ML17212B656
| ML17212B656 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Saint Lucie  |
| Issue date: | 05/21/1982 |
| From: | Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML17212B654 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8206080004 | |
| Download: ML17212B656 (6) | |
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Certified, B ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT APPRAISAL BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REG ATION SUPPORTING AMENDMENT, N0.5 0 TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. DPR-67 FLORIDA POWER 5 LIGHT COMPANY ST; LUCIE PLANT UNIT NO.
1 DOCKET NO. 50-335
~PA This Environmental Impact Appraisal addresses a change proposed by the
- licensee, Florida Power and Light Company
{FP&L), in their. letter of October 27,
- 1980, The proposed change to the Environmental Technical Specifications, Appendix B to Facility Operating License No, DPR-67,.for St. Lucie Unit 1, is the, termination.and deletion of endangered sea turtle studies, as required in Section. 3.1.B.f.
Discussion and Assessment At present the Appendix B,Technical. Specifications require that FPEL conduct several studies to determine the impact of plant operation on
'ndangered sea turtles.
The requirements are:
1.
determine
- species, numbers and.nesting characteristics'. of sea turtles along the beach in the vicinity of the plant during 1975 and 1977; 2;
determine the effects of the discharge thermal plume on turtle nesting patterns and hatchling migration;
- and, 3.
conduct control studies on temperature
- stress, hatching and rearing factors using turtle eggs from displaced nests.
FPEL has completed these studies and has reported the results in its Annual Non-Radiological Biological Monitoring Reports for 1976-1981.
Therefore the requirements for the conduct and reporting of these studies have been satisfied.
We have reviewed the results of these studies as part of the environmental impact review for licensing of St. Lucie Unit 2.
That. review is documented in our "Assessment of.the Impacts of the St. Lucie Unit 2 Nuclear Station on Threatened or Endangered Species",
S, Bellmund, et al.,
February
- 1982, which was submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service and Fish and Wildlife Service which have jurisdiction for sea turtles under the Endangered Species Act.
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The referenced assessment should be consulted for details regarding qpecies and their numbers.
Our assessments of the nesting characteristics, the effect. of the discharge thermal plume on nesting, patterns and hatchling migration, and the control'studies are summarized below.
Nestin Characteristics The nesting studies conducted by the.licensee's consultants, Applied Biology, Inc, (ABI), indicate that the number of nests and the number..:
of female loggerheads nesting along Hutchinson.Island have exhibited only minor fluctuations since 1971 (ABI.1980) and were found to form a gradient along the beach with the greatest. nesting along the southern portion of the island.
Nest density and nesting success during 1975
~
were found to be less in the vicinity of the plant site than the rest of Hutchinson Island.
This decline.was attributed to shoreline constructional activities related to the intake and discharge pipe-lines.
The nest density and nesting success returned to levels characteristic of the rest of the island by 1977 and 1979.
The loggerhead turtle is the predominant species studied in the nesting surveys.
Nests of o'ther species were fewer in number and exhibited no general trend in numbers over the study.years.
Me conclude that Unit 1 operation has no adverse impact on nesting and that FPKL has satisfied the intent of this requirement.
Effects of Dischar e Thermal Plume The concerns addressed by these studies are that the thermal plume may encourage early nesting, contribute to hatchling mortality through shock, or stress hatchlings as they move through the plume causing disorientation or increased predation.
The nesting studies performed; and discussed previously, showed no evidence of early nesting due to the existence of the thermal plume.
The licensee also studied the impact of the thermal plume on hatchlings during their movement from the beach to the open water [ABI 70).
The LTgO for loggerhead hatchlings was found to be 37.4 C (99 F).
considerably higher than the maximum surface temperatures expected dueto plant operation.
The LTgO of other marine turtles that nest on Hutchinson Island are 'expected to be similar to that of the logger-head.
Even if surface temperatures exceeded that.LTg0 hatchlings would probably avoid such an area.
High current velocity at the discharge ports prevents turtles from remaining in this area as sell since it is much higher than the greatest estimated swimming speed for hatchlings.
Swimming rate for hatchling turtles changes with temperature, increasing with increasing temperature until a critical point is reached, past which 'activity rapidly declines (Mrovosky and Shettleworth, 1968).
ASI (1978) also found that temperatures of 33.3oC (91oF) produced a..
reduction in swimming speed and an impairment of orientation'to bright-ness cues.
Temperatures of 30oC (86oF) were high enough to produce significantly reduced swimming speeds.
Temperatures below 30oC (86oF) seem to have negligible effect on hatchling loggerhead turtles.
Frich (1976) found average swimming rate for green turtles to be 1.57'm/hr off Bermuda where ambient water temperature was 22oC (72oF).
The response of green turtle hatchl.ings to elevated temperatures is thought to be similar to that of the loggerhead.
Since the maximum surface plume discharge temperature during the period of maximum hatchling emergence of July through September wi 11 only.
infrequently exceed 32oC (90oF).few.hatchlings will be exposed to surface temperatures greater than 30 C (86oF).
