ML18031A287

Forwards Addl Info for Environ Review of Pond Hill Low Flow Augmentation Reservoir,In Response to 790928 Request.Eight Oversize Drawings Encl.Also Forwards Monitoring Study of Community Impact & Update

ML18031A287
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	10/12/1979
From:	Curtis N PENNSYLVANIA POWER & LIGHT CO.
To:	Sells D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Shared Package
ML18031A288	List: ML18031A287 ML19254C684 ML19254C687
References
NUDOCS 7910170119
Download: ML18031A287 (378)

Text

REGULATORY INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (RIDS)

ACCESSION NBR:.7910170119 OOC ~ DATE: 79/10/12 NOTARIZED: NO DOCKET FACIL:50-387 Susquehanna Steam Electric Stetiani Unit 1r Pennsylva 05000387 50 388 Susauehanna Steam Electr ic Stetfanr Unit 2r Pennsylva 05CUQ~

AUTH','NAME AUTHOR A F F ILI ATION CURTISrN W.'ennsylvania Pawer L Lfght. Co

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RECIP ~ NAME- RECIPIENT AFFILIATION

'SELLSrO ~ ED Assi s tant Df rector for Env f r onmente 1 Pr o J ects SUBJECTS For war'ds .addi fnta for envfr on review of Pond Kill law flaw eugmentatfan' eset'vofrr fn =response to 790928 r equest,Eight oversize drawings encl ~ Also forwards "Manitorfng Study of Community Impact" 8 update, DISTRIBUTION CODE! C002B COPIES RECEIVED !LTR g ENCL Q SIZE! ZL+ Z~g TITLE: Env fr an ~ Comments, g.8.

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TWO NORTH NINTH STREET, ALLENTOWN, PA. 18101 PHONE: (215) 821-5151 October 12, 1979 NORMAN W. CURTIS Vice President. Engineering 8 Construction 821-5381 Donald E. Sells, Acting Branch Chief Environmental Projects Branch U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission Division of Site Safety 5 Environmental Washington, D.C. 20555 SUS(UEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION POND HILL RESERVOIR INFORMATION DOCKET NOS. 50-387 ER 100450 PLA-411 FILE 841-2 991-2 AND 50-388

Dear Mr. Sells:

The information requested in your letter of September 28, 1979, is contained on attachment 1. We hope these responses adequately address your concerns.

The Pond Hill Environmental Report is based on a "feasibility" design study.

We are presently conducting detailed subsurface explorations and we are also beginning to do some preliminary detailed design engineering work. As a result of this work, some changes may be made in the "feasibility" design.

do occur which affect the environmental impact, we will promptly advis'e you.

If changes We believe that your intention to conduct the Pond Hill review using the higher pool evaluation is appropriate. As you know, the size of the Pond Hill Reservoir depends on the outcome of Susquehanna River Basin Commission deliberations regarding financial support of the project. Reviewing the larger reservoir, however, should envelop the environmental impact of Pond Hill approves the smaller size.

if SRBC ultimately Other potential alternatives that have been considered or that may develop are described in the Pond Hill Environmental Report (Susquehanna SES Environmental Report, Appendix H).

If you have additional questions, please contact William Barberich (215-821-5833).

Very truly yours, N. W. Curtis Project Director

/jm cc-Mr. Robert J. Bielo Susquehanna River Basin Commission p 910l70 1 l tt Attach.

PENNSYLVANIA POWER 8 LIGHT COMPANY

RETmm TO REACTOR MMET ilLES ~ P4 SVl SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION COMMUNITY IMPACT NONITORING STUDY. 'AN LIPDATE

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SERVICES DEPARTMENT PENNSYLVANIA POWER R LI GHT COMPANY TWO NORTH NINTH STREET ALLENTOWN'ENNSYLVANIA 18101 DECEMBER, 1978

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Pacae CHAPTER I

SUMMARY

AND CONCLUSIONS A. Introduction 1 B. Findings and Conclusions 3

1. General . 3

2. Housing . 3

3. Employment 3

4. Local Economy . ~ ~ 0 ~ 4

5. Community Infrastructure 4

6. Inflationary Impact . 5

7. Public Attitudes 5 C. Recommendations . 6 CHAPTER II SURVEY OF NON-MANUAL EMPLOYEES 8 A. Summary of Survey Results . 8 B. Area of Residence . 10 C. Type and Tenure of Residence 12 D. Family Size. 13 E. Age of Employees 14 F. Number of Children by Grade Level and School District 15 Shopping Patterns. 19 H. Recreational Activities. 19 I. Hospital Use and Purpose 20 J. Attitude Towards Area of Residence 21-K. PPGL Survey Responses. 23 CHAPTER III BACKGROUND INFORMATION: 'OPULATION, EMPLOYMENT AND MANPOWER 26 A. Population 26 B. Work Force Characteristics 28 C. Manpower Needs at the Project Site 30

1. Manual Work Force. 30 D. Non-Manual Employees 31

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E. PPGL Work Force.................. 36 S 0 U R C E S ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ o ~ ~ ~ ~ t ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 37 CHAPTER IV LOCAL VIEWS ON COMMUNITY IMPACTS A. Housing . 38 B. Local Economy/Employment 39 C. Educational Facilities 41 D. General Community Xmpacts 42 SOURCES 44 CHAPTER V LOCAL ECONOMXC XMPACTS A. Wage Distribution . 46 B. Purchase of Goods and Services 47 C. Local Taxes 48 P

l. Real Estate Tax Rates ~ ~ 48

2. Tax Xmpacts: Salem Towns hiP 48 D. Local Economic Xmpacts 51

1. Housing Costs 51

2. Food Costs 53 SOURCES 55 CHAPTER VI COMMUNITY FACILITIES A. School Enrollment . 56 B. Hospital Facilities 57 C. Water Supply (Make-up) 59 D. Public Safety 59

1. Police Force ~ ~ 59

2. Emergency Services 61 SOURCES 62

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CH'APTER I

SUMMARY

AND CONCLUS IONS A. Introduction In 1976, Pennsylvania Power 6 Light Company's (ppsL)

Community Services Department published a report on a monitor-ing program of community impacts associated with the construc-tion of PPSL's Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES), a nuclear generating station under construction near Berwick, Pennsylvania (See Figure I-1). ,The purpose of the first study, conducted largely in 1975, was to establish a procedure to col-lect information during construction and operating phases of the SSES in order to assess short- and long-term social costs and benefits.

The major findings and conclusions of that study ad-dressed several areas. Complaints from adjacent neighbors regarding construction nuisances and physical damage to struc-tures resulting from construction blasting led to recommen-dations on improvements for site preparation and construction activities. Related to this concern was a recommendation to establish a project advisory committee on subsequent construc-tion projects. Preconstruction inventories were recommended to establish information on housing stock and land costs. A stronger program for promoting employment opportunities for local residents was also recommended.

A commitment, was also made in the 1976 study to continue monitoring efforts during SSES construction and operation phases. That commitment resulted in the publication of this document. Its purpose is to review construction impacts on local communities since the 1976 study as well as to examine the status of recommendations made in that first study.

The study techniques in this update were the same as those used for the 1976 study. The methods consisted primar-ily of a questionnaire survey of non-manual employees of Bechtel power Corporation and PPGL and a series of interviews with local and regional officials, businessmen and community leaders. Because the SSES is five years into construction, the

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study's principal thrust is qualitative rather than quanti-tative. Most of the major socio-economic impacts related to construction have already occurred and there is little need to employ quantitative methods for predictive purposes. Con-sequently, the techniques employed herein are not necessarily intended to serve as models for all power facility projects.

B. .Findin s and Conclusions

1. General As indicated in the l976 report, this update confirms that SSES construction avoided "boom town" syndromes experienced at other large construction projects in different parts of the country. No excessive or overwhelming demands were made on any community facilities or the community's cap-ability to provide services, a conclusion shared by all local officials contacted in the course of the update. In large part the minimal impact on local communities was due to adequate supplies of workers from the regional labor mar'ket. Consequently, most workers commuted to the site daily. While those workers (primarily non-manual) who re-located to the project area initially created some pres-sure on the local housing market, early shortages have since been relieved through the local market.

2. ~Housin As suggested above, housing availability or supply never materialized as a significant issue in the course of the update. Early in the construction period the local hous-ing market was characterized by some scarcity. This was due largely as a result of the absence of a speculative market and the occurrence of a major natural disaster, Tropical Storm Agnes, which resulted in serious flooding in the Wilkes-Barre area, approximately twenty (20) miles northeast of the project site. Dislocated persons look-ing for housing subsequently spilled over into the Berwick-Bloomsburg area. Since that time the market has respond-ed to this demand and housing is generally available, usually on a contract basis.

The availability of a large labor supply within commuting

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distance proved to be both a boon and a loss with respect to local communities in Columbia County. On the one hand, communities such as Bloomsburg and Berwick were spared the burden of trying to provide additional community services facilities for new worker populations. On the other hand, hopes for significant local employment were disappointed when the majority of workers were hired from the larger labor market beyond the local communities. Although em-ployment data indicates little local employment for manual workers, hiring from the local labor force for non-manual positions has increased since 1976.

Although local officials registered strong disappointment over the minimal amount of local hiring during early con-struction phases, recent contacts indicate a greater acceptance of the situation and an understanding that hir-ing practices were largely a reflection of union juris-dictions.

Local Econom~

As with the employment picture, benefits to local econ-

'omies are not in proportion to the size and cost of the SSES . A principal reason for minimal local economic bene-fits was the low levels of SSES employment in the immediate Bloomsburg-Berwick area. Additionally, contracts to ven-dors for specialized materials and/or services often went to non-local suppliers because such goods or services were not available at the local level.

