18 Delaware Estuary Program. 2010. "History of the Eastern Oyster." Accessed at:
19 http://www.delawareestuary.org/publications/factsheets/Oysterw.pdf on April 14, 2010.
20 Delaware Population Consortium (DPC). 2009. "2009 Delaware Population Projections 21 Summary Table, Total Projected Population, 2000-2040." Accessed at:
22 http://stateplanning.delaware.gov/information/dpcprojections.shtml on may 12, 2010.
23 Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC). 1961. Delaware River Basin Compact, U.S. Public 24 Law 87-328, West Trenton, NJ, Delaware River Basin Commission, Reprinted 2007.
25 DRBC. 1977. Contract No. 76-EP-482 Covering to Provide the Supply of Cooling Water from 26 the Delaware River, Required for Operation of Salem Units 1 and 2 at Salem Nuclear 27 Generating Station. Parties to the contract: Delaware River Basin Commission and Public 28 Service Electric and Gas Company, January 1977.
29 DRBC. 1984a. "Revision of the Hope Creek Generating Station Project Previously Included in 30 the Comprehensive Plan," Docket No. D-73-193 CP (Revised), West Trenton, NJ, May 1984.
31 DRBC. 1984b. Water Supply Contract Between DRBC and PSEG Concerning the Water 32 Supply at Hope Creek Generating Station, West Trenton, NJ, December 1984.
33 DRBC. 2000. "Groundwater Withdrawal," Docket No. D-90-71 Renewal, Delaware River Basin 34 Commission, West Trenton, NJ, November 2000.
35 DRBC. 2001. "Approval to Revise Delaware Basin Compact," Docket No. D-68-20 (Revision 36 20), Delaware Basin River Commission, West Trenton, NJ, September 2001.
37 DRBC. 2005. Year 2005 Water Withdrawal and Consumptive Use by Large Users on the Tidal 38 Delaware River. Accessed at: http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/wateruse/largeusers_05.htm on 39 February 15, 2010.
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DRBC. 2008a. "Delaware River State of the Basin Report," Delaware River Basin Commission, 2
West Trenton, NJ.
3 DRBC. 2008b. "Nutrient Criteria Strategy for the Tidal and Non-tidal Delaware River."
4 Accessed at: http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/DRBC-NutrientStrategy042508.pdf on April 15, 2010.
5 DRBC. 2010. "The Delaware River Basin." Accessed on: http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/thedrb.htm 6
on February 24, 2010.
7 Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC). 2009. "2009 Farmland Preservation 8
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34 Gloucester County Planning Division (GCPD). 2005. "Final County of Gloucester, NJ, Cross 35 Acceptance Report, Preliminary State Development and Redevelopment Plan," Prepared for 36 Gloucester County Planning Board, April 2005. Accessed at:
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23 Kraft, H.C. 1986. The Lenape: Archaeology, History and Ethnography. New Jersey Historical 24 Society.
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29 Lower Alloways Creek Township- (LACT). 1988a. Tax Map, Zone 8, Lower Alloways Creek 30 Township, May 1988.
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34 MacKenzie, C., L.S. Weiss-Glanz, and J.R. Moring. 1985. "Species Profiles: Life Histories and 35 Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic) - American 36 Shad," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report, 82(11.37), U.S. Army Corps of 37 Engineers, TR EL-82-4, pp. 18.
38 Marshall, S. 1982. "Aboriginal Settlement in New Jersey During the Paleo-Indian Cultural 39 Period: ca. 10,000 B.C. - 6,000 B.C." In Olga Chesler (Ed.), New Jersey's Archaeological 40 Resources: A Review of Research Problems and Survey Priorities: The Paleo-lndian Period to September 2010 2-127 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
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9 http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/species-info/mesa-list/mesa-list.htm#PLANTS on April 10 8,2010.
11 Mercer, L.P. 1989. "Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal 12 Fishes and Invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic) - Weakfish," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological 13 Report, 82(11.109), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4, pp. 17.
14 Michigan Natural Features Inventory. 2010. Michigan's Special Animals and Plants. Accessed 15 at: http://web4.msue.msu.edu/Mnfi/ on April 7, 2010.
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18 Missouriplants.com. 2010. "Photographs and descriptions of the flowering and non-flowering 19 plants of Missouri, USA." Accessed at: http://www.missouriplants.com/ on April 7, 2010.
20 Moisan, Tiffany A., Nolan, Jessica K., Campbell, Brian A., Firestone, Elaine R. 2007. Rising 21 Tides. CoastalObs Project. Education and Public Outreach office. Hydrospheric and Biospheric 22 Sciences Laboratory. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Wallops Flight Facility. Accessed at:
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25 Monaco, Mark E. and Ulanowicz, Robert E. 1997. Comparative ecosystem trophic structure of 26 three US. mid-Atlantic estuaries. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Vol. 161: 239-254.
27 Published December 31, 1997.
28 Morris Land Conservancy. 2006. "County of Salem: Open Space and Farmland Preservation 29 Plan, Volume 1: Open Space and Recreation Plan," Compiled by Morris Land Conservancy with 30 Salem County Open Space Advisory Committee, December 2006. Accessed at:
31 http://www.salemcountynj.gov/cmssite/downloads/departments/PlanningBoard/9-32 2008/Open%2OSpace%20and%2ORecreation%20Plan%202006.pdf on December 9, 2009 33 Morris Land Conservancy. 2008. "County of Salem: Open Space and Farmland Preservation 34 Plan, Volume 2: Farmland Preservation Plan, Update 2007," August 2008. Accessed at:
35 http://www.salemcountynj.gov/cmssite/downloads/departments/Planning-Board/2008Farmland 36 PreservationPlan.pdf 37 Morse, W.W. and K.W. Able. 1995. "Distribution and life history of windowpane, Scophthalmus 38 aquosus, off the northeastern United States," Fishery Bulletin, 93:675-693.
39 Morton, T. 1989. "Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal 40 Fishes and Invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic) - Bay Anchovy," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 41 Biological Report, 82(11.97), pp. 13.
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Najarian Associates. 2004. "Hydrological Modeling Analysis for the Hope Creek Generating 2
Station Extended Power Uprate Project," Final Report, Submitted to PSEG, Environmental 3
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4 National Audubon Society. 2010. Important Bird Areas in the U.S. - Site Report for Mad Horse 5
Creek and Abbots Meadow Wildlife Management Areas/Stowe Creek. Accessed at:
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=1 on February 12, 2010.
8 National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES). 2009. College Navigator, Institute of 9
Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Accessed at:
10 http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=NJ&zc=08079&zd=50&of=3&ct=1 on December 22, 11 2009 12 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 1998. Recovery Plan for the Shortnose Sturgeon 13 (Acipenser brevirostrum). Prepared by the Shortnose Sturgeon Recovery Team for the National 14 Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, Maryland. December. 104 pages.
