Text

Comment (73) of Gene Nelson Supporting the Diablo Canyon, Units 1 and 2, License Renewal
	ML15287A438
Person / Time
Site:	Diablo Canyon
Issue date:	08/29/2015
From:	Nelson G; - No Known Affiliation
To:	; Rules, Announcements, and Directives Branch
References
	80FR37664 00073, NRC-2009-0552
	Download: ML15287A438 (6)
	v • d • e

9/1/2015 9//215N RC-2009-0552-DRAFT- 0066.htmlI As of: 9/1/15 4:55 PM PUBLIC SUBM ISSION .......Status: PendingPost

...'..Tracking No. ljz-8kul-ndoe Comments Due: August 31, 201 Submission Type: Web Docket: NRC-2009-0552 Notice of Receipt and Availability of Application for Renewal of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant License Comment On: NRC-2009-0552-0026 Diablo Canyon Power Plant, Units 1 and 2; Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement Document:

NRC-2009-0552-DRAFT-0066

....15 Comment on FR Doc # 2015-15921 Submitter Information Name: Gene Nelson C:i)General Comment I Gene Nelson, Ph.D. serve as the Government Liaison for Californians for Green Nuclear Power http://www.CGNP.org.

Attached find a relevant file in support of the renewal of the license application for Diablo Canyon Plant, Units 1 and 2.The Docket Number is NRC-2009-05 52.Attachments Diablo desal water could flow to taps 08 26 15 SUNSI Review Complete Template = ADM -013 E-RIDS= ADM -03 file:lllC:lUserslCAGIDowr~oadslNRC-2009-O552.DRAFT-OO66.html1/

1/1 Plan to pipe Diablo Canyon's desalinated water to South County moves forward This article was the above-the-fold headline article on August 26, 2015 with the headline,"Diablo desal water could flow to taps." Archived 08 29 15 by Gene A. Nelson, Ph.D.By David S need dsneed@thetribunenews.com August 25, 2015 http://www.sanluisobispo.com/20 15/08/25/3777708_desal inated-water-diablo-canyon.html Terence East, field area manager with General Electric, talks about Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant's desalination plant, which is run by GE. DAVID MIDDLECAMP

--dm iddlecamp@thetribunenews .corn As many as 1,000 acre-feet a year of desalinated water from Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant could be made available to South County residents as soon as late next year under a plan given preliminary approval Tuesday by San Luis Obispo County supervisors.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to allow Public Works staff to begin planning the construction of a 7-mile emergency water pipeline that would carry drinking water from the power plant to Avila Beach, where it could be fed into the water distribution system from Lopez Lake."We are going to need another source of water that is not precipitation," said county Supervisor Adam Hill, whose district includes the power plant and parts of the South County. "I am looking forward to seeing this move forward." PG&E operates a seawater desalination plant at Diablo Canyon; it is the plant's sole source of freshwater.

However, the desalination plant has the capacity to produce an extra 500 acre-feet a year, which could be doubled to 1,000 acre-feet a year with some expansion of the facility.Under the proposed project, an 8- to 10-inch pipeline would be laid along the main access road to the plant. Once in Avila Beach, the water would hook into the Lopez Lake water distribution system in Port San Luis. It could then be distributed throughout the South County in order to alleviate severe drought conditions.

Mark Hutchinson, county deputy Public Works director, said the project would cost from $8 million to $11 million and construction could be finished a year from now. This accelerated timeline is possible because of the drought emergency and the fact that the pipeline would be laid along an existing roadway."We are recommending moving ahead with the Diablo Canyon project as a top priority for the South County," Hutchinson said.Supervisors did not give the project final approval Tuesday. Instead, they authorized staff to begin planning the work and report back with a status update in January.By then, the county should have a better idea of the status of the state's exceptional four-year drought. Forecasters are predicting that El Niflo weather conditions could significantly increase rainfall this winter, refilling reservoirs and giving some relief to the drought.County staff will also look at the possibility of building a pipeline north of Diablo Canyon to Los Osos. However, that option is considered less feasible because an 11-mile pipeline would be required, rather than a 7-mile one to Avila Beach, Hutchinson said.This initial planning phase is expected to require the time of two full-time employees and cost between $300,000 and $500,000, Hutchinson said. If the full project is eventually approved, the county would apply for state drought-relief grants to help defray the cost.For the remainder of the money, the county would negotiate contracts with water purveyors and agricultural interests in the South County to purchase the water. Water rates could be raised by water purveyors to cover the cost of buying the water.

Public response to the pipeline project was mixed. Some praised the idea of using an abundant source of water from the ocean to help relieve the county's water shortages."I see desalination as a very good thing, not just here locally, but statewide," said Gary Kirkland of Atascadero.

Others, however, criticized the project as a government boondoggle and predicted it will not meet its ambitious timeline and will experience budget overruns.