The maximum surface water temperature will be elevated 2.5oC (4.5oF).
The maximum surface areas of the loC- (2oF) isotherm is 390 ha,(963 acres) resulting from a southward current when the discharge flow is 23.7 m /sec (836 cfs) and the hT is 18oC (32oF).
Mortality due.to high water temperature is not expe-ted to occur.
Mortality to hatchlings due to disorien-tation and increased predation will be minor since (1) the normal plume direc'ion is northerlywhichresults in'the smallest plume dimensions, (2) hatchlings that enter the plume and'exhibit reduced
. swimming sp eds will be entertained in the plume and be rapidly moved into cooler water, and (3) access to the hottest portion of plume,'hich is at the submerged diffuser ports, will be denied due to the surface orientation of the hatchlings.
Control Studies The licensee conducted a study of the factors involved in artificially incubating turtle eggs taken from nests. which could. be or were already.
disturbed at the beach site.
Twenty-five or more eggs from each of 13 nests were transported by aircraft to Atlanta, Georgia, where they were incubated in sand-filled pails until hatched.
The temperature of the incubation room varied between 27o and 30oC over the study period.
All but one nest produced greater than 75 percent viable hatchlings.
Other investigators reported about 60 percent success for green.
turtles and 64 percent for loggerheads.
The generally higher values found by the licensee reflect the removal of obviously non-viable eggs prior to transfer.
Once hatched, the survival of turtles was between 46 and 100 percent.
Low survival was observed in two nests which contained under sized hatchlings with a high incidence of limb deformities.
All other nests had hatchling survival in excess of. 80 percent.
Turtles were returned to Hutchinson Island, Florida, and released at the conclusion of the study (Letter:
Applied Biology, Inc. to Florida Power and Light Company, May 26, 1978).
The licensee also conducted a study on turtle next reloaation which is reported in FP&L's "Annual Non-Radiological Environmental Monitoring Report 1981"..
One green turtle, one leatherback tur'tie and 58 logger head turtle nexts were relocated. from near the plant. construction site in 1981.
The mean number of eggs per nest of relocated loggerhead nests was 120 with a range of'72 to 164 eggs.
This was slightly higher than the mean of ill eggs for nests relocated from the same area in 1980 but it is within the average clutch size of 110 to 126 reported by other authors.
Incubation period is defined as. the time, from nest deposition until the majority of the hatchlings leave the nest.
The mean.incubation
. period for relocated nests was 51.8:days (range 46-59) and 51.5 days (range 47-56) for undisturbed nests.
No significant difference was
-found between incubation periods'for relocated and undisturbed nests.
- The incubation periods were similar for nests deposited in 1980 and 1981.
Hatch success
.is defined as.the percentage of viable hatchlings from a single nest, and is calculated as;a r htio of the number of hatched
- eggs, less dead hatchlings, to the.total number of eggs in the nest.
The number of hatched eggs is determined.by counting the shell frag-.
'ents equal to or greater than one. half an egg shell.. The mean hatch success for relocated nests was 73.1 percent (range 2-98 percent).
and the. hatch success for undisturbed nests'was 82,1 percent (range 20-98 percent).
.The mean relocated nest success in 1981 was lower than
'hat found in 1980.when relocated and natural rates were 8l.and 84 percent.
Other investigators also reported a year-to-year variation in hatch success for laboratory incubated eggs of 72 to 85 percent.
Our review of the licensee's studies indicated they were completed, the results obtained are acceptable and the program may be terminated.
The Unit 2 endangered species assessment, cited earlier, should be consulted for additional details and references concerning impact of St. Lucie Unit 1 operation on sea turtles.
Additional aspects of tur tie monitoring are described in the endangered species assessment and will be required for Unit 2 or two unit operation as a result of the interagency review of the Unit 2 assessment.
We do, however, conclude that the studies required pursuant to Section 3.1.B.f of Appendix B to the St. Lucie Unit 1 license have been completed and have shown the effects on sea turtles, attributable to Unit 1 operation, to be acceptable.
Therefore the requirements of Section 3.1.B.f may be deleted.
Conclusion On the basis of the foregoing, we conclude that the proposed'hanges are acceptable and will not significantly affect the quality of the human environment.
We conclude that the deletion of these programs from the Unit 1 license will not jeopardize the continued existence of the endangered or thneatened sea turtles known to inhabit or utilize the site.
We have reviewed the proposed changes relative to the requirements set forth in 10 CFR Part 51 and.the Counsil on Environmental guality's Guide-
- lines, 40 CFR 1500.6.
We have determined that the proposed license amend-ment will not significantly. affect the qual.ity of the human environment.
Therefore,'he staff has found that an environmental impact statement need not be. prepared, and that pursuant to 10 CFR 51;5(c), the issuance of a negative declaration to this effect is appropriate.
Oate:
Nay 21, 1982