15 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 1999. "Highly Migratory Species Management 16 Division 1999, Final Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tuna, Swordfish, and Sharks, 17 Including the Revised Final Environmental Impact Statement, the Final Regulatory Impact 18 Review, the Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, and the Final Social Impact Assessment."
19 April 1999.
20 NMFS. 2008. "Biennial Report to Congress on the Recovery Program for Threatened and 21 Endangered Species," October 1, 2006 - September 30, 2008.
22 NMFS. 2009. "Species of Concern: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service: River Herring 23 (Alewife and Blueback Herring) Alosa pseudoharngus and A. aestivalis." Accessed at:
24 http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/species/riverherringdetailed.pdf on February 17, 2010.
25 NMFS. 2010a. Letter from S. W. Gorski, Field Offices Supervisor, Habitat Conservation 26 Division, James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory, Highlands, NJ, to B. Pham, Office of 27 Nuclear Reactor Regulation, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. Letter 28 responded to NRC request for information on essential fish habitat designated in the vicinity of 29 the Salem and HCGS facilities. February 23, 2010.
30 NMFS. 201 Ob. Letter from M. A. Colligan, Assistant Regional Administator for Protected 31 Resources, Northeast Region, to B. Pham, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, US Nuclear 32 Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. Letter responded to NRC request for information on 33 the presence of species listed by NMFS as threatened or endangered that may occur in the 34 vicinity of the Salem and HCGS facilities. Part of ESA Section 7 consultation pursuant to 35 Federally protected species under the jurisdiction of NMFS. February 11, 2010.
36 NMFS. 2010c. "Marine Turtles." Accessed at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.govfpr/species/turtles/ on 37 February 23, 2010.
38 National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (NMFS and FWS). 2007a.
39 "Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), Five Year Review: Summary and Evaluation."
40 Accessed at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/species/leatherback_5yearreview.pdf on May 6 41 2010.
September 2010 2-129 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
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NMFS and FWS. 2007b. "Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempil), Five Year Review:
2 Summary and Evaluation." Accessed at:
3 http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/species/kempsridley_5yearreview.pdf on May 5 2010.
4 NMFS and FWS. 2007c. "Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas), Five Year Review: Summary 5
and Evaluation." Accessed at:
6 http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/species/greenturtle_5yearreview.pdf on May 5 2010.
7 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 1999a. "NOAA Technical 8
Memorandum NMFS-NE-138: Essential Fish Habitat Source Document: Winter Flounder, 9
Pseudopleuronectes americanus, Life History and Habitat Characteristics," U.S. Department of 10 Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries 11 Service, Northeast Region, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, September 12 1999. Accessed at: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/tm/tm138/tm138.pdf on May 5, 13 2010.
14 NOAA.
1999b. "NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-137: Essential Fish Habitat Source 15 Document: Windowpane, Scophthalmus aquosus, Life History and Habitat Characteristics," U.S.
16 Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine 17 Fisheries Service, Northeast Region, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, 18 September 1999. Accessed at: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/tm/tm137/tm137.pdf on 19 May 5, 2010.
20 NOAA.
1999c. "NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-151: Essential Fish Habitat Source 21 Document: Summer Flounder, Paralichthys dentatus, Life History and Habitat Characteristics,"
22 U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National 23 Marine Fisheries Service. Northeast Region, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, 24 MA, September 1999. Accessed at: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/tm/tm151/tm151.pdf 25 on May 5, 2010.
26 NOAA. 1999d. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-145. Essential Fish Habitat Source 27 Document: Butterfish, Peprilus triacanthus, Life History and Habitat Characteristics. U. S.
28 Department of Commerce. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. National Marine 29 Fisheries Service. Northeast Region. Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.
30 September 1999 31 NOAA. 2003a. "NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-174: Essential Fish Habitat Source 32 Document: Clearnose Skate, Raja eglanteria, Life History and Habitat Characteristics," U.S.
33 Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine 34 Fisheries Service. Northeast Region, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, 35 March 2003. Accessed at: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/tm/tm174/index.htm on May 36 6, 2010.
37 NOAA. 2003b. "NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-175: Essential Fish Habitat Source 38 Document: Little Skate, Leucoraja erinacea, Life History and Habitat Characteristics," U.S.
39 Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine 40 Fisheries Service. Northeast Region, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, 41 March 2003. Accessed at: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/tm/tm175/index.htm on May 42 6, 2010.
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NOAA. 2003c. "NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-179: Essential Fish Habitat Source 2
Document: Winter Skate, Leucoraja ocellata, Life History and Habitat Characteristics," U.S.
3 Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine 4
Fisheries Service. Northeast Region, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, 5
March 2003. Accessed at: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/publications/tm/tm179/ on June 21, 6
2010.
7 NOAA. 2004. "Climatography of the United States No. 20, Monthly Station Climate Summaries, 8
1971-2000," National Climatic Data Center.
9 NOAA. 2006a. "NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-198: Essential Fish Habitat Source 10 Document: Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, Life History and Habitat Characteristics, Second 11 Edition," U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 12 National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, June 13 2006. Accessed at : http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/publications/tm/tm198/tm198.pdf on June 21, 14 2010.
15 NOAA. 2006b. Delaware River Watershed: Acronyms & Definitions. Accessed at:
16 http://mapping2.orr.noaa.gov/portal/Delaware/definitions.html on 5 May 2010.
17 NOAA. 2008. "Climate of New Jersey, Introduction," National Climatic Data Center.
18 NOAA. 2009a. "Forecast for the 2009 Gulf and Atlantic Menhaden Purse-Seine Fisheries and 19 Review of the 2008 Fishing Season," Sustainable Fisheries Branch, NMFS Beaufort, NC, March 20 2009.
21 NOAA. 2009b. "Species of Concern: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service: Atlantic 22 sturgeon (Acipenser oxytinchus oxyrinchus)." Accessed at:
23 http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/species/atlanticsturgeondetailed.pdf on April 13, 2010.
24 NOAA. 2010a. Locate Weather Station, Salem County, NJ, National Climatic Data Center.
25 Accessed at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/stationlocator.html on February 26, 2010.
26 NOAA. 2010b. Query Results, Storm Events in Salem County, NJ, National Climatic Data 27 Center. Accessed at: http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwEvent-Storms on 28 February 26, 2010.
29 NOAA. 2010c. Event Record Details, Salem County, NJ, National Climatic Data Center.
30 Accessed at: http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent-ShowEvent-435196 on 31 February 26, 2010.
32 NOAA. 2010d. NCDC Station List, within 25 Miles of Woodstown, NJ, National Climatic Data 33 Center. Accessed at:
34 http://www4.ncdc. noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwDI-StnsNear-20018793-25 on February 26, 35 2010.
36 NOAA. 2010e. "Summary of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Designation: 10' x 10' Square 37 Coordinates," NOAA Fisheries Service, Habitat Conservation Division. Accessed at:
38 http://www.nero.noaa.gov/hcd/STATES4/newjersey/39207530.html on May 16, 2010.