Salem Township, the location of the plant site, will bene-fit from increases in local occupational and, to a lesser extent, local income tax revenues as a result of high numbers of construction personnel. Following plant con-struction, however, tax revenues associated with the plant are not likely to offset revenues forgone through the loss of tax rateables.

Communit Infrastructure With the exception of one instance where an additional policeman had to be provided for traffic control on a state highway, no unanticipated demands on schools, hospitals, emergency services or related community infrastructure systems have resulted from SSES construction. In several

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cases additional or specialized facilities were required for emergency and health care services. In these cases, pP6(L entered into agreements with a local hospital (Ber-wick) as well as local suppliers of ambulance and fire services to meet potential specialized demands caused by plant construction. PPSZ also subsidized the cost of additional facilities and specialized training.

Inflationar Im act It is commonly held in the local communities near the plant site that construction activities have had substantial in-flationary impacts on the local economy, particularly in the area of housing. Local businessmen and officials have been unable to provide specific instances or data to sup-port this belief. Data assembled during the course of the update on housing and food costs suggest increases com-parable to other areas of the state similar in the demo-graphic and economic characteristics to the Bloomsburg-Berwick area.

7. ,Public Attitudes Local officials are largely supportive of the construction phase of the plant as well as the subsequent operational phase. There also is agreement on the lack of impact which the plant has had on local communities. Such comments tend to be expressed in combined tones of disappointment and relief; relief that the construction phase has not. placed

. severe demands on the community to provide support ser-vices and disappointment that the plant construction has not yielded greater economic benefits.

No community frictions have developed as a result of new people moving into the local community. While the number of new employees relocating to the local communities has been relatively small, there remained a potential for com-munity friction arising from the newer or different values or attitudes brought into the community by new personnel.

These problems never materialized to any significant ex-tent.

A concern about recessionary impacts related to completion of SSES construction appears to be growing among certain

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sectors of the business and labor communities in the region. A labor spokesman indicated that. union enrollment is likely to shrink upon completion of the project. Fur-thermore, workers at. the plant have become accustomed to long-term employment at higher wages which may not, be available in the regional job market once the plant is completed.

Table I-1 summarizes by impact categories the types of mitigative measures proposed in the'1976 study and their current status.

C. Recommendations Few new issues or problems requiring specific recommendations were raised as a result of this update of the 1976 Community Impact Monitoring Study. Consequently, the recommendations proposed in 1976 which dealt primarily with the physical im-pacts of construction on local communities. remain critical to any future construction activities undertaken by PPGL.

Local concerns over possible "recessionary" impacts upon com-pletion of construction activities should be addressed in a post-construction update examining housing surpluses, trends in construction employment and changes in local economic activities. Representatives of local labor unions should be advised of scheduling and extent of reductions in labor force.

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Table I-1

SUMMARY

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. t IMPACT CATEGORIES."

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STATUS OF MITIGATION STRATEGIES Im act Cate o ~p*o stl Status Co t

1. Roads (traffic control) Provide additional police per- Adopted Measure proposed by subcommittee sonnel for local 'community of Pro)ect Advisory Committee; (Shickshinny). PP&L financial support provided.

2. Transportation Form bus pools for com- Adopted Fourteen buses in operation as muting workers. a result of "ad hoc" effort by manual work force.

3. Housing Conduct housing inventory No Action Measure proposed in 1976 *com-to assess needs of future munity impact report> would plant sites. likely be adopted whenever future generating stations pro-posed.

4. Law Enforcement None required, except as indicated in Nl above.

5. Health Care Expand out-patient and Adopted Both measures carried out> pp&L emergency care facilities financial support provided.

at local hospital.

Provide facilities and staff Adopted training for treatment of radiation related in)uries.

6. Make Up Water Construction of reservoir Adopted Reservoir in planning and pre-(low flow augmentation) near plant site. liminary design stages Establish local mitigation/ Adopted Pond Hill Reservoir Advisory advisory committee. Committee operational since 1977.

7. Schools None iequired> region experiencing declining enrollments

8. Employment Develop stronger program No Action Measure proposed in 1976 community for local hiring impact report> likely to receive strong consideration if future generating stations proposed.

9. Construction Impacts Establish pro)ect advisory Adopted Ongoing effort.

committee.

Implement policy to estab- Under in study.

lish impact zones affected by Proposed 1976 construction activities (re- Evaluation lated to standing offer of purchase of homes within impact zone).

Establish requirements for No Action Proposed in 1976 study.

pre- and post-blasting inspections of structures in impact zone.

10. Emergency Services Establish arrangements for Adopted Arrangements undertaken as part local fire and ambulance of overall Civil Defense planning ,

companies to respond to Staff training supported ','ffort.

emergencies during plant by PP&L.

operation.

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CHAPTER II SURVEY OF NON-MANUAL EMPLOYEES A. Summar of Surve Results In June of 1978, a survey was distributed to Bechtel manage-ment employees at the SSES. The employment level among Bechtel non-manual employees at that time was approximately 591 (see Table II-l).. A total ef 469 completed surveys rate of over percent.

were returned, a response 79 distinction was made between those Bechtel employees who are hired ~1ocall versus those respondents w'ho were prior Bechtel employees transferred in from other job locations, i.e., non-local employees. The assumption is that non-local employees, as new residents to the area, constitute the major element of community change resulting in community impacts. Consequently, most of the data evaluated deals exclusively with non-local employees. Of the 469 completed surveys, 182 (39 percent) were classified as non-local employees. The remaining responses, 287 (6l percent) were considered local responses.

Table II-1 Bechtel Power Corporation Employees Susquehanna Steam Electric Station 1975 and 1978 Total Permanent, Bechtel Em lo ees Local Hires 1975 1978 1975 1978 1975 1978 Manager 62 83 62 80 0 3 Professional 204 306 156 146 48 160 Technical 58 102 10 2 48 100 Clerical 78 100 23 3 55 97 TOTAL 402 591 251 231 151 360

5 On a regional level, Berwick has declined in significance (in terms of residential location) relative to other locations in Columbia and Luzerne Counties. Most Bechtel employees, however, continue to live in the Berwick area, send their children to Berwick schools, and do most of their daily and major shopping in the Berwick area. In 1978, 40 percent, (4P/o) of Bechtel employees lived in Berwick compared with 54 per-cent (54%) in 1975. Similarly, in 1978, 45 percent (45%) of the respondents resided in the Berwick Area School District, compared with 62 percent (62%) in 1975. In terms of shopping patterns, 39 percent (39/) of the respondents shop for their daily needs in Berwick compared with 54 percent (54%) in 1975.

A similar drop was noted in the major needs category which indicated 28 percent (28%) of the respondents shopped in Ber-wick for major shopping needs compared with 35 percent (35%)

in 1975.

Survey respondents continue to indicate a strong preference for single family detached homes over other types available in the study area. In 1978, 58 percent (58%) indicated a single family home as the type of residences they were currently liv-ing in compared with 50 percent (50/) in 1975. Although this trend of single family housing would suggest a high rate of ownership, the majority of respondents (53%) indicated that they rented.

Data on family size is largely inconclusive. Of 161 persons responding to a question on family size, only 14 percent (14%)

indicated that there were five or more persons in their fam-ily (down from 20% in 1975), a reflection, perhaps, of the national trend towards smaller families.

primary types of recreation engaged in included fishing, swim-ming, golf, tennis and hunting, all generally active types of recreation. Other popular activities included skiing, bowl-ing, parks, camping, hiking and softball. Respondents seemed generally pleased with the availability of recreational re-sources within the study area.

When asked what aspects of the area were liked least and which were liked most, the hest-liked aspects included the scenery, small town living, friendly people and availability of recre-ation. Least liked attributes included poor roads, poor traf-fic and parking conditions at the plant. site, poor climate and high taxes.

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B. Area of Residence According to survey results, Berwick still .ran'ks first con-II-2 cerning location preference for non-local employees. Table indicates 1978 distribution of residential choices compared with 1975.

Table II-2 Bechtel Power Cor oration Em lo ees Non-local  : Area of Residence No. of Families No. of Families 1975 1978 No. No.

Columbia Count Berwick Area 86 54 71 40 Bloomsburg Area 18 13 ll 23 13 12 Other Columbia Co. 8 22 Luzerne Count Wilkes-Barre Area 6 4 ll 6 Other Luzerne Co. 29 19 30 17 Other Counties 19 12 158 100 176 100 Summar b Count 1975 1978 No. No ohio Columbia 117 74 110 63 Luzerne 35 22 47 27 Other 4 19 10 TOTAL 158 100 176 100

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12 The single discernible trend is the reduction in the number of families choosing to reside in the Berwick area. Seventy-one (71) families, or 40 percent (40/), live in the immediate site area which includes Salem Township (Luzerne County) i Berwick Borough and Briar Creek Borough and Township (Columbia County), about 14 percent (14%) lower than the 1975 figures.

Luzerne County accounted for a greater share of Bechtel fam-ilies in 1978 with most of the increases taking place in the Mountaintop area, a suburban residential community south of Wilkes-Barre. Other counties have also registered gains with most increases evenly distributed among Schuylkill, Northum-berland, Lycoming and Montour Counties.

It is difficult to speculate on the reasons, or significances of changes in residential distributions. During the period in which the first community impact study was prepared (1975-1976),

the Berwick Area School District was undergoing certain changes.

Having a number of older schools, the district committed it-self to a building program to create additional classroom space.

Some local controversy arose around the issue and focused pub-licity on local schools in the district. Newspaper accounts suggested that. the schools were responsible for a housing mar-ket'ag at that time. Conversations with local realtors sug-gest that the school system remains a significant locational factor concerning area of residence, despite the fact that the Berwick Area School District has recently completed a new middle school to replace space lost through the closing of the older buildings.

