ML12004A103
| ML12004A103 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Saint Lucie  |
| Issue date: | 01/02/2012 |
| From: | Weege S Inwater Research Group |
| To: | Koperski M Florida Power & Light Co, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Admin, National Ocean Service |
| Balsam B | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML12004A099 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML12004A103 (2) | |
Text
From:
Stephen Weege To:
Meghan Koperski Cc:
Bob Hoffman; Dave Niebch; Dave Clark; RidsNrrDlr Resource; Ed Hollowell; Jodie Gless; Ken Frehafer; Mike Bresette; Shelley Norton; Vince Munne
Subject:
December 2011 FPL Marine Turtle Removal Monthly Report Date:
Monday, January 02, 2012 9:20:58 AM Attachments:
December 2011 Marine Turtle Captures.rtf Monthly Report Notes 2011.xls FPL St. Lucie Capture Summary 2011.xls Mrs. Meghan Koperski Tequesta Field Laboratory 19100 SE Federal Highway Tequesta, FL 33469
Subject:
Marine Turtle Removal Monthly Summary December 2011
Dear Meghan,
Attached, please find the monthly summary of marine turtle removals for December 2011.
This month, we captured ten (10) Caretta caretta and twelve (12) Chelonia mydas in the intake canal of the St. Lucie power plant on Hutchinson Island. During the month of December, there was one mortality and no turtles were sent for rehabilitation.
On the morning of December 3rd, a juvenile green turtle was found floating at the surface of temporary 5-inch barrier net. The animal was moderately decomposed with no other wounds or abnormalities. The preliminary determination made by Inwater Research Group (IRG) biologists was that this animal drowned during entrainment. After consultation with Florida Fish & Wildlife, this incident was conditionally determined to be causal to power plant operations (pending a final necropsy analysis). The turtle was held on ice and transported by IRG biologists to the Loggerhead Marine Life Center for necropsy by Dr. Nancy Mettee, DVM. The gross necropsy and histopathology reports were both consistent with the turtle having drowned during entrainment. Therefore, the veterinarian confirmed that this incident was causal to power plant operations.
A scheduled 110-day power plant outage began in the end of November. Consequently, flow rates in the canal system have greatly diminished. Throughout the month of December, the 5 barrier net experienced negligible loads of algae and jellyfish that entered into the intake canal. The temporary barrier net has performed as designed and no turtles have been observed beyond the 5-inch net. During the beginning of the outage in early December, the north side of the 8-inch A-1-A net was submerged 1-inch underwater for a 2-foot section.
The added stress on the net appeared to be from extremely high water levels due to the combined forces of outage conditions and normal tidal action. Two floats were added to the A-1-A net that same day to bring it back to normal height. To date, Florida Power & Light and Morgan & Eklund, Inc. continue to work together on the installation of a permanent 5-inch barrier net.
The tag numbers and morphometric data for all turtles are attached. Also included is a spreadsheet for all captures, mortalities, injuries, and causal events delineated by species and by month for 2011. This spreadsheet also tracks fresh scrapes incurred on captured turtles for
the current month, as well as the entire year.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Sincerely,
Steve
Steve Weege Sr. Environmental Specialist Inwater Research Group, Inc.
4160 NE Hyline Dr.
Jensen Beach, FL 34957 sweege@inwater.org (772) 349-7252