39 NOAA. 2010f. "Summary of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Designation: Delaware Bay, New 40 Jersey/Delaware." Accessed at: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/hcd/nj2.html on February 25, 2010.
September 2010 2-131 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
NOAA. 2010g. "Summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus): Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for 2
Summer flounder." Accessed at: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/hcdlsummerflounder.htm on March 3
1,2010.
4 NOAA.
2010h. "Butterfish (Peprilus triacanthus): Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for Butterfish."
5 Accessed at: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/hcd/butterfish.htm on March 1, 2010.
6 NOAA.
201 0i. "Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)," NOAA Fisheries, Office of Protected 7
Resources. Accessed at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/loggerhead.htm on May 8
5,2010.
9 NOAA.
2010j. "Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenserbrevirostrum)," NOAA Fisheries, Offibe of 10 Protected Resources. Accessed at:
11 http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/specieslfish/shortnosesturgeon.htm on May 5, 2010. National Park 12 Service (NPS). 2006. Pinelands National Reserve - New Jersey Web site. Accessed at:
13 http://www.nps.gov/pine/index.htm on February 24, 2010.
14 National Park Service (NPS). 2006a. Pinelands National Reserve - New Jersey website.
15 Accessed 24 February 2010 at http://www.nps.gov/pine/index.htm.
16 NPS. 2006b. Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River - Things to Know.
17 Accessed 14 May 2010 at http://www.nps.gov/greg/planyourvisit/things2know.htm.
18 National Register of Historic Places. New Castle County, Delaware. Accessed at:
19 http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/de/New+Castle/state.html on April 9, 2010 20 Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 2010. Web Soil Survey - National 21 Cooperative Soil Survey. Accessed at: http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/applHomePage.htm 22 on February 10, 2010.
23 NatureServe. 2009. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life (Web application).
24 Version 7.1, NatureServe, Arlington, VA. Accessed at http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/ on 25 March 18, 2010. Neartica.com. 2010. "The Natural History of North America, Coast Blite 26 (Chenopodium rubrum)." Accessed at:
27 http://www.nearctica.com/flowers/bandc/chenop/Crubrum.htm on April 5, 2010.
28 New Castle County. 2007. "ll. Future Land Use and Design," 2007 Comprehensive 29 Development Plan Update, New Castle County Department of Land Use, July 24, 2007.
30 Accessed at:
31 http:l/www2.nccde.org/landuse/documents/PlanningComprehensivePlanDocuments/Sectionil-32 FutureLandUse.pdf on December 17, 2009.
33 New England Fisheries Management Council (NEFMC). 1998a. "Essential Fish Habitat 34
==
Description:==
Winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus)." Accessed at:
35 http://www.nero.noaa.gov/hcd/winter.pdf on February 10, 2010.
36 NEFMC. 1998b. "Essential Fish Habitat
Description:
Windowpane flounder (Scophthalmus 37 aquosus)." Accessed at: http://www.nero.noaa.gov/hcd/windowpane.pdf on February 26, 2010.
38 NEFMC. 1999. Essential Fish Habitat Overview. Accessed at: http://www.nefmc.org/ on August 39 8, 2006.New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). 2010. "Northeast Multispecies 40 (Large Mesh/Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan." Accessed at:
41 http://www.nefmc.org/nemulti/summary/large_mesh_multi.pdf on February 26, 2010.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-132 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
New England Wild Flower Society. 2003. "New England Plant Conservation Program, 2
Calystegia spithamaea (L.) Pursh ssp. spithamaea Low Bindweed: Conservation and Research 3
Plan for New England." December 2003. Accessed at:
4 http://www.newenglandwild.org/docs/pdflcalystegiaspithamaea.pdf on April 5, 2010.
5 New Jersey AdministrativeCode (N.J.A.C.). 7:26. Solid & Hazardous Waste Rules 6
N.J.A.C. 7:1.4 Water Pollution Control Act 7
New Jersey American Water (NJAW). 2010. "2008 Annual Water Quality Report," Cherry Hill, 8
NJ. Accessed at:
9 http://www.amwater.com/njawlensuring-water-quality/water-quality-reports.html on February 24, 10 2010.
11 New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU). 2009. Proposed Amendments to the Electric Service 12 Rules - Electric Utility Line Vegetation Management, N.J.A.C. 14:5-9.2 and 9.6, BPU Docket 13
- EX0804235. Accessed at:
14 http://www.state.nj.us/bpulpdf/rulesNeg%20Mgmt%2OAmendments%20-%2OProposal%20-15
%20COURTESY%20COPY%20(5%20-%208%20-%2009).pdf on August 23, 2010.
16 New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE). 2010. 2008-2009 Enrollment, School Districts 17 in Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties, NJ. Accessed at:
18 http:/lwww.nj.gov/education/data/enr/enr09/county.htm on January 15, 2010.
19 New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). 2001 a. Final Surface Water 20 Renewal Permit Action for Industrial Wastewater, Salem Generating Station, NJPDES Permit 21 No. NJ0005622, June 2001. (Included as Appendix B to Applicant's Environmental Report.)
22 NJDEP. 2001 b. Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of New Jersey. Division of Fish and 23 Wildlife, Endangered and Nongame Species Program. 1 st edition, February. Accessed at:
24 http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/frogs.pdf on August 20, 2010.
25 NJDEP. 2002a. Fact Sheet for a Draft NJPDES Permit Including Section 316 (a) variance 26 determination and Section 316(b) decision, Trenton, NJ, November 2002.
27 NJDEP. 2002b. Hope Creek Generating Station Permit No. NJ002541 1, Surface Renewal 28 Water Permit Action, Draft Permit and Fact Sheet and Statement of Bases, Trenton, NJ, 29 November 2002.
30 NJDEP. 2003. Final Consolidated Renewal Permit Action for Industrial Wastewater and 31 Stormwater, Hope Creek Generating Station, NJPDES Permit No. NJ002541 1, January 2003.
32 (Included as Appendix B to Applicant's Environmental Report.)
33 NJDEP. 2004a. "Water Allocation Permit - Minor Modification," Permit No. WAP040001.
34 December 2004.
35 NJDEP. 2004b. New Jersey's Endangered and Threatened Wildlife lists. Accessed at:
36 http:l/www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/tandespp.htm on April 1, 2010.
37 NJDEP. 2005a. Final Surface Water Major Mod Permit Action - Clarification of BOD and TSS 38 Minimum Percent Removal Limits, Hope Creek Generating Station, NJPDES Permit No.
39 NJ002541 1, January 31, 2005.
September 2010 2-133 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
NJDEP. 2005b. "Estuarine Algal Conditions, Page 1-Updated 2/2008," Environmental Trends 2
Report, NJDEP, Division of Science, Research & Technology. Accessed at:
3 http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/trends2005/ on February 16, 2010.