T e and Tenure of Residence Fifty-eight percent (58%) of those respondents surveyed in 1978 owned or rented single family housing, compared to 50 percent (50/) in 1975. There were nine percent (9%) fewer respondents who lived in apartment-type housing in 1978. Mo-bile home housing increased slightly from eleven percent (11%)

in 1975 to fifteen percent (15%) in 1978. Forty-seven percent (47%) of the respondents owned their housing in 1978, while only thirty-eight percent (38%) owned their homes in 1975.

Table II-3 summarizes these data.

Columbia County Enterprise, "Why Are Home Buyers Saying No to Berwick?", July 9, 1976.

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13 Table XI-3 Housin T e and Tenure A. T e of Residence 1975 1978 No. o/ No.

1. Single Family 78 50 99 58 Apartment 46 30 36 21 2.

3. Mobile Home 17 ll 1 26 15

4. Motel/Rooming House 2 3 2

5. Duplex or Townhouse 13 8 6 4 TOTAL 156 100 170 100'.

Tenure 1975 1978 No. No. o/

1. Own 59 38 81 47

2. Rent 96 62 90 53 T OTAL 155 100 171 100 The above suggests little difference in trends between 1975 and 1978 survey results.' rise in ownership suggests great-er availability of housing supply.

Survey data indicates'hat one and two-person families trans-ferred into the area remained virtually unchanged from 1975 to 1978. The most, notable differences occurred in families with three or more persons.

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14 Table II-4 Famil S ize 1975 1978 No. No.

Famil S ize

l. 1 person 22 15 22 14

2. 2 persons 46 32 52 32

3. 3 persons 20 14 28 17

4. 4 persons 28 19 37 23

5. 5 or more persons 30 20 '22 14 T OTAL 146 100 161 100 The data suggest no particular signific'ance except that the decrease in the number of larger families (5 or more persons) reflects a national trend towards smaller families.

E. A e of Em lo ees The Bechtel employees surveyed constitute a relatively young work force with almost fifty percent (50/) of the employees under the age of thirty-five (35).

Table II-5 A e of Em lo ees AGE No.

Under 25 25-35 ll 73 6

'41 36-45 33. 18 46-60-. 51 60 or More ll 29 6

TOTAL 179 100

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15 F. Number of Children b Grade Level s School District Of those persons surveyed, about half indicated that they had children. Average family size remained unchanged since 1975, about 2.1 persons per family.

The percentage of pre-school children from 1975 to 1978 also remained unchanged. Decreases in the percentage of elementary and junior high school children occurred in 1978 when compared to the same grade levels in 1975. At the senior high school level, however, a seven percent (7%) increase was registered.

Table II-6 Number of Children b Grade Level 1975 1978 Grade Level No. No.

Pre-school Elementary Junior High School 49 67 32

'929 54 68 27 29 37 14 19 Senior High School 22 13 37 20 T OTAL 170 100 186 100 Overall, there was an eleven percent (11%) increase in the number of children between 1978 and 1975.

ln terms of enrollment trends, Table II-7 shows family resi-dence by school district.

Table II-7 Famil Residence b School District 1975 1978 School District No. o/ No.. o/

Berwick Area 48 40 45 Bloomsburg Area ~

5, 6 Central Columbia 12 15 8'5 Luzerne County Districts 14 18 22 Other TOTAL 78 100 100

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16 Table IX-8 illustrates the distribution of children among school districts. Typically, the distribution among school districts reflects trends similar to residential location reported in Table IX-2. Most children live within the 'Berwick School District, with a significant percentage living in the Central Columbia District. Luzerne County School Districts account for less than fifteen percent (15%) of children reported.

Xn 1975, the majority of families with. children, sixty-two percent (62%),.resided within the Berwick Area School Dis-dropped to forty-five trict. Three years lat'er, this figure(48"families percent (45%). The absolute numbers vs. 40 families) suggest a less dramatic effect on overall enrollment.

Nevertheless, substantial gains were reqorded in the Luzerne "

County and Central Columbia School Districts.

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Table XI-8 Number of Children School District and Grade Level 1978 School Districts Total No. No. o/ No. No. No.

1. Berwick 80 - 43 24 26 38 12 44 18 49

2. Central Columbia 23 10 19 19 28 7 26, 11 30

3. Hazleton (Luzerne Co.) 21 13 8 12 3 ll

4. Bloomsburg 17 2 8

5. Northwest (Luzerne Co.) 6 0 5 13

6. Other 20 9 13 3 11 3 8 TOTAL 186 100 54 100 68 100 27 100 37 100

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/ C II ~ CRCCN NOCfx UNION r 4" lhEAVER MEADOW CLCtcl ANO

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'gc,S~S I g 'QIOxt A MONITORING STUDY OF COMMUNITYIMPACT ENTRALIA SHENANOOAH CONINCtIAH MT. ELP Susquehanna Steam Electric Station MC C~CL GIRARD- Decemher 1978 VILLE

~ 4 0 BERW'ICK AREA,

~4-': CENTRAL COLUMBIA 8 16 24 Miles

~

~th: t BLOOMSBURG AREA

~ NORTHEAST AREA HAZLETON AREA (LUZERNE COUNTY PORTION)

SCHOOL DISTRICTS FIG. II-2

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G. Sho in Patterns The 1978 survey, as did the 1975 effort, attempted to discern spending patterns of non-local Bechtel employees. The shop-ping patterns qf new area residents were examined with respect to two types of purchases, daily shopping and shopping for major needs such as furniture, large appliances, etc. Table

'II-9 records those responses.

Table II-9 Shopping Patterns: Daily and Major Purchases Res ondents,could .answer more than once.)

'ail Needs Ma'or Needs 1975 1978 1975 1978 No. No. oy Berwick 39 35 28 Bloomsburg 20 20 24 Wilkes-Barre 10 23 Hazleton 12 Other 10 14 10 12 TOTAL 100 100 100 100 Berwick's role as a local and regional shopping center, when compared to other areas, has declined. Meanwhile, the shop-ping activity in Bloomsburg, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton increased.

H. Recreational Activities The primary types of recreation used'by families or respondents include fishing, swimming, golf, tennis and hunting. Skiing,

'bowling, parks, camping, hi'king and softball were engaged in to a lesser'xtent. Data available from the 1975 survey was

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20 not comparable; the information presented below is, therefore, for the 1978 survey only.

Table II-10 Recreational Use T e No. T e No.

A. Fishing 47 14 H. Bowling 16 B. Swimming 43 12 I. Parks 12 C. Golf 39 ll Z.'amping D. Tennis 36 10 K. Hiking E. Hunting 36 10 L. Softball F..S'kiing 25 M. YMCA G. None 25 7 N. Other 39 ll TOTAL 346 99 I. Hos ital Use and Pur ose Of the 172 responses recorded, local hospitals have been used by sixty-three percent (63%) of the families, which was ap-proximately the same as the 1975 rate. Two local hospitals are located in the vicinity of the plant site, in Berwick and Bloomsburg; a third facility, Geisinger Medical Center, is located twenty-five (25) miles to the southwest, in Danville.

The majority of respondents used local hospitals for emergency purposes, although the percentage of those visits from work-related causes is undetermined~. Chapter VI, Section B, does report on the number of hospital referrals from work-related accidents.

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21 Table II-ll Hos ital Use and Pur ose Hos ital Use Hos ital Pur ose No. No.

A. Yes 109 63 A. Emergency 58 42 B. No 63 37 B. Surgery 38 27 TOTAL 172 100 C. Pregnancy 18 13 D. Check-ups 12 E. Tests F .. Other TOTAL 138 100 J. Attitude Towards Area of Residence As with the 1975 survey, an attempt was made to gain insight into the attitudes of Bechtel employees concerning the aspects of the area liked most and least by asking open-ended ques-tions. Response rates are reported below:

Table II-12 Attitude Towards Area of Residence (Respondents could choose more than one category.)

As ects Liked Best 1975 1978 o/

1. Scenery 25 17

2. Small Town Life 23 ,17

3. Friendly People. 18 21

4. Recreation 10 12

5. Near Metropolitan Areas 6 5

6. Good Schools 4 3

7. Shopping 2 4

8. Other 12 21 TOTAL 100 100

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22 "Scenery" and "small town life" have yielded somewhat to "friendly people" and "recreation" as positive community fea-tures. Overall, however, the principal appeal of the Berwick-Bloomsburg area to those surveyed in 1978 is virtually un-changed from 1975, i.e., living in a small town in a rural setting.

The "other" category had a twenty-one percent (21%) response rate which included such responses as "good municipal service",

"provided employment", and "low cost of living". Individually, responses in the other category were generally less than two percent (2%) of total responses.

In 1975, "poor shopping", "high cost of living", "high taxes" and "climate" topped the list, of undesirable factors associa-ted with local communities (see Table II-13) . By 1978, the first two categories diminished in importance"Poor while climate and high taxes remained relatively stable. roads" emerged as a strong negative feature as did "poor traffic and parking conditions at, plant site", a factor which was not even recorded in 1975.

Similarly, three additional factors emerged since the 1975 survey which represents potential local issues. These new factors include "resentment to Bechtel", "poor government", and "high utility rates".

Table II-13 As ects Liked,.Least, (Respondents could choose, more than one category.)

1975 1978

1. Poor Shopping 17 8

2. High Cost of Living 12 3 Climate 12 14 3.

4. High Taxes ll 13

5. Poor/Expensive Housing 9 2

6. Poor Roads 9 15

7. Unfriendly People 8 3

8. Lack of Culture Resources 6 4

9. Poor Schools 5 2'2

10. Traffic and Parking Conditions at the Plant Site ll.

12.

