ML17229A582

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NPDES Noncompliance Notification:On 971214,discovered Partially Entangled Mantee in Sea Turtle Capture Nets.Caused by Large Openings in Concrete Velocity Caps.Addl Insp of Caps Will Be Made
ML17229A582
Person / Time
Site: Saint Lucie  NextEra Energy icon.png
Issue date: 01/08/1998
From: Stall J
FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT CO.
To:
NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
L-98-3, NUDOCS 9801160029
Download: ML17229A582 (7)


Text

CATEGORY 1 REGULA Y INFORMATION DISTRIBUTI YSTEM (RIDS)

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i'<CCESSION NBR:9801160029 DOC.DATE: 98/01/08 NOTARIZED: NO FACIL:50-335 St. Lucie Plant, Unit 1, Florida Power

& Light Co.

50-,389 St. Lucie Plant, Unit 2, Florida Power Ec Light Co.

AUTH.NAME

'AUTHOR AFFIL1ATION STALL,J A.

Florida Power 8 Light Co.

RECIP.NAME RECIPIENT AFFILIATION Document Control Branch (Document Control Desk)

DOCKET I 05000335 05000389

SUBJECT:

Forwards description of reportable unusual occurrence of West Indian manatee (endangered species) in intake canal at St Lucie Plant,.Unit 2,on 971214.

DISTRIBUTION CODE:

IE23D COPIES RECEIVED:LTR ENCL SIZE:

TITLE: Environmental Event Report (per Tech Specs)

NOTES:

E RECIPIENT ID CODE/NAME PD2-3 PD COPIES LTTR ENCL 1

1 RECIPIENT ID CODE/NAME WIENS,L.

COPIES LTTR ENCL 1

1 INTERNAL: ACRS OGC/HDS3 EXTERNAL: NOAC 1

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'CENTER NRC PDR 1

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E NOTE TO ALL "RIDS" RECIPIENTS:

PLEASE HELP US TO REDUCE WASTE. TO HAVE YOUR NAME OR ORGANIZATION REMOVED FROM DISTRIBUTION LISTS OR REDUCE THE NUMBER OF COPIES RECEIVED BY YOU OR YOUR ORGANIZATION, CONTACT THE DOCUMENT CONTROL DESK (DCD)

ON EXTENSION 415-2083 TOTAL NUMBER OF COPIES REQUIRED:

LTTR 8

ENCL 8

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Florida Power &Light Company, 6351 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, FL 34957 January 8, 1998 L-98-3 10CFR50.36(b)

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attn: Document Control Desk Washington, D. C. 20555 Re:

St. Lucie Units 1 and 2 Docket No. 50-335 and 50-389 Environmental Protection Plan Report Date of Event: December 14, 1997 West Indian Manatee in the Intake Canal The attached report is being submitted pursuant to the requirements of Section 4.1 of the St. Lucie Unit 2 Environmental Protection Plan to provide a description of a reportable unusual occurrence of a West Indian manatee (endangered species) in the intake canal at the St. Lucie Plant.

Very truly yours, J. A. Stall Vice President St. Lucie Plant

,4F JAS/GRM Attachment cc:

Regional Administrator, USNRC, Region II Senior Resident Inspector, USNRC, St. Lucie Plant

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> K. St. Lucie Units 1 and 2 " Docket No. 50-335 and 50-389 L-98-3 Attachment Page 1 Entrainment of a West Indian Manatee in the St. Lucie Intake Canal EVENT DATE: December 14, 1997 EVENT DESCRIPTION: A male West Indian manatee, 7 feet - 10 inches in length and weighing about 500 pounds, was discovered partially entangled in one of the sea turtle capture nets at approximately 1515 hours0.0175 days <br />0.421 hours <br />0.0025 weeks <br />5.764575e-4 months <br /> on December 14, 1997. The manatee freed itself from the net with assistance from one of the St. Lucie Plant sea turtle capture specialists. The manatee appeared to be in good condition and continued swimming in the east end of the intake canal. 'At the time of the manatee sighting, all applicable reporting procedures were followed by plant personnel. At the request ofFlorida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the turtle capture nets were removed from the canal to prevent entanglement of the manatee. On December 15, 1997, FDEP requested FPL to assist their contractor, Sea world, when capturing the animal. FDEP's contractor arrived on site at 1115 hours0.0129 days <br />0.31 hours <br />0.00184 weeks <br />4.242575e-4 months <br />, the animal was captured, and loaded on a truck by 1300 hours0.015 days <br />0.361 hours <br />0.00215 weeks <br />4.9465e-4 months <br />. FDEP examined the manatee and based on its excellent condition, the determination was made to release the manatee into Big Mud Creek on the west side of the plant. The release effort was completed at 1330 hours0.0154 days <br />0.369 hours <br />0.0022 weeks <br />5.06065e-4 months <br />. The manatee entered the canal through one of the three ocean intake pipes. The cause of the event is that the concrete velocity caps that form the inlets to the ocean intake pipes have large openings to allow an unrestricted flow path for cooling water into the plant and no physical barrier to the entry of marine life into the canal system. The intent of the design was to create an enlarged entry area for the water flowing into the pipes. This would reduce the velocity encountered by marine life coming into the immediate area of the ocean inlets and decrease the possibility of their entrapment. The design also took into account the fact that marine life, upon feeling the increasing flow velocity as they neared the ocean inlet under the cap, would be startled by changing flow and leave the vicinity of the velocity caps. Although manatees do not usually inhabit the ocean, their migration habits are quite varied, and they are known to occasionally use the ocean to move from one inlet to another. It is basically a matter of chance and probability that a manatee will encounter the velocity caps as it migrates. It is also known that manatees are naturally curious, and they may enter the caps because they resemble the natural features they normally investigate, such as, a reef formation or cave. St. Lucie Units 1 and 2 'ocket No. 50-335 and 50-389 L-98-3 Attachment Page 2 CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO PRECLUDE REPETITION OF THE EVENT'nnual inspections of the caps, with the last accomplished in February 1997, show no damage to the velocity caps. Plant divers were in the vicinityof the caps on December 12, 1997, while performing intake buoy maintenance. The sea conditions were calm, and no tell tale disturbances such as, a surface vortex, were apparent to indicate a potential problem with the ocean intake cap structure. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that structural problems contributed to the entrainment of the manatee. An additional inspection of the caps willbe made as soon as diving conditions permit to ensure there is no damage that could cause short circuiting of the inlet flow. As explained above, the ocean is not the usual habitat for manatees. When they are seen offthe beach, it is thought by local FDEP officials that they are traveling between the inlets while moving to other foraging sites. Since the probability of them entering the intake canal is still very small, FPL has not judged it practical to install additional barriers at the velocity caps given the costs and risks associated with such installations. AGENCIES NOTIFIED: The plant Land Utilization Department (LU) notified the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) on December 14, 1997. On December 15, 1997, FPL Environmental Services Department notified the U. S. Fish and Wild Life Service of the entrainment and again upon completion of the successful capture and release. Also on December 15, 1997, the 72-hour NRC notification was made pursuant to Section 4.1 of the Environmental Protection Plan (EPP) as an unusual occurrence of any species protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. k r.