4 NJDEP. 2005c. "Annual Summary of Phytoplankton Blooms and Related Conditions in the New 5
Jersey Coastal Waters," Summer of 2005.
6 NJDEP. 2005d. "Locations of Anadromous American Shad and River Herring During Their 7
Spawning Period in New Jersey's Freshwaters Including Known Migratory Impediments and 8
Fish Ladders," Division of Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries, Southern Regional 9
Office, March 2005.
10 NJDEP. 2006. New Jersey Landscape Project Map Book, Division of Fish and Wildlife, 11 Endangered and Nongame Species Program, Trenton, NJ. Accessed at:
12 http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/mapbook.htm on May 14, 2008.
13 NJDEP. 2007a. "Determination of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in Aqueous Samples, Final 14 Report," Division of Water Supply, Bureau of Safe Drinking Water, Trenton, NJ, January 2007.
15 Accessed at: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/watersupply/finalpfoareport.pdf on April 23, 2010.
16 NJDEP. 2007b. "Environmental Surveillance and Monitoring Report for the Environs of New 17 Jersey's Nuclear Power Generating Stations," Bureau of Nuclear Engineering. Accessed at:
18 http://www.state.nj.us/dep/rpp/bne/bnedown/2007EnviroSurvandMonitReport.pdf on April 19, 19 2010.
20 NJDEP. 2008a. "Environmental Surveillance and Monitoring Report for the Environs of New 21 Jersey's Nuclear Power Generating Stations," Bureau of Nuclear Engineering. Accessed at:
22 http://www.state.nj.us/dep/rpp/bne/bnedown/2007EnviroSurvandMonitReport.pdf on April 19, 23 2010.
24 NJDEP. 2008b. Letter from H. A. Lord, Data Request Specialist, Natural Heritage Program, to 25 L. Bryan, Tetra Tech NUS, Inc. Letter Responded to Request for Rare Species Information for 26 the Salem and HCGS Site and Transmission Line ROWs in Camden, Gloucester, and Salem 27 Counties.
28 NJDEP. 2008c. New Jersey's Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, Division of Fish & Wildlife, 29 February 5, 2008. Accessed at: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/tandespp.htm on May 4, 2010.
30 NJDEP. 2009a. "Ambient Air Monitoring Network Plan 2009," NJDEP Bureau of Air Monitoring, 31 June 2009. Accessed at: http://www.njaqinow.net/Default.aspx on February 26, 2010.
32 NJDEP. 2009b. Operating Permit Renewal Application, Administrative Completeness - with 33 Application Shield, Permit Activity No. BOP080003, December 2009.
34 NJDEP. 2009c. "Environmental Surveillance and Monitoring Report for the Environs of New 35 Jersey's Nuclear Power Generating Stations." Accessed at:
36 www.state.nj.us/dep/rpp/bne/esmr.htm on April 19, 2010.
37 NJDEP.. Public Water System Deficit/Surplus; Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties, 38 Division of Water Supply. Accessed at: http://www.nj.gov/dep/watersupply/pws.htm on May 11, 39 2010.
40 NJDEP. 2010a. Attainment Areas Status, Bureau of Air Quality Planning. Accessed at:
41 http://www.state.nj.us/dep/baqp/aas.html February 26, 2010.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-134 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
NJDEP. 2010b. Division of Land Use Regulation. Accessed at: http://www.nj.gov/dep/landuse/
2 on February 24, 2010.
3 NJDEP. 2010c. Enforcement Actions Issued at Site ID:15647 Between 1/01/2000 and 4
8/12/2010- Accessed at http://datamine2.state.nj.us/DEP_OPRA/OpraMain/get_longreport?
5 on August 12, 2010.
6 New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDLWD). 201 Oa. Southern 7
Regional Community Fact Book, Cumberland County Edition, Division of Labor Market and 8
Demographic Research, February 2010. Accessed at:
9 http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/pub/factbook/cumfct.pdfon April 28,,2010.
10 NJDLWD. 201 Ob. Southern Regional Community Fact Book, Gloucester County Edition, 11 Division of Labor Market and Demographic Research, February 2010. Accessed at:
12 http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/pub/factbook/glcfct.pdf on April 28, 2010.
13 NJDLWD. 201 Oc. Southern Regional Community Fact Book, Salem County Edition, Division of 14 Labor Market and Demographic Research, February 2010. Accessed at:
15 http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/lpa/pub/factbook/slmfct.pdf on April 28, 2010.
16 New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). 2009. 2009 Short Term Counts Stations 17 List with Annual Average Daily Traffic Data. Accessed at:
18 http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/roadway/pdf/StationListingO9.pdf on March 23, 19 2010.
20 New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJDFW). 2004. "Bog Turtle - November 2003 Species 21 of the Month," October 2004. Accessed at: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/somnov.htm on 22 February 26, 2010.
23 NJDFW. 2009a. "Wildlife Management Areas," Trenton, NJ. Accessed at:
24 http://www.state.nj.us./dep/fgw/wmaland.htm on May 18, 2010.
25 NJDFW. 2009b. "The 2009 Osprey Project in New Jersey," Endangered and Nongame 26 Species Program. Accessed at: http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/downloads/cwnj_13.pdf on 27 February 18, 2010.
28 NJDFW. 2010a. "Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus." Accessed at:
29 http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/baldeagle.pdf on February 24, 2010.
30 NJDFW. 2010b. "Bog Turtle, Clemmys muhlenbergii." Accessed at:
31 http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/bogtrtl.pdf on May 9, 2010.
32 NJDFW. 2010c. "New Jersey Bog Turtle Project." Accessed at:
33 http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/bogturt.htm on February 26, 2010.
34 NJDFW. 2010d. "Bog Turtle Habitat Management and Restoration Slide Show." Accessed at:
35 http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/slideshows/bogturtle/bogtrtintro.htm on February 26, 2010.
36 New Jersey Pinelands Commission. 2009. "New Jersey Pinelands Electric-Transmission 37 Right-of-Way Vegetation-Management Plan, Final Draft," Lathrop, R.G. and J.F. Bunnell, 38 Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, February 2009.
39 New Jersey Pinelands Commission. 2010. The Pinelands National Reserve. Accessed at:
40 http://www.state.nj.us/pinelands/reserve/ on August 20, 2010.
September 2010 2-135 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
New Jersey State Atlas (NJSA). 2008. Interactive State Plan Map. Accessed at:
2 http://njstateatlas.com/luc/ on February 8, 2010.
3 New Jersey Water Science Center (NJWSC). 2009. "Major Aquifers in New Jersey." Accessed 4
at: http://nj.usgs.gov/infodata/aquifers/ on February 24, 2010.
5 New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP). 2009. "Atlantic silverside." Accessed at:
6 http://www.acris.nynhp.org/report.php?id=7304 on February 25, 2010.