Resentment to Bechtel Poor Government 4

3

13. High Utility Rates 3

14. Other 14 TOTAL 100 100

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23 K. PP6L Surve Res onses As in 1975, all PPSZ employees assigned to the SSES were surveyed in 1978. In 1975, the number of responses, thirty-one (31), was considered statistically insignificant. In three years, the size of the PPSZ, staff increased to ninety (90), eighty (80) of which responded to the survey. While the number of responses is statistically more significant in 1978, the absolute number of employees, in terms of local community impacts, is still low. Table II-14 summarizes 1978 responses.

The terms "local" and "non-local" refer to those PP&L em-ployees who did not have to move in to the plant site area as opposed to those employees hired, or transferred in, from other job locations.

Trends similar to those identified in the Bechtel survey are discernible in responses to the PPSL survey. Since 1975, the Bloomsburg-Berwick area, particularly Berwick, remains the principal area chosen by incoming PP&L personnel. Even those 1978 responses recorded as "Other Luzerne County" (Item No. 4) included many responses from the Nescopeck area which is lo-cated directly opposite Berwick across the Susquehanna River.

Another determination of place of residence can be inferred from responses to Item No. 9, School District, which reflects a substantial response rate from the Berwick Area School District.

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24

'"-'able XI-14 PPGL Em lo ee Profile Total Res onses 5. e of Residence Nonlocal 1975 1978. 1975 1978 Local 13 25 Single Family 12 45 Nonlocal 18 55 Apartment 2 8 Total 31 80 Mobile Home 1 1 Other \ 1 A e Distribution Total 17 55 1975 1978 AcCe 6 ~Ae I 6. Tenure 20-29 15 Under 25 5 1975 1978 30-39 8 25-35 58 Own 14 41 40-49 3 36-45 13 Rent 1 14 50-59 4 46-60 4 Total 15 55

. 1975 Local Nonlocal 1975 1978 Engineer 5 10 1 Person 3 5 Accountant 2 2 Persons 1' 16 Supervisor 2 4 3 Persons 2 Other Management 1 3 4 Persons 6 18 Clerk-Secretary 3 1 5+ Persons 2 8 Total 16 ,49 1978 Local Nonlocal 8. Number of Children Manager 2 16 1975 1978 Professional 3 19 Preschool 8 15 Technical 17 19 Elementary 6 20 Clerical 3 1 Jr. High 4 6 S r. 3 of Residence High"'otal Area 18 44 1975 9. School District Local Nonlocal 1975 1978 Berwick Area 1 '5 Berwick 4 23 Columbia Co. 2 6 Bloomsburg 2 Luzerne Co. 4 Central Col. 11 Other 6 3 Hazleton 7 Total 13 18 Northwest 4 Benton 4 1978 Luzerne Co. 3 Local Nonlocal Other 1 1 Berwick Area 1 17 Total 7 55 Bloomsburg Area 1 13 Other Columbia Co..5 6 Conyngham Boro 1 3 (Luzerne Co.)

Wilkes-Barre 2 1 Other Luzerne Co. 5 14 Other 10 1 Total ~

25 55

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25 As ects Liked Least Dail Purchases 1975 1978 1975 1978 Berwick 10 33 Poor Shopping Facilities 4 19 Bloomsburg 7 24 Poor Schools 3. 5 Wilkes-Barre 5 7 Lack of Cultural 8 Hazleton 7 Activities Other 2 15 Poor Roads 5 Total 24 86 Poor/Expensive Housing 3 Unfriendly People 3 Ma'or Purchases Other 5 10 Berwick 16 Total 12 53 Bloomsburg 21 Wilkes-Barre 20 Hazleton 13 Other 6 17 Total 26 87 ll. Recreational Activities (Multiple Response) 1975 1978 Hunting 6 Fishing 8 43 Swimming 11 18 Tennis 8 17 Skiing (snow) 12 Camping 6 Golf 5 Parks 4 Other 10 19 None 10 Total 37 134 1975 1978 Yes 14 24 No 3 13 17 27

13. Aspects Liked Best (Multiple Response) 1975 1978 Rural Area/Small Town Life ll 29 Friendly People 8 Scenery 14 Available Recreation 6 Other 11 Total 17 68

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26 CHAPTER IXX BACKGROUND XNFORMATION:

POPULATION EMPLOYMENT AND MANPOWER The project region reflects some of the demographic trends occurring in the Northeast U.S .A. as a whole, particularly in population losses. Table III-1 records population changes in the site region over a period of thirty-five years:

Table IXI-1 Population Changes of Counties Within 20 Miles of the Site

% Change 1975

~Count 1940 1950 1960 1970 1940 to 1970 Estimate Luzerne 441, 518 392, 241 346,972 342, 301 -22. 5 345, 645 f

Columbia

~

51, 413 53,460 53,489 55,114 7.2 59,288 t

ullivan

~

7, 504 6, 745 6,751 5,961 -20.6 '5, 963 pchuylkill 228, 331 200,577 173,089 160,089 -29.9 160, 118 I

Carbon 61, 735 57,558 52,889 50,573 -18.1 52, 289 Columbia County is the only county to have recorded population increases over a 30-year period, a modest gain of 4,000 persons.

Between 1940 and 1970, the remaining counties recorded signi-ficant population decreases. Recent Bureau of Census projec-tions indicate a reversal of the long-term population decline in these counties. Table III-2 indicates population distribu-tion by area of residence. It also reflects the urban-rural contrast between the two counties closest to the project site, Luzerne and Columbia:

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27 Table III-2 Population by Residence For Counties Within 20 Miles of the Site 1 9 7 0

~counn Urban Rural-Nonfarm Rural-Farm Luzerne 267,510 66,461 2, 699 Columbia 23,926 26,170 5, 018 Sullivan 4, 691 1, 270 Schuyl'kill 83,133 73,251 3, 705 Carbon 32,268 17,564 741 At the municipal level, the project area is characterized by small urban centers in a predominantly rural region.

Table III-3 Selected Local Munici al Po ulations Distance From 1970 1975 Estimate SSES Miles)

Columbia Count Berwic'k 12.,274 12,253 4.5 Bloomsburg 11,652 12,181 16 Scott Township 3,875 3,765 14 Briar Creek Township 2,150 2,804 9 Luzerne Count Nes copeck 1,897 1,921 5 Shic'kshinny 1,685 ',590 Wilkes-Barre 58,856 57, 040 20 Salem Township 3,890 4, 397

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. 28 Although the project site is in Salem Township, Luzerne County, Salem Township's orientation is to the communities of Columbia County, particularly Berwick,' well established re-tail center and the economic focus of the area. Bloomsburg, about sixteen (16) miles .southwest of the plant site, approx-imates Berwick's size and is the county seat.

Work Force Characteristics An assumption implicit in both the 1976 Community Impact Moni-toring Study and this update is that most major community im-pacts associated with SSES construction are related, directly or indirectly, to the work force. Admittedly, the construction of a major facility li'ke SSES can have significant community impacts when the acquisition of local homes results in the dislocation of families. Since land acquisition commenced on the SSES project, approximately thirty (30) homes have been acquired.4 Long-term impacts, however, are more closely re-lated to the interaction of the work force with local communi-ties in such matters as traffic, housing, recreation, utilities (sewer and water), etc.

Before looking at work force characteristics at the project site, it would be helpful to examine the regional labor force characteristics. Table III-4 relates data on labor force size in Luzerne and Columbia Counties.

In the greater Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton area,,the size of the civilian labor force had not changed appreciably in the report-ing period. The number of persons unemployed increased signi-ficantly, however, and overall employment actually decreased.

Contract construction, nevertheless, increased by fifty per-cent (50/). Much of that increase is a result of employment at, the project site as well as the public and private rehabili-tation carried out in the wake of Tropical Storm Agnes, which caused extensive damage in the Wilkes-Barre area in 1972.

Nor did the Bloomsburg-Berwick area demonstrate much improve-ment in the reporting period. Without. a significant increase in the labor force size, the number of unemployed more than doubled. One of the few improvements was in contract construc-tion, which registered a twenty-two percent (22%) gain.

I At the project site, the labor force is at its pea'k with over 4,000 workers employed (July, 1978). As prime contractor for

ia e ~ ~ e ~ ~ III-4 Table

~ ~ ~ y CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE I EMPLOYilENT AND UNE)~PLOYMENT ANNUAL AVERAGE FOR SELECTED YEARS (000's of Workers)

A. Wilkes-Barre Hazleton

% Change 1970 1972 1974 1976 1977 '70 '77

1. Civilian Labor .Force 146.4 149-5 150.5 150.8 147.4

2. Unemployment 7.9 12.7 9.5 14. 5. 14.7 86.0 Labor Force 5.4 8.5 6.3 9.6 9.9 83.3

3. 'Employment ".

138.5 136. 8 141. 0 136. 3 132. 7 -4.1 Non-Agriculture NA 121.3 126.7 123.3 122.1 .6 (1) Manufacturing 52.1 47.9 46.4 40.6 39.3 -25.0 (2) Non-Manufacturing 70. 6 73.2 79.9 82.1 82.7 17.1 Contract Construction 5.4 6.5 7.8 8.2 8.1 50.0 B. Berwick Bloomsbur

1. Civilian Labor Force 24.7 25.6 26.6 26.5 26.0 5.3

2. Unemployment 1.4 1.5 2.1 3.2 2.9 107.1

% Labor Force 5.7 5.9 -7.9 12.1 11.1 95.0

3. Employment 23.3 24.2 24.6 23.4 23.2 Non-Agriculture 20.1 21.4 21. 7 20.6 20.9 4.0 (1) Manufacturing 11.2 11.6 10. 5 9.1 8.8 -21.4 (2) Non-Manufacturing 8.9 9.7 11.0 11.4 12.1 36.0 Contract Construction 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.9 22.2

• Data is an estimate of jobs by place of work and is not directly comparable to labor force.

data whicn estimates workers by place of residence.