They also decried the environmental consequences of desalination, which include high electrical use and disposal of a high-salt byproduct of desalination called brine."What staff has given us today is kind of planning after a few beers," said Brad Snook of Arroyo Grande, representing the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.

This drew an angry response from county Supervisor Frank Mecham. He said the county is responding to repeated public requests to provide a supplemental water source during prolonged drought conditions."You try to give solutions, and they are just kicked out the door," he said. "I don't know what else we can do." Comment 3 of 3: Lynette Tornatzky.

UCtA A good El Nifio this year will NOT solve the water problem in Los Osos."Public response to the pipeline project was mixed." Yup. Most of the naysayers were the very same people who fought the Los Osos sewer tooth and nail, giving us a sewer project $29 million more than the last one, delaying significant water conservation by 8+ years. I would not put any stock in what they say--especially since they are the ones saying the water plan we do have does not adequately address drought!!This drought may go on for years, take a year off and then come back. We are past the point on thinking we can conserve our way out of this. We have one water source, that's it. People with private wells are still planting lawns on their property here in LO with nothing to stop them.Mike Morgan*Juhian High Hopefully the present CSD will work hard on getting water to Los Osos, rather than standing in the way of any sorely needed infrastructure as did the infamous LOCSD of the past who took control of Los Osos; just as the insane took control of the ayslum of Doctor Feather, and Mr.Tarr in Sothern France as referenced from a tale by Edgar Allen Poe.It is imperative that Los Osos get a pipe line to Naciamento water. Its absolutely a no brainer. This piped in water could be used in conjunction with the Los Osos water basin giving the basin much needed relief.This is vision...thinking five minutes ahead; without vision you perish.

How we can permanently fix SLO County's water problems August 29, 2015 Updated 14 hours1.62037e-4 days 0.00389 hours 2.314815e-5 weeks 5.327e-6 months ago Emphasis for option 1 added by Gene A. Nelson, Ph.D.Frank Mecham I think folks are tired of hearing about what the current situation is in regard to the drought. I think what they would like to know is what can we do about it. To be clear, there is nothing we can do about the current situation until we are blessed with rain. We've gone through droughts before, and we will go through them again and again. Like an earthquake, we don't know when it will hit or how long it will last.So, what can we do to prepare ourselves for the next drought? There are three questions that must be answered before we can resolve the problem: 1. Who will take the water?2. How will you get it where it needs to go? 3. Who will pay for it?I will offer five possible solutions that, combined, would solve our water problems far into the future.

1. Desalinization.

Currently, our partners PG&E, at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, are not using their desalination plant to its full capacity.

If they were to do so, and if additional funding were provided, not only could water be provided at full capacity, but an expanded facility could provide water for a good portion of the county. Again, who would take it, and who would pay for it? If this could be accomplished, there is a potential to sell state water and apply proceeds towards desalinization, where production would be controlled locally and provide a more reliable source year to year. Again, we would have to build the infrastructure to make this happen.2. Nacimiento water. The purveyors of the Nacimiento Water Project are working to secure the full allocation from the lake. Currently, there is approximately 6,000 all of surplus water that we have no "carry over" rights on. At the end of the water year, we basically lose it. If full subscription were obtained, each of the purveyors could arrange for water contracts if they determined they would not need their full subscription.

This could provide water to agriculture or rural areas in need. The big cost here, again, is the infrastructure.

3. The Salinas Dam. Built in 1941 to provide water to Camp San Luis during WWLI, the dam was built in less than a year. Due to concerns with the northern abutment, which was later stabilized, the 19-foot-tall gate that was to be installed was instead shipped off to another dam site. The dam is under the jurisdiction of the Army Corp of Engineers.

They would like to divest themselves of the dam because they recognize no benefit. The water from the lake was never sent to Camp San Luis and instead, the City of San Luis Obispo acquired water rights. If the gates could be put back in, lake capacity could be increased.

This issue is that the dam would require retrofit to accommodate the gates and increased storage. So, if we could find a way to partner with the Corp and others to retrofit the dam and put the 19-foottall gate back, we would double the capacity of the lake. This could provide water to the north and south in our county.4. Recycled water. Monterey County provides 20,000 all per year of reclaimed water to agriculture.

The City of Paso Robles is near completion of its new waste water treatment facility, which can provide 2-4000 a/f of reclaimed water a year. I think our future will require more use of reclaimed water for agriculture, golf courses and ball fields.5. Catch basins. If, and it's a big if, we get an El1Nifio year, it would be a great opportunity to have catch water basins in areas that would allow for slower percolation, keep pressure on the basins and slowly meter out water. Areas that are conducive to this practice would need property owner permission and, with the assistance of other agencies, like the RCD (Resource Conservation District) and some funding from the County, we could establish these catch basins in several areas.Frank Mecham is the San Luis Obispo Supervisor representing the 1st District 9/1/2015 9//215N RC-2009-0552-DRAFT- 0066.htmlI As of: 9/1/15 4:55 PM PUBLIC SUBM ISSION .......Status: PendingPost