7 NYNHP. 2010. Animal and Plant Guides. Accessed at: http://www.acris.nynhp.org/plants.php 8
on April 5, 2010.
9 Newberger, T. A. and E. D. Houde. 1995. "Population Biology of Bay Anchovy Anchoa mitchilli 10 in the Mid Chesapeake Bay," Marine Ecology Progress Series, 116:25-37 11 NOAA Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment. 2005. Estuarine Living Marine 12 Resources query results for summer flounder, all life stages in Delaware Bay and Delaware 13 Inland Bays, August 2005. Accessed at: http://www8.nos.noaa.gov/biogeopublic/elmr.aspx on 14 March 2, 2010.
15 North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC). 2006. Standard FAC-003 16 Transmission Vegetation Management Program. Accessed 7 April 2010 at 17 http://www.nerc.comlfiles/FAC-003-1.pdf.
18 Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). 2004. "Report of the 38th Northeast Regional 19 Stock Assessment Workshop (38th SAW): Stock Assessment Review Committee (SARC) 20 consensus summary of assessments," Ref. Doc. 04-03; 246 p. Accessed at:
21 http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/publications/crd/crdO4O3/butterfish.pdf on March 2, 2010 22 NEFSC. 2006. "Status of Fishery Resources off the Northeastern US, NEFSC - Resource 23 Evaluation and Assessment Division, Atlantic and Shortnose sturgeons. Atlantic (Acipenser 24 oxyrhynchus), Shortnose (Acipenser brevirostrum)," by Gary Shepherd, December 2006.
25 Accessed at: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/sos/spsyn/af/sturgeon/ on May 5, 2010 26 NEFSC. 2006a. "Status of Fishery Resources off the Northeastern US, NEFSC - Resource 27 Evaluation and Assessment Division, Summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus)," by Mark 28 Terceiro, December 2006. Accessed at: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/sos/spsyn/fldrsfsummer/ on 29 March 2, 2010.
30 NEFSC. 2006b. "Status of Fishery Resources off the Northeastern US, NEFSC - Resource 31 Evaluation and Assessment Division, Butterfish (Peprilus triacanthus)," by William Overholtz, 32 December 2006. Accessed at: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/sos/spsyn/op/butter/ on February 26.
33 2010.
34 NEFSC. 2008. "Assessment of 19 Northeast Groundfish Stocks through 2007: Report of the 35 3rd Groundfish Assessment Review Meeting (GARM III)," Northeast Fisheries Science Center 36 Reference Document, 08-15; 884 p + xvii, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, 37 MA, U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Fisheries, August 4-8, 2008.
38 Nuclear News. 2009. "World List of Nuclear Power Plants," Vol. 52, pp. 54, March 2009.
39 Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 1983. "Hottonia Inflata Ell., Featherfoil," November 40 1983. Accessed at:
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-136 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/3/Abstracts/Abstract-pdf/H/Hottonia-inflata.pdf on April 8, 2
2010.
3 Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 1994. "Triadenum walteri Gleason Walter's St. John's 4
Wort," January 1994. Accessed at:
5 http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/3/Abstracts/Abstract-pdffT/Triadenum-walteri.pdf on April 8, 6
2010.
7 Ortho-Rodgers. 2002. "Planning for the Future: A Summary of Cumberland County Planning 8
Initiatives," Prepared for the Cumberland County Department of Planning and Development, 9
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10 Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. 2010. "Temperate Basses, Family Moronidae,"
11 Pennsylvania Fishes (Chapter 21). Accessed at:
12 http://fishandboat.comlpafish/fishhtmslchap21.htm on February 18, 2010.
13 Pennsylvannia Natural Heritage Program. 2007. Species Fact Sheets. Accessed at:
14 http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/Factsheets.aspx on April 8, 2010.
15 Phillips, J.M., M.T. Huish, J.H. Kerby, and D.P. Moran. 1989. "Species Profiles: Life Histories 16 and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic) - Spot,"
17 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report, 82(11.98), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 18 TR EL-82-4, pp. 13.
19 Pottern, G.B., M.T. Huish, and J.H. Kerby. 1989. "Species Profiles: Life Histories and 20 Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic) - Bluefish,"
21 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report, 82(11.94), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR 22 EL-82-4, pp. 20.
23 PSEG Nuclear, LLC (PSEG). 1983. "Hope Creek Generating Station, Applicant's Environmental 24 Report - Operating License Stage," Volume 1, March 1983.
25 PSEG. 1984. Salem Generating Station 316(b) Demonstration, NPDES Permit No. NJ0005622.
26 PSEG. 1999. Permit Renewal Application, NJPDES Permit No. NJ0005622, Salem Generating 27 Station, March 1999.
28 PSEG. 2004a. "Remedial Action Work Plan," PSEG Nuclear, LLC, Salem Generating Station, 29 Hancock's Bridge, NJ, July 2004.
30 PSEG. 2004b. "Alloway Creek Watershed Phragmites-Dominated Wetland Restoration 31 Management Plan," Public Service Enterprise Group, Newark, NJ, February 17, 2004.
32 PSEG. 2005a. "2004 Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report January 1 to 33 December 31, 2004," Lower Alloways Creek Township, NJ, April 2005, ADAMS Accession No.
34 ML051260140.
35 PSEG. 2005b. "Hope Creek Generating Station Environmental Report for Extended Power 36 Uprate," Prepared for PSEG Nuclear LLC by PSEG Services Corporation, Salem, NJ, April 37 2005.
38 PSEG. 2006a. "Hope Creek Generating Station - Updated Final Safety Analysis Report,"
39 Revision 15, Newark, NJ, October 2006.
September 2010 2-137 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
PSEG. 2006b. "2005 Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report January 1 to 2
December 31, 2006," Lower Alloways Creek Township, NJ, May 2006, ADAMS Accession No.
3 ML061300067.
4 PSEG. 2006c. Salem NJPDES Permit Renewal Application, NJPDES Permit No. NJ0005622, 5
Public Service Enterprise Group, Newark, NJ, February 2006.
6 PSEG. 2007a. "Salem Generating Station - Updated Final Safety Analysis Report," Document 7
No. PSEG-0008, Revision 23, Public Service Enterprise Group, Newark, NJ, October 2007.
8 PSEG. 2007b. "2006 Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report January 1 to 9
December 31, 2006," Lower Alloways Creek Township, NJ, April 2007, ADAMS Accession No.
10 ML071230112.
11 PSEG. 2008a. "2007 Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report January 1 to 12 December 31, 2007." Lower Alloways Creek Township, NJ, April 2008, ADAMS Accession No.
13 ML081280737.
14 PSEG. 2008b. "2007 Hazardous Waste Report," Lower Alloways Creek Township, NJ, 15 February 2008.
16 PSEG. 2008c. "The Hope Creek Generating Station." Accessed at:
17 http://www.pseg.com/companies/nuclear/hopecreek.jsp on October 2008 18 PSEG. 2009a. "Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1 and 2, License Renewal Application, 19 Appendix E - Applicant's Environmental Report - Operating License Renewal Stage," Lower 20 Alloways Creek Township, NJ, August 2009, ADAMS Accession Nos. ML092400532, 21 ML092400531, ML092430231.