30 the project, the Bechtel Power Corporation employs directly, or through its subcontractors, most of these workers. The labor force can be broken down into two broad categories, manual and non-manual personnel, for evaluation purposes.

Manual workers consist primarily of skilled craftsmen such as carpenters, operating engineers, electricians, ironworkers, etc., but also includes laborers. Non-Manual workers general-ly fall into four categories, including managerial, profes-sional, technical and clerical.

C. Man ower Needs at the Pro'ect Site

1. Manual Work Force 1973 was the initial year of significant construction ac-tivity at the project site. Under the present construc-tion schedule, the first unit will be completed in 1981 and the second in 1982. Within that time frame it is possible to trace past and future manual work force needs at the project site. {See Figure III-l.)

Table IXI-5 indicates the average number of manual workers

. employed in August, 1978. The distribution of workers by occupational category would vary based on the construction phase.

Table XXI-56 Distribution of Manual Employees by Labor Classification Susquehanna Steam Electric Station Au ust, 1978 CLASSIFICATION: WORKERS EMPLOYED {

PRIME SUB CONTRACTOR CONTRACTORS TOTAL Laborer 521 162 683 Carpenter 294 85 379 Operating Engineer 172 122 294 Electrician 640 34 674 Ironworker 209 58 267 Boilermaker 65 16 81

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31 Pipeful'ger 885 75 960 Other 268 265 533 T OTAL 3,054 817 3,871 Notes: (1) -Include craft labor only, up through and in-cluding General Foreman (2) Average number employed during month (3) Includes all other craft labor The 1976 monitoring study reported that over seventy per-cent (70/o) of manual employees commuted from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area. Table IIX-6 reflects little change in those trends. Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties provide almost sixty percent (60%) of the manual work force.

Figure XII-2 indicates distance of Pennsylvania counties from the plant site.

D. Non-Manual Em lo ees This classification includes managerial, professional, tech-nical and clerical workers. In 1978, the average number of non-manual personnel employed by Bechtel Power Corporation was expected to reach a peak of 658 employees. Actual and an-ticipated numbers of non-manual employees are listed in Table XII-7.

Although significantly smaller in number than the manual work force, non-manual employees have a greater potential to affect some aspects of community infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, emergency services, etc.

Initially, most of the non-manual personnel employed by Bech-tel were transferred in from other Bechtel job locations.

These "non-local" employees would, in most instances, relocate their families to the new -'ob site area, placing additional demands on housing supply and area schools. More specific inquiries concerning community impacts associated with manual and non-manual personnel are addressed in Chapters V and VI of this report.

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FXGURE X'XX-1 MANUAL EMPLOYEES ACTUAL AND PROJECTED SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION 5000 4000 3840 0

3000 O. 2750 $ 2800 2250,

% 2000 z'000 800 1300 ACTUAL

- PROJLCTED g1200

~~400 100 175 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 'l979 1980 1981 1982 YEAR PPB I-1978

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33 Table III-67 Residence of Manual Em lo ees b Count 1975 and 1978 Number Percent C~ount 1975 1978 1975 1978 Luzerne 1122 1402 59 50 Lackawanna 239 243 13 8.6 Columbia 90 160 5 5.7 Schuylkill 77 252 4 9 Northumberland 64 142 5 Lycoming 35 110 3.9 Monroe Dauphin 10 9 33 8

l.l Lancaster 10 4 Wayne Lebanon Wyoming ll 12 38 0

1 0

Montour 3 0 Carbon 7 2 Cumberland 5 2 Juniata 3 1, Sullivan 5 0 Susquehanna 6 9 Perry 2 0 Pike 1 1 T3.oga 1 1 Union 2 4 Bradford 2 0 Clinton 0 0 Snyder 2 5 Philadelphia 2 14 York 0 9 Adams 1 0 Bedford 0 0 Berks 4 20 Bucks 1 28 Crawford 0 0 Lehigh 3 61 2.2 Montgomery 1 5 Northampton 1 8 Wayne 0 31 Warren 0 0 Westmoreland 0 0 Centre 1 1 Delaware 1 1 Chester 0 1 Other States 118 236 8.3 Unknown 8 0 1900 2795

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DISTANCE FROM PLANT SITE (IN MILES)

C 1 I I /p,',,

1 1 0 f 0 1 0 .... PVSOVCIIJJOJ w J 1 1 C 1 0 1 t l 1;..::

I O,~+",I:::,"::::,:"

I T 0 T T t:..'P::.:::

C 1 l v ( 0 1 0

a:$ c .::.'.":::

T 0 1 C S T o Oe C a 1  :,j::::: . ': Q:CI' a Iv1 1 C 1 11 eo

~:::4:.J,'IKQ 1 0 1

, I~" j;.KO

"; '<<<<<<0 C 1 0 C ~

JCTTCJSOO I  :.CION.::.aat a 0 C C 0:T1:4 a":.':.-

4:.>.iW .~

a J+ os 0 CC Mg "0"'"

<<p.,:::::::.::.

~

""""""'SEC ."""" '

~ 0 T at 1 1

JSOSTII010 et JVC1 :TI... 'T "'i:

~ 1 0 ~ Jo 1

.SOSI 'I ,:: .a<<:1<<v.."::";,v a ClatNT:::.':.'T..o.

/

JLCOIICIIT

/

r C JO ~ 1 ~ J

<<VOVVT Ia%o'C.T .:t.::.ea.ho,e:a4 0 c s TIIolt a Joo '; ""';;I.I

.<<~:::::ASSI::4J

", J S

,i~~fgr.~ ooo -'I/.::" ': a.

V JSN ~ 10 T 0 1

+~):4Taa+COOIC'rC'St'nV+i'.:""rI i ."

Il S 1 T C T 1 C Soo test t Cot STC1.:

0 1 t C 1 C DECEMBER 1978 0 25 75 . 100 Mi es FIG. III-2

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35 Table III-78 Non-Manual Em lo ees Actual and Pro'ected (Annual Average)

Sus uehanna Steam Electric Station Year Actual Pro 'ected 73 25 74 175 75 350 76 465 77 530 78 658 79 628 80 472 81 256 82 90 83

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36 E. PPSJ Work Force As construction on the SSES progresses, the size of the PPSL work force which operates the plant will gradually continue to expand beyond its present level of 168. These personnel are primarily involved in training and administrative oper-ations in preparation of an anticipated start-up date in 1981.

At that time, the entire work force required to operate and maintain the plant will consist of 356 persons, including security personnel.

37 Chapter III SOURCES 1 . U.S . Census of Population, 1970 and "Current Population Reports: Population Estimates and Projections", Series P-25, No. 686, May 1977 2 U.S. Census of Population, 1970 3 "Current Population Reports: Population Estimates and Projections", Series P-25, No. 686, May 1977 4 PPSL Real Estate Department, September 1978 5 Bureau of Employment Security, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, unpublished data 6 Bechtel Power Corporation, SSES, March 1978 7 Bechtel Power Corporation, SSES Personnel Department, March 1978 8 Pennsylvania Power S Light Company, SSES Staff, May 1978

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38 CHAPTER IV LOCAL VIEWS ON COMMUNITY IMPACTS The community impacts of plant construction as perceived by local residents are as important as information conveyed in quantitative evaluations of employee numbers or move-ments. In the initial 1976 community impact study, interviews were important in gauging community attitudes and documenting the most serious local impacts of early construction activities, i.e.,

noise, dust and alleged property damage.

The personal interview technique was also used for this update. A cross section of community officials, businessmen and educators was contacted in the summer and fall of 1978. The range and number of interviews were expanded over those conducted in 1975-76. Local viewpoints are categorized according to issues potentially affecting local communities in the plant site area.

A.. Housinc[

The 1976 community impact study suggested that plant construc-tion could potentially affect housing costs and supply. The effects on housing were inconclusive, although local opinion indicated plant construction had a significant inflationary impact on local housing costs. On this point, local views seem to have remain unchanged. The director of the Columbia County Planning Commission felt that housing costs had been influenced by PPK and Bechtel employees, largely because of the nature of the housing market in Columbia County. Essen-tially a rural county with a history of slow economic growth, very little speculative building takes place. Houses are built on demand and are relatively modest three-bedroom homes.

The planning director suggested that Bechtel and PPGL employ-ees transferred into the region from other job locations were perhaps used to more "customized housing", offering greater diversity in architectural styles, amenities, size, etc.

Generally higher incomes (than those paid in Columbia County) allowed project employees to build more expensive homes. He further suggested that the average cost of a new home was in the

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39 "upper 30's" (exclusive of land costs) and that Bechtel per-sonnel were building homes considerably in excess of that cost.*

With the exception of the above effects on housing, the Colum-bia County Planning Commission staff saw little impact on

,planning concerns raised by SSES construction.

Local realtors provided additional views on the local housing market. A local Bloomsburg realtor suggested that housing costs in the Bloomsburg area have "doubled" since 1970, with a typical split level home costing $ 60,000 (exclusive of land costs) . While acknowledging rising housing costs, the real-tor was uncertain how much of the increases were associated with plant construction. He did note, however, that certain portions of Columbia County began to develop a significant second home market in the early 1970's which was curtailed following the OPEC oil embargo and subsequent gasoline price rises.

The subsequent drop off in second home construction was more noticeable than inflationary impacts on the market associated with project construction. The realtor also confirmed that speculative housing is not strong in the Bloomsburg area which, he believed, was because of the absence of local bank support.

A local Berwick realtor stated that although housing demand had been dropping off in the Berwick area since 1972, SSES construction had resulted in increased inflationary impacts on the local market3.' major reason, he believed, 'for re-duced housing activity was the proliferation of regulatory controls which discouraged local development.

B. Local Econom /Em lo ent The 1976 report indicated local concern over the relative ab-sence of employment opportunities in Columbia County. And al-though the report indicates substantial boosts to the local economy, local opinion suggests that construction of the plant has done little to improve economic conditions. A Salem Town-ship supervisor reflected that only two small restaurants had

• Chapter V, Local Economic ~lm acts, examines rises in market value and assessed value for residential properties since 1973 in the project area.

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40 opened, along Route ll in Salem Township. Similarly, a vice president of a Berwick bank also observed that plant construc-tion had not appreciably increased retail trade in Berwick The reason for the absence of retail trade, according to the Columbia County Economic Development Coordinator6, is clearly associated with the movement of workers to and from the plant site. Economic benefits to local communities are commensurate to levels of local employment, which, in the case of Columbia County, are small. Local programs to improve the economy, such as those of the Bloomsburg Industrial Development Author-ity, had greater effect on the local economy than SSES con-struction.

This view was supported by the Mayor of Berwick who noted that a number of older established businesses had closed their doors since 1970, including the town's only hotel and a major fur-niture store. Some local fast food stores may be benefiting, he claimed, but there is no significant improvement in retail trade.

The project's lack of impact on local employment was also noted and apparently accepted by local persons. Berwick's Mayor acknowledged that, while the project offered opportun-ities for employment at. higher wages than local mar'kets, the number of tradespeople employed from the Berwick-Bloomsburg area seemed small. He recognized that the jurisdictions of local unions had an effect on local hiring practices.*

• As pointed out in the 1976 study, the SSES site is located within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Northeast Pennsylvania Building and Trades Council, which includes the major labor market areas in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties. Consequently, most manual employees at the project site reside in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area.

Only one craft union, Masons and Bricklayers, has juris-diction within Columbia County. 'uring the initial period of project construction in the early seventies, expecta-tions were high that the plant would have a strong, posi-tive ef fect on local employment. Strong disappointment was registered when these expectations were not met.

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41 C. Educational Facilities Construction of the SSES has not required local school dis-tricts to expand their physical plants, largely as a result of two factors: (1) the proximity of a la'bor market suffi-cient to supply most manpower requirements, and (2) a history of declining school enrollments in Columbia County.

According to recent projections (see Chapter VI, Table VI-l),

all school districts in Columbia County will face continuing enrollment declines, at least until 1983 . Among the affected school districts, Berwick faces a projected drop in enrollment of 528 students, over twelve percent (12%) of current enroll-ment. Although he believes the projections of the Pennsyl-vania Economy League to be high by over 100 students, the Berwick Area School District Superintendent nevertheless feels the location of the SSES in his district. may exacerbate enroll-ment. losses . Berwick Area School District currently enrolls more children of Bechtel employees than any other school dis-trict in Columbia County. The district is likely to lose most of these students as Bechtel personnel move onto new job lo-cations as the SSES project nears completion. Some of these losses might 'be replaced as PP&L operational staff move into the area, but the district suffers from an adverse image rising from a building program controversy. While the controversy seems to have resolved itself with the recent completion of a federally funded junior high school, a July 1976 news article commented on the effect of the school district's problems on the housing, market:

Bob Ager, with Sweeney and Lu'kens Real Estate, also noted that people are steering clear of buying in the Berwick area. "Seven out of ten people want Central or Benton," he said.

"People just don't realize the effect that the school system has. Even though the problems may not be as bad as some people think, new people coming into the area'ear the reports about the schools and don't want to move to Berwick: The people who do move into Berwick are generally older couples who don't have children anyhow."

The Berwick superintendent also expressed a concern that new-comers to Columbia would choose not to live in the Berwick area because of its proximity to a nuclear plant. He further

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42 indicated that the land owned by PPSZ for the project and re-lated uses, over 1,000 acres in Salem Township, preempts future residential uses. The loss of this land for residential de-velopment could make it. more difficult to stabilize declining enrollments.

General Communit Im acts With a few exceptions, SSES construction has avoided any of the "boom town" syndromes experienced with some large energy-related projects in other parts of the country. Local officials in Salem Township (location of the plant site) and the adjoin-ing communities of Shickshinny and Berwick have stated that no physical facilities had to be expanded or rehabilitated as a result of SSES construction. The Borough of Shickshinny, a small community four miles northeast of the plant site, has re-cently undergone extensive surface and subsurface improvements to streets, water and sewer systems, sidewalks, curbs and re-lated site improvements. All of these improvements, however, were conducted as part of a disaster renewal effort to repair the damages of Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972.11 Shickshinny found it necessary to supplement-its one-man police force to control traffic flows at two intersections in the town's center. Traffic volumes at peak hour caused traffic control problems in the Borough as well as hampering egress a-cross a bridge which served an adjoining small community across the Susquehanna River.

Although no mass tran'sit systems serve the project site, an ad hoc system was developed among construction personnel, per-haps in response to some of the traffic conditions referred to above. By September of 1978, fourteen (14) buses were de-livering workers to the plant site from seven (7) communities.

These "bus pools" were arranged and coordinated by groups of individual workers.

Despite the increase in traffic near the site,and the concen-trations of vehicles at the site, state police in the project area report no arrests have been made at the site. An increase in the total number of calls since 1972 within their service area has occurred, but no increases could be related to plant construction.

Many of the local administrators and officials indicated that the absence of impacts on community infrastructure or facil-

43 ities was because few people associated with the plant moved into the area. As a result, frictions and community tensions which often develop when "outsiders" move into a community, did not develop locally to any significant degree.

In April of 1978, a Bloomsburg paper printed a letter apparent-ly written by wives of several Bechtel employees. The letter complained of price gouging, housing discrimination and other harassment. A Berwick newspaper subsequently editorialized on the complaint and expressed the hope that such incidents were isolated. In a later interview, the editor of the Berwick Enterprise indicated that, incidents of the type described in the letter probably occurred but that hostility or discrimin-ation against anyone associated with the SSES was not a wide-spread problem. The employees associated with the project have been accepted into the community in much the same way the community has accepted the physical presence of the plant.

The editor of the Berwick Enterprise, as well as several local realtors and school officials, expressed concern over the pos-sibility of certain recessionary impacts following completion of the SSES project. According to opinions expressed, high salaries paid to Bechtel employees afforded them opportunities to construct homes having a value greater than most houses offered by the local market. Once Bechtel employees move to new job locations, the local housing market will not provide sufficient buyers for what is considered to be more expensive housing. Similarly, the completion of project construction will significantly affect employment and earnings in the con-struction trades, according to a local labor union official.

Since 1972, the ranks of the local unions have grown in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties. Much of that growth is attributed to the SSES construction. He expressed a belief that residential construction would be able to pick up some of the released labor force, assuming the "layoffs were orderly." Even with growth in residential construction, he expected decreases in union memberships following completion of SSES construction.

He further indicated that one major effect would likely be a change in income once the plant had closed., Many of the work-ers at the plant from the Luzerne-Lackawanna Counties, he sug-gested, had become accustomed to high wages and long-term em-ployment. He characterized employment in the Luzerne County area as "short-term residential construction" of a type which will materially reduce worker income.

44 CHAPTER IV SOURCES Personal interview with Mr. Robert Beishline, Director, Columbia Cojnty Planning Commission and, Staff Planner, Mr. Gary Hildebrandt, June 8, 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. John Robison, Robison Agency, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. Ron Kile, J. D. Kile Realtors, Berwick, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. Clyde Bowers, Salem Township, Supervisor, August ll, 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. Leroy Burdis, Vice President, First Eastern Bank, August ll, 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. Stephan Philips, Columbia County Economic Development Coordinator, September 28, 1978.

h Personal interview with Mr. Louis Biacchi, Mayor, Berwick, Pennsylvania, August ll, 1978.

"Columbia County Public School Enrollment Trends and Pro-jections", Pennsylvania Economy League, May 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. Lee Cook, Superintendent, Berwick Area School District, October 5, 1978.

10 Columbia County Sentinel, "Why Are Home Buyers Saying 'No'o Berwick", July 9, 1976.

Personal interview with Mr. Donald Hargraves, Mayor, Shickshinny, Pennsylvania, August ll, 1978.

12 Mr. Al Clarke,'Bechtel Power Corporation Personnel Depart-ment, SSES site, September 1978.

Personal interview with Sargent Tony Matson, Pennsylvania State Police, Shickshinny Barracks, August ll, 1978.

Bloomsburg Morning Press, April 15, 1978; Berwick Enterprise, April 15, 1978; personal interview with Mr. J. W. Smith, Editor, Berwick Enterprise, October 5, 1978.

45 Phone conversation with Mr. Charles DePolo, Secretary-Treasurer, Northeast Pennsylvania Building & Trades Coun-cil, Plains, Pennsylvania, September 13, 1978.

I 46 CHAPTER V LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACTS A. Wa e Distribution Direct economic impacts can be gauged by the amount of money entering communities in the form of wages and salaries. The 1976 report projected a distribution of total wages for the life of the construction period as follows:

Table V-1 Pro'ected Distribution of Total Wa es: 1973-82 Non-Manual

~Count Manual Em lo ees Em lo ees Luzerne $ 168 Million 60 $ 15 Million 23 Columbia 14 Million 5 44 Million 68 Lackawanna 36 Million 13 Other 62 Million 22 6 Million

$ 280 Million 100 $ 65 Million 100 Estimated di.stribution of first quarter wages (1978) and salaries are reported in Table V-2:

Table V-2 h '

Distribution of Total Wa es: 1st uarter 1978 Non-Manual

~Count Manual Em lo ees o/

Luzerne 7.45 Million 50 .75 Million 28 Columbia .89 Million <<6 1.68 Million 63 Lac'kawanna 1.34 Million 9 ..05 Million . 2 Other 5.21 Million 35 .19 Million 7

$ 14.89 Million 100 $ 2.67 Million 100

47 Actual distribution of wages closely approximated projected estimates except the "Other" categories, which are somewhat higher than originally projected. Most of the increase over projected wages resulted from higher manual employment from Schuylkill and Northumberland Counties.