22 PSEG. 2009b. "Hope Creek Generating Station, License Renewal Application, Appendix E -
23 Applicant's Environmental Report - Operating License Renewal Stage," Lower Alloways Creek 24 Township, NJ, August 2009, ADAMS Accession No. ML092430389.
25 PSEG. 2009c. "2008 Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report January 1 to 26 December 31, 2009," Lower Alloways Creek Township, NJ, April 2009, ADAMS Accession No.
27 ML091200612.
28 PSEG. 2009d. "Salem Generating Station - Updated Final Safety Analysis Report," Revision 29 24, Document No. PSEG-0008, May 11, 2009.
30 PSEG. 2009e. "Quarterly Remedial Action Progress Report, Fourth Quarter 2008, PSEG 31 Nuclear, LLC, Salem Generating Station," Developed by Arcadis for PSEG Nuclear LLC, 32 May 26, 2009, ADAMS Accession No. ML091690304.
33 PSEG. 2010a. "2009 Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report January 1 to 34 December 31, 2009," Lower Alloways Creek Township, NJ, April 2010, ADAMS Accession No.
35 ML101241151.
36 PSEG. 2010b. "Salem and Hope Creek Generating Stations Hazardous Waste Generator 37 Status for 2009," Lower Alloways Creek Township, NJ, March 2010.
38 PSEG. 2010c. Transmission system landcover map with table of acreages by landcover type.
39 Provided to NRC by PSEG on August 20, 2010 in response to an NRC request for additional 40 information.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-138 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
PSEG. 2010d. Table 2.6-2 Update, "Residential Distribution of Salem Employees;" Table 2.6-2 2
Update, "Residential Distribution of Hope Creek Employees;" and Table 2.6-2a, "Residential 3
Distribution of Salem/Hope Creek Staffs who are Matrixed and Corporate Employees," Provided 4
in response to Salem/Hope Creek Environmental Audit Needs List as requested in NRC letter 5
dated April 16, 2010, Document designations'LUS-6 (Index No. Socioeconomics 7 and 8) and 6
No LUS# (Index No. Socioeconomics 23).
7 PSEG. 2010e. Update to Table 2.7-1, "Tax Information for Salem and Hope Creek Generating 8
Station and the Energy and Environmental Resource Center, 2003-2009," Provided in response 9
to Salem/Hope Creek Environmental Audit Needs List as requested in NRC letter dated 10 April 16, 2010, Document designation LUS-4 (Index No. Socioeconomics 4, 5, and 6).
11 PSEG. 2010f. Letter from W. Lewis (PSEG) to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 12 Document Control Desk,
Subject:
PSEG Power, LLC and PSEG Nuclear, LLC Early Site Permit 13 Application Expected Submission Date, February 11, 2010.
14 Rogers, S.G., and M.J. Van Den Avyle. 1989. "Species Profiles: Life Histories and 15 Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic) - Atlantic 16 Menhaden," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report, 82(11.108), U.S. Army Corps of 17 Engineers, TR EL-82-4, pp. 23.
18 Rosenau, J.C., S.M. Lang, G.S. Hilton, and J.G. Rooney. 1969. "Geology and Ground-water 19 Resources of Salem County, New Jersey," New Jersey Department of Conservation and 20 Economic Development Special Report 33, pp. 142.
21 Rukenstein & Associates. 2004. "Smart Growth Plan, Delaware River and 1-295/NJ Turnpike 22 Planned Growth Corridor, Salem County, New Jersey," Ron Rukenstein & Associates, Titusville, 23 NJ, January 21, 2004. Accessed at:
24 http://www.salemcountynj.gov/cmssite/default.asp?contentlD=1208 on December 9, 2009.
25 Salem County. 2007. "Salem County, New Jersey: An Economic Resource Guide," Salem 26 County Economic Development Department. Accessed at:
27 http://www.salemcountynj.gov/cmssite/downloads/new%20tourism/SalemCoNJO6.pdf on April 28 27, 2010.
29 Salem County. 2008. "Salem County Farmland Preservation Plan," August, 2008. Accessed at:
30 http://www.salemcountynj.gov/cmssite/default.asp?contentlD-1 103 on February 24, 2010.
31 Sellers, M.A. and J. G. Stanley. 1984. "Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental 32 Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (North Atlantic) - American Oyster." U.S.
33 Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Biological Services, FWS/OBS-82/11.23, U.S. Army Corps 34 of Engineers, TR EL-82-4, pp. 15.
35 Smithsonian Marine Station. 2008. "Species Name: Anchoa mitchilli. Common Name: Bay 36 Anchovy." Accessed at: http://www.sms.si.edu/irlSpec/Anchoamitchilli.htm on February 18, 37 2010.
38 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. 2010. Species Descriptions. Accessed at:
39 http://www.dnr.sc.gov/cwcs/species.html#T on May 9, 2010.
40 South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO). 2008. "2035 RTP Update."
41 Accessed at: http://www.sjtpo.org/2035-rtp-final.pdf on May 13, 2010.
September 2010 2-139 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Stanley, J.G. and D.S. Danie. 1983. "Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental 2
Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (North Atlantic) - White Perch," U.S. Fish 3
and Wildlife Service, Division of Biological Services, FWS/OBS-82/11.7, U.S. Army Corps of 4
Engineers, TR EL-82-4, pp. 12.
5 State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC). 2009. "New Jersey Farmland Preservation 6
Program." Accessed at:
7 http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/farmpreserve/progress/stats/preservedsummary.pdf on 8
December 10, 2009.
9 Sutton, C.C., J.C. O'Herron, II, and R.T. Zappalorti. 1996. "The Scientific Characterization of the 10 Delaware Estuary," Performed for the Delaware Estuary Program, Delaware River Basin 11 Commission (DRBC) Project # 321.
12 TetraTech. 2009. "Salem/Hope Creek Generating Station Calculation Package for Ground 13 Water Pumpage, Salem & Hope Creek Generating Station," TetraTech NUS, Aiken, SC, 14 February 23, 2009.
15 United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 2010. Biosphere 16 Reserve Information - New Jersey Pinelands. Accessed at:
17 http://portal.unesco.org/science/en/ev.php 18 URLID=6797&URLDO=DOTOPIC&URLSECTION=201.html on February 24, 2010.
19 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). 1992. Delaware River Comprehensive Navigational 20 Study. Main Channel Deepening. Final Interim Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact 21 Statement. February, 1992.
22 USACE. 2007. "Delaware Bay Oyster Restoration Project, Delaware and New Jersey, Final 23 Environmental Assessment," U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, June 2007.