Wages paid to plant personnel return to local communities and represent a direct economic benefit in the form of local pur-chases, particularly when evaluated in terms of a "multiplier effect" stimulated by wages spent by plant employees. The multiplier effect assumes that local merchants will, in turn, spend a portion of wages received for purchase of local goods and services and that the cycle will continue with decreasing impacts. The 1976 community impact report estimated an ad-ditional multiplier expenditure in Luzerne County of $ 366 Mil-lion and $ 87 Million in Columbia County through 1982.

B. Purchase of Goods and Services The local economy has benefited from purchase of goods and services from local vendors, but not to the extent of other locations outside of the project region. Table V-3 indicates purchases for selected years by county:

Table V-3 Ex enditures With Local Vendors 000) t 1974 Luzerne 2, 269 Columbia 555'08 Lackawanna 643 Other Pa.

4, 269 1975 1, 128 448 3, 083 1976 (UNAVAXLABLE) 1977 137 592 126 5,992 As indicated in Table V-3, local counties have not compared favorably with the remainder of the state in terms of contract volume.. Local contracts tended to be for conventional con-struction materials and erection of facilities for construction and administrative buildings. Larger volume contracts for specialized construction materials or engineering services were generally placed in the'ittsburgh or Philadelphia areas where they were more readily available.

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48 C. Local Taxes

1. Real Estate Tax Rates Table V-4 indicates that combined real estate tax rates increased between 1975 and 1978 in all municipalities, ex-cept Scott Township in Columbia County, a trend reflected in both Columbia and Luzerne Counties. Rate changes ranged from a drop of 1.5 mills in the municipal rate of Scott Township to an increase- of 22 mills in the Blooms-burg School District.

It is unlikely that construction of the SSES significantly influenced tax rate changes in the municipalities listed in Table V-4, owing primarily to the relatively small num-ber of construction personnel taking up residence in the project area.

It is also interesting to note that although most rate increases were levied by school districts, school enroll-ments in both Luzerne and Columbia Counties have been .

declining since 1969-70 and are expected to continue to do so for at least the next five years.

2. Tax Im acts: Salem Townshi

,Because of existing local and state tax structures, Salem Township is likely to experience the greatest tax impact associated with SSES construction. In addition to the real estate tax rates reported in Table V-4, Salem Township levies the following nonproperty taxes:

Table V-5 Salem Townshi Non ro ert Taxes School

1. Per Capita 5.00 $ 10.00

2. Earned Income 8/o

3. Occupational Privilege 5.00 $ 5.00 4~ Real Estate Transfer Q/

Table V-4 Real Propert Tax Rates, 1975 and 1978 Tax Rate Millage 4

1975 1978 Change Municipality SD* Munici alit SD Munici alit SD Berwick 12.0 47.0 12.0 55.0 8.0 Briar Creek Borough 6.0 47.0 6.0 55.0 8.0 Briar Creek Township 5.0 47.0 5.0 55.0 8.0 Salem Township 1.5 47.0 1.5 52.3 5.3 Hollenback Township 5.0 47.0 5.0 52.3 5.3 North Centre Township 3.0 66.0 3.0 77.0 11.0 South Centre Township 2.0 66.0 3.0 77.0 1.0 11.0 Scott Township 6.5 66.0 5.0 77.0 (1-5) 11.0 Bloomsburg 15. 0 52.0 15.0 77.0 22.0 Conyngham Township 2.0 51.0 2.0 71.0 20.0

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Columbia County 12.5 15.0 2.5 Luzerne County 16.2 18.0 1.8

• SD School District

It should also be noted that under the provisions of the Public Utility Realty Tax Act (PURTA), local taxing jurisdictions are preempted from directly collecting taxes on utility facilities. Instead, taxes are collected by the state and reapportioned to local governments based on a procedure established under the legislation. Presumably, the intent of the legislation is to prevent, individual communities from reaping "excessive" tax revenues from large utility facilities.

Using available data, itsituation is possible to examine Salem with and without the Township's tax revenue SSES from 1973 to 1978.

Of the taxes listed in Table V-5, the most significant revenue producer for Salem Township is likely to be the occupational privilege tax. This tax is levied at a flat rate upon persons employed in a taxing jurisdiction. The tax is limited to $ 10.00 on individual taxpayers. When

. overlapping taxing jurisdictions levy rates which, in combination, exceed the $ 10.00 statutory maximum, their combined rates are automatically reduced to $ 10.'00. To a

'esser extent, Salem Township will benefit from its local income tax as well as from revenues received through PURTA.

Based on five years of construction, estimated tax revenues to Salem Township associated with SSES construction are as follows:

Table V-6 Estimated Tax Revenues* to Salem Townshi SSES Construction 1973-78

1. Occupational Privilege Tax (2,615 average $ 130,750 annual wor'k force x $ 10.00 x 5 years)

2. Earned Income Tax (Estimate) 10,650

3. PURTA Revenues 7 282

$ 148,682

• Does not include transfer tax revenues to Salem Township resul-ting from sale of 10 percent (10/) interest in SSES to Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc.

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51 The impact of these revenues is diminished, however, by the loss of rateable property (over 500 acres) pursuant to PURTA provisions. Based on current (1978) millage rates, annual property taxes (local and school district) would amount to approximately $ 4,100 (or, $ 20,500 over a five-year period) on that property no longer subject to local taxation.

Consequently, Salem Township has benefited during the construction period to date by over $ 120,000 in tax reve-nues beyond that which would have been collected via local property taxes without plant construction. Similar bene-fits could be anticipated through 1982-83. Following plant construction, however r,evenues from the occupational privilege tax and local income tax will be reduced sig-nificantly and will be offset only to the extent that plant operational staff move into Salem Township. Once the construction phase is completed, it is questionable whether revenues from the three sources in Table V-6 would replace foregone property tax revenues.

D. Local Economic Xm acts Housin Costs Discussions with local realtors and area residents sug-gest a common belief that SSES construction has had a significant inflationary impact on housing costs on the plant site area. The 1976 report addressed this issue, but no conclusions were reached.

While some effort was made in 1978 to obtain past and pres-ent. housing cost data from local realtors, more comprehen-sive data was obtained from the State Tax Equalization Board (STEB). This agency develops school subsidy formulae for apportioning state funds to school districts. STEB compiles annually the total market value, i.e., sales price, of all residential transactions in each county of the state based on deeds filed with the county assessor. A ratio of assessed value to market value for each municipality is used by STEB as part of their subsidy formula.

These ratios are useful for measuring changes in housing

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52 costs in individual communities. In addition to being current and updated annually, the STEB methodology com-pensates for differences in assessment and millage rates so that individual communities can'e compared. Table V-7 below illustrates changes in the assessment/market value ratios for selected communities in the plant site area during the period from 1973 to 1977. The table also lists information for several communities similar in demographic and economic conditions to the Blo'omsburg-Berwick area yet sufficiently removed from the site to minimize the plant's influence on the local economy. These "test communities" are Milton, Sunbury and Selinsgrove and are located ap-proximately forty-five (45) miles southwest of the plant site; they had 1970 populations of 7,225, 13,025 and 5,100 respectively.

Table V-7 Ratio of Assessed Value to Market Value Residential Pro erties8 1973-1977

% Change 1973 1974 1975'976 1977 1973-1977 Bloomsburg .171 .147 .141 .134 .117 32 Berwick .169 .153 .135 .139 .128 24 South Centre Twp. .176 .153 .136 .120 32 (Columbia Co. )

Milton .138 .138 .125 33 S unbury .206 .176 .153 .145 .136 34 Selinsgrove .189 .150 .152 .139 The ratio of assessed value to market value declined in all communities during the five-year period, indicating

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53 greater increases in market value relative to assessed value. The percentage change in the last column indicates the overall rate at which market value increased relative to assessed value. For those communities within the plant site area, Berwick demonstrated the least appreciation in market value. This generally agrees with the local per-ception that property rose in value at a greater rate in outlying areas. It is notable, however, that appreciation in market value was slightly greater in communities re-moved from the project area. None of the "test communi-ties" exhibited an economic growth nor major construction projects which would have influenced housing costs. Con-sequently, it would appear that the increased housing costs in the vicinity of the plant were not significantly different from similar communities in the region.

2. Food Cost,s Food costs were examined both in project area communities

.and in communities outside of the project area. The re-sults of a market basket .comparison conducted during the summer of 1978 are presented 1n .Table V-S.