24 USACE. 2009. "Delaware River Main Stem and Channel Deepening Project Environmental 25 Assessment," April 2009. Accessed at: http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/cenap-26 pl/MainChannel EA 3Apr09.pdf on February 19 2010.
27 U.S. Census Bureau (USCB). 1995a. "New Jersey, Population of Counties by Decennial 28 Census: 1900 to 1990." Accessed at: http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/njl90090.txt 29 on May 12, 2010.
30 USCB. 1995b. "Delaware, Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990."
31 Accessed at: http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/de190090.txt on May 12, 2010.
32 USCB. 2000a. Census 2000 Demographic Profile for Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem 33 Counties, New Jersey, and New Castle County, Delaware. Accessed at:
34 http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPage~ervlet?_program=ACS&-submenuld=&-I 35 ang=en&_ts= on December 8, 2009 36 USCB. 2000b. Demographic Profile for Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties, New 37 Jersey, and New Castle County, Delaware. Accessed at:
38 http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&-submenuld=&-I 39 ang=en&_ts= on December 09, 2009 40 USCB. 2000c. "HI. Housing Units [1] - Universe: Housing units. Data Set: Census 2000 41 Summary File 1 (SF1) 100-Percent Data" and "H5. Vacancy Status [7] - Universe: Vacant Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-140 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
housing units. Data Set;,.Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF1) 100-Percent Data" for 2
Cumberland, Gloucester, Salem Counties, State of New Jersey, New Castle County, and State 3
of Delaware. Accessed at: http://factfinder.census.gov/ on May 14, 2010.
4 USCB. 2000d. "P4. Hispanic or Latino, and not Hispanic or Latino by Race [73] - Universe:
5 Total population. Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data." Accessed 6
at: http://factfinder.census.gov/ on May 14, 2010 7
USCB. 2006. Nonemployer Statistics, 2006 Total for all Sectors Salem County, NJ.Accessed 8
at: http://www.census.gov/epcd/nonemployer/2006/nj/NJO33/HTM on May 5, 2010.
9 USCB' 2010a. State & County QuickFacts for Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties, 10 New Jersey and New Castle County, Delaware, April 22, 2010. Accessed at:
11 http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd on April 27, 2010.
12 USCB. 2010b. GCT-T1. Population Estimates, New Jersey County, Data Set: 2009 Population 13 Estimates. Accessed at: http://factfinder.census.gov on May 12, 2010.
14 USCB. 2010c. 2006-2008 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates for Cumberland, 15 Gloucester, and Salem Counties and New Jersey; New Castle County and Delaware, Selected 16 Economic Characteristics. Accessed at: http://factfinder.census.gov. on April 28, 2010.
17 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 1999. "American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)," Fish and 18 Wildlife Habitat Management Leaflet. Accessed at:
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20 USDA. 2006. Plants Database, Threatened and Endangered Plants of New Jersey, PLANTS 21 Profile. Accessed at: http://plants.usda.gov/java/threat?statelist=states&stateSelect=US34 on 22 April 2, 2010.
23 USDA. 2007, "Table 7. Hired Farm Labor - Workers and Payroll: 2007," Volume 1, Chapter 2:
24 County Level Data; Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, the Census of Agriculture.
25 Accessed at:
26 http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Full_ReportNolumel,_Chapter-2_County_L 27 evel/Maryland/st24_2_007_007.pdf on December 17, 2009 28 USDA. 2010. Fire Effects Information Network, Plant Species Life Form Database. Accessed 29 at: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/ on April 5, 2010.
30 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
31 2010. Web Soil Survey - National Cooperative Soil Survey. Accessed at:
32 http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm on February 10, 2010.
33 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 1974. "Information on Levels of Environmental 34 Noise Requisite to Protect Public Health and Welfare with an Adequate Margin of Safety."
35 Report 550/9-74-004, Wahington D.C. Available at:
36 http://www.nonoise.org/library/levels74/levels74.htm March. (See also "EPA Identifies Noise 37 Levels Affecting Health and Welfare." September 21, 2007. Available online at 38 http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/noise/01.htm.)
39 EPA. 1988. "New Jersey Coastal Plain Aquifer, Support Document, Atlantic, Burlington, 40 Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and September 2010 2-141 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
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Salem Counties, New Jersey," May 1988. Accessed at:
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3 EPA. 1998. "Condition of the Mid-Atlantic Estuaries," EPA 600-R-98-147, Office of Research 4
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5 EPA. 2001. "National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System; Regulations Addressing Cooling 6
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8 EPA. 2007. "Level III Ecoregions of the Conterminous United States," Western Ecology 9
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14 EPA. 201 Ob. Region 2 Air. 2010 Title V Operating Permits Database. Accessed at:
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16 EPA. 2010c. Environmental Protection Agency, Safe Drinking Water Information System 17 (SDWIS), Salem County, New Jersey. Accessed at: http://oaspub.epa.gov/enviro/sdwqueryv2 18 on February 24, 2010.
19 EPA. 2010d. Environmental Protection Agency, Safe Drinking Water Information System 20 (SDWIS), New Castle County, Delaware. Accessed at:
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22 EPA. 2010e. Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, National Estuary Program. Accessed at:
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24 EPA. 2010f. Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). Results based on data 25 extracted on October 16, 2009. Accessed at: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo/nes.htm on 26 January 20, 2010.
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28 Newton Corner, MA, pp. 56. Accessed at:
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31 http://www.fws.gov/r5gomp/gom/habitatstudy/metadata/shortnose-sturgeon-mode[.htm on May 32 5, 2010.
33 FWS. 2001b. "Bog Turtle (Clemmys muhlenbergii), Northern Population, Recovery Plan,"
34 Hadley, MA, pp. 103. Accessed at: http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recoveryplan/010515.pdf on 35 February 26, 2010.
36 FWS. 2003. "Delaware Bay Shorebird-Horseshoe Crab Assessment Report and Peer Review,"
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38 Accessed at : http://library.fws.gov/BirdPublications/DBshorebird.pdf on April 9, 2010.
39 FWS. 2004. "The Bog Turtle (Clemmys muhlenbergit): Protecting New Jersey's Rarest Turtle,'"
40 February 2004. Accessed at:
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-142 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/njfieldoffice/Fact%20Sheets%20PDF%20holding/Bogjturtle.pdf on 2
February 26, 2010.
3 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). 2006. "The Horseshoe Crab. Limulus polyphemus. A 4
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5 FWS. 2008a. "Sensitive Joint-vetch (Aeschynomene virginica) [threatened]," New Jersey Field 6
Office, Endangered Species Program. Accessed at:
7 http://www.fws.gov/northeast/njfieldoffice/Endangered/jointvetch.html on May 13, 2010.
8 FWS. 2008b. "Five Year Review, Swamp Pink (Helonias bullata), Summary and Evaluation."
9 Accessed at: http://www.fws.gov/ecos/ajax/docs/fiveyearreview/doc2006.pdf on May 9 2010.
10 FWS. 2009a, Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Department of the Interior, 11 Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region. Accessed at:
12 http://www.fws.gov/supawnameadows/ on December 11, 2009.
13 FWS. 2009b. Federally listed and candidate species occurrences in New Jersey by county and 14 municipality. December. Accessed at 15 http://www.fws.gov/northeast/njfieldoffice/Endangered/specieslist.pdf on February 26, 2010.
16 FWS. 2009c. Letter from Fish and Wildlife Service New Jersey Field Office, Pleasantville, NJ to 17 E. J. Keating, PSEG Nuclear LLC, Hancocks Bridge, NJ. Response to PSEG request for 18 information on the presence of federally listed endangered and threatened species in the vicinity 19 of the existing Salem and Hope Creek Generating Stations located on Artificial Island in Lower 20 Alloways Creek Township, Salem County, NJ. September 9.
21 FWS. 2009d. Letter from L. Miranda, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, Annapolis, MD to W.
22 Walsh, New Jersey Field Office, Pleasantville, NJ. Letter addressed the potential for 23 occurrence of Federally listed species in the vicinity of the Salem and HCGS facilities and the 24 transmission line crosses river into Delaware. August 18.
25 FWS. 2009e. The Migratory Bird Program: Conserving America's Birds, Bald and Golden 26 Eagles, Migratory Bird Management Information: Eagle Rule Questions and Anwers. Last 27 updated September 4, 2009. Accessed August 22, 2010 at:
28 http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/CurrentBirdlssues/Management/BaIdEagle/QAs%2Ofor%20E 29 agle%20Rule.final. 1 0.6.09.pdf.
30 FWS. 2010a. National Wetlands Inventory Website. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and 31 Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. Accessed at: http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/ on February 10, 32 2010.
33 FWS. 2010b. "Federally Listed and Candidate Species in New Jersey," Endangered Species 34 Program, New Jersey Field Office, April 20, 2010. Accessed at:
35 http://www.fws.gov/northeast/njfieldoffice/Endangered/specieslist.pdf on May 16, 2010.
36 FWS. 2010c. "Swamp Pink (Helonias bullata)." Accessed at:
37 http://www.fws.gov/northeast/njfieldoffice/Endangered/swamppink.html on May 10, 2010.
38 FWS. 2010d. Letter from R. Popowski, Fish and Wildlife Service New Jersey Field Office, 39 Pleasantville, NJ to B. Pham, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Nuclear Regulatory 40 Commission, Washington, DC. Response to NRC request for information on the presence of 41 federally listed endangered and threatened species in the vicinity of the existing Salem and September 2010 2-143 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45
Affected Environment 1
Hope Creek Generating Stations located on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek Township, 2
Salem County, NJ. June 29.
3 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). 1983. R.L. Walker, "Evaluation of Water Levels in Major 4
Aquifers of the New Jersey Coastal Plain, 1978," Water-Resources Investigations Report 5
82-4077, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
6 USGS.
2007. W. Jones and D. Pope, "Summary of the Ground Water Level Hydrologic 7
Conditions in New Jersey 2006," Fact Sheet 2007-3049, U.S. Department of the Interior, New 8
Jersey Water Science Center, West Trenton, NJ, June 2007.
9 USGS. 2009. V.T. DePaul, R. Rosman, and P.J. Lacombe, "Water-Level Conditions in 10 Selected Confined Aquifers of the New Jersey and Delaware Coastal Plain, 2003," Scientific 11 Investigations Report 2008-5145, pp. 135, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological 12 Survey, Reston, VA.
13 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). 1984. "Final Environmental Statement Related to 14 the Operation of Hope Creek Generating Station," Docket Number 50-354, NUREG-1074.
15 Washington D.C., December 1984.
16 NRC. 2005. "Order Modifying License," Docket No. 72-48, Washington D.C., May 2005.
17 NRC. 2007. "Essential Fish Habitat for an Extended Power Uprate at Hope Creek Generating 18 Station," Docket No. 50-354, June 2007, ADAMS Accession No. ML071520463.
19 NRC. 2010a. "Pressurized Water Reactors." Accessed at:
20 http://www.nrc.govlreactors/pwrs.html on May 18, 2010.
21 NRC. 2010b. "Boiling Water Reactors." Accessed at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/bwrs.html on 22 May 18, 2010.
23 United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 2010. Biosphere 24 Reserve Information - New Jersey Pinelands. Accessed at:
25 http://portal.unesco.org/science/en/ev.php-URL-ID=6797&URL-DO=DO-TOPIC&URL-SECTI 26 ON=201.html February 24, 2010. University of Georgia. 2010. "Reptiles and Amphibians of 27 South Carolina and Georgia," The Savannah River Ecology Herpetology Program. Accessed at:
28 http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/index.htm#Reptiles on May 9, 2010.
29 University of Texas at Austin. 2010. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Native Plant 30 Information Network (NPIN). Accessed at:
31 http://www.wildflower.org/collections/collection.php?all=true on April 5, 2010.
32 University of Washington Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. 2006. "Hydrocotyle 33 ranunculoides, floating marsh-pennywort." Accessed at:
34 http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Hydrocotyle&Speci 35 es=ranunculoides on April 8, 2010.
36 University of Wisconsin. 2010. "Stevens Point Freckmann Herbarium, Plants of Wisconsin."
37 Accessed at: http://wisplants.uwsp.eduNWisPlants.html on April 7, 2010.
38 Utah State University. 2010. "Grass Manual on the Web." Accessed at:
39 http://herbarium.usu.edu/webmanual/default.htm on April 2, 2010.
Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45 2-144 September 2010
Affected Environment 1
Versar, Inc. (Versar). 1991. "An Assessment of Key Biological Resources in the Delaware 2
Estuary," Performed for the Delaware Estuary Program. Accessed at:
3 http:/lwww.nap.usace.army.millcenap-pl/bl13.pdf on February 11 2010.
4 Weiss-Glanz, L.S., J.G. Stanley, and J.R. Moring. 1986. "Species Profiles: Life Histories and 5
Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (North Atlantic) - American 6
Shad, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report, 82 (11.59), U.S. Army Corps of 7
Engineers, TR EL-82-4, pp. 16.
8 Wernert, S.J. 1998. Reader's Digest North American Wildlife: An Illustrated Guide to 2, 000 9
Plants and Animals. Accessed at:
10 http://books.google. com/books?id=YedAnP3kl IMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=reader's+digest+n 11 orth+american+wildlife+susan+j+wernert&source=bl&ots=es2QFm3yqo&sig=s 1 OpQWxalri3k_G 12 vcmOEfppyttw&hl=en&ei=O2TtS4NQhrKsB46qqJcG&sa=X&oi=book-result&ct=result&resnum=
13 1&ved=OCAYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=stinking%20fleabane&f=false on May 14, 2010.
September 2010 2-145 Draft NUREG-1437, Supplement 45