I Table V-8 MARKET BASKET COMPARISOH FOR SELECTED COMMUNITIES AUGUST 1978 Sho in List

l. Cucumbers each one .10 .10 .10 .10 1.49

2. Potatoes 10 lbs. 1.49 1.49 1.49

3. Sharp Cheese 1 lb. 2.19 2.18 2.05 2.38 4 Corn five (5) for: .59 .59 .59 .59

5. Bananas 1 lb. .20 .33 .33 .33

6. Bread 1'oaf .39 .38 .39 .33

7. Haddock 1 lb. 1.69 1.69 1.69 1.69

8. Eggs 1 Medium Dozen .77 .77 .77 .77

9. Chicken Breasts 1 lb. 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09

10. Detergent 1 Giant Size Tide 1.63 1.63 1.63 1.39

11. T-Bone Steak 1 lb. 2.89 2.89 2.89 2.89

12. Ground Beef 1 lb. 1.25 1.29 1.25 1.49

13. Hot Dogs 12 Pack 1.49 1.49 1.19 1.19

14. Bologna. 12 oz. 1.34 1.39 1.29 1.39

15. Tomatoes 1 lb. .79 .79 .79 .79

16. Lettuce each head .69 .69 .59 .69

17. Bacon 1 lb. 1.49 1.59 1.59 1.49

18. Apples - 1 lb. .89 .89 .89 .89

19. Oranges five (5) for: .99 .99 .75 .99

20. Soda two (2) 28-oz.

E Bottles .69 .69 .69 .69 22.65 $ 22.95 $ 22.05 $ 22.66 The total market basket price for all communities is com-parable, with only $ .90 separating the highest and lowest totals. The community closest to the plant site, Berwick, recorded the lowest market basket. total. While the re-sults of a single comparison are inconclusive relative to long-term trends, it is significant, that food costs for the above items were not significantly different between com-munities.

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55 CHAPTER V SOURCES Pennsylvania Power S Light Company, "SSES: A Monitoring Study of Community Impact", 1976, Page 42.

Bechtel Power Corporation, SSES Personnel Department, May 1978.

Bechtel Power Corporation, SSES Personnel Department, May 1978.

Pennsylvania Economy League, Central Division, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, August 1978.

Pennsylvania .Economy League, Central Division, "Tax Rates and Property Valuations Part II", August 1978, Page 2.

Pennsylvania Economy League, Central Division, "Tax Rates and Property Valuations Part II", August 1978, No Page.

Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Bureau of Corporation Taxes, October 1978.

Personal Communications with Mr. Paul Weiss, Pennsylvania State Tax Equalization Board, October 2, 1978.

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56 CHAPTER VI COMMUNITY FACILITIES A. School Enrollment Surveys of non-manual personnel for both Bechtel and PP&L employees reveal that the majority live within school districts in Columbia County (See CHAPTER II). The number of children associated with the SSES work force enrolled in local school districts has not had the effect of burdening classroom space or crowding facilities. According to recent data prepared by the Pennsylvania Economy League, total enrollments in Columbia County have declined by 633 or 4.7 percent since 1969-1970.

Three of the county's six districts, Berwick Area, Bloomsburg Area and Southern Columbia Area, had fewer students in 1976-1977 than in 1969-1970. The League's projections further reveal that enrollments will decline by 1,317 students, 10.2 percent, between school years 1976-1977 and 1982-1983 and that all dis-tricts will experience decreases.

Table VI-1 indicates the enrollment trends as well as projec-tions based on research of the Pennsylvania Economy League.

Despite ongoing and projected decreases in school enrollments, total public school expenditures in the county increased by

$ 7.1 Million, or 70.4 percent, between 1969-1970 and 1975-1976 while the cost of educating each pupil increased by $ 550 or 73.5 percent. All districts recorded increases.

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57 Table VI-13 COLUMBIA COUNTY Public School Enrollment Trends and Pro'ections f School Pro'ected Change District 1969-70 1973-74 1976-77 Change 1982-83 1977-83 enton Area 972 960 1,019 4.8 1,004 erwick Area 4,682 4,567 4, 293 8.'3 3,765 12 \ 3 Bloomsburg Area 2,866 2,505 2,364 -17.5 1,805 -23. 6 entral Columbia 2,363 2,506 2,530 7.1 2,458 2.8 illville Area 1,028 1,144 1,145 11.4 1,098 4.1 outhern Columbia Area 1,690 1,651 1,617 - 4.3 1,516 6.2 ZOTAL 13,601 13,333 12,968 4.7 11,651 -10.2 For the most part, increases appear to be a,result of expenses rather than capital expenditures. Of the six oper-'tional school districts in Columbia County, Bloomsburg Area, Milville Area and Benton Area School Districts have had no new con-struction within the past ten (10) years. Berwick Area has recently completed a new junior high school which was prin-cipally funded by the U. S. Economic Development Administration.

Central Columbia and Southern Area School Districts have re-cently completed new middle and elementary schools respective-ly. None of these expansions appear to have had any relation-ship to expanded requirements arising from SSES work force families.

B. Hos ital Facilities Primary health care for the construction workers is provided by a -full-time staff of registered nurses at the SSES site.

Emergency cases requiring further treatment are referred to local hospitals. Most cases are treated at the Berwick Hos-pital while those requiring specialized treatment. are sent to Geisinger Medical Center located twenty (20) miles west in Danville. Table VI-2 indicates referrals of SSES accident cases to local hospitals:

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58 Table VI-2 Hos ital Referrals of SSES Accident Cases 1974-1978 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 Number of Cases Referred: 197 199 305 270 203 (thru Sept.)

The increased out-patient load at the Berwick Hospital was al-so affected by PPSJ job applicants (operational staff) who are referred to the Berwick Hospital for physical examinations up-on placement.

According to administrative staff at the Berwick Hospital, the SSES referred accident cases and physical examination referrals have affected out-patient facilities and services at that institution. Since 1976, two additional staff nurses have been added for out-patient care; a cardiac treatment and test center has been established; and an audio-metric facility (hearing examinations) has been installed requiring the train-ing of an additional staff person. Cardiac test facilities and audio testing facilities had been established, in part, as a response to the larger number of physical examinations re-quired for plant employment. Hospital staff pointed out, how-ever, that the increased demand for out-patient services re-sulting from SSES construction were anticipated and were incor-porated into a hospital development program initiated in the early 1970's. The recently completed program, financially supported by Pp&L, resulted in 'both an expansion of hospital facilities and services'o the community.

An additional new facility developed specifically for the SSES is a special emergency room for the treatment. of radiation related injuries. The room, constructed to PP6L specifications, is completed although it has not been used for radiation re-lated injuries since no nuclear'uels are presently at the SSES site. The construction of the room as well as the train-ing of specialized staff was subsidized by PPGL.

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59 Water Supply (Make-Up)

A source of river water supply will be required to replace water consumed by the operation of the Susquehanna SES during low-flow periods. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) regulates uses of the river as well as development affecting its tribu-taries. In September, 1976, the .SRBC adopted a.regulation re-quiring all new water users to provide enough standby water supply to replace river water consumed during periods of low flow.

PP&L has been identifying,and assessing sources of potential water supply. Publically and privately owned existing reservoirs and reservoirs under construction have been considered as a potential source of water supply. Based on review of these possibilities the preferred approach to meeting the SRBC require-ment is to purchase water from the Cowanesque Reservoir, a Corps of Engineers (COE) project under construction in Tioga Co., Pa.

and scheduled for compleCion in 1980. PP&L has forwarded a formal request to the COE to purchase seasonal storage in the Cowanesque Reservoir. The SRBC has suggested that a study be made of all potential Cowanesque water supply uses, the effect of these uses on authorized project functions, and a determina-tion of necessary re-authorizations. The COE estimates the study will take a minimum of 2 years to complete from the date of obtaining funds, which are 'not anticipated before early 1979.

In order to have an assured source of water, PP&L is preparing an application to construct its own water supply reservoir.

The reservoir site, known as Pond Hill, was selected based on technical and environmental consideration from among several identified by PP&L and its consultant.

The proposed Pond Hil'1 Reservoir site is a drainage basin of an unnamed tributary of the Susquehanna River near Pond Hill in Conyngham Township, Luzerne County. The site is located in an undeveloped wooded valley. All housing and ongoing agri-cultural activity occur above maximum water level. Land acquisition will involve approximately 1,200 acres although the surface area of the impounded water will be approximately 315 acres.

The 'impacts and design of the proposed reservoir are presently being studied. An environmental report and feasibility report are being prepared and are expected to be submitted to appro-priate agencies in 1979. The planning effort has been aided by the establishment of public participation consisting of an advisory committee formed in the fall of 1977,. the Pond Hill Reservoir Advisory Committee (PHRAC). The committee consists of 17 persons from eight communities in the area.

To date, this local committee has reviewed past. studies, re-ceived presentations on technical and environmental aspects of construction and operation of the reservoir, and visited the Susquehanna SES station as well as the Pond Hill Reservoir site.

Public Safety

l. Police Force

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60 Because of the small size of adjacent communities and the rural character of the project area, municipal police forces, where they exist, tend to be small Berwick has a force of twelve (12) officers and Shickshinny has a force of one (1) police officer. Salem Township has no standing police force although a, state police barracks, located on Route ll, has a staff of eighteen (18). (By contrast, the size of the security forces at the SSES is presently fifty-six (56). When the SSES becomes operational, a permanent on-site security force of seventy-seven (77) persons will be established.)

Only one instance has been identified where the plant con-struction has resulted in a need to increase personnel.

As described in Chapter II, most of the work force orig-inates from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area and commutes to the plant site on U. S. Route ll, resulting in substantial peak hour flows.

Route ll changes from a three-lane highway local street in Shickshinny. At peak-hour to a two-lane traffic volumes, the effects in Shic'kshinny have resulted in considerable congestion. In some instances, traffic flows have ignored local traffic lights in an effort to proceed through town.

Motorists crossing the Route 239 bridge from Mocanaqua (op-posite Shickshinny) have reportedly been unable to egress onto Route II-l).

ll from the bridge during rush hours (See Figure Community leaders solicited PPGL's help in resolving the problem. A part-time policeman was added to the force in the summer of 1978, the cost, of which is underwritten by PP&L. While the additional patrolman has alleviated con-ditions somewhat, significant relief from traffic conditions will be experienced only with a reduction in wor'k force as the SSES nears completion.

In other police matters, state police records indicate an increase in the'number of arrests in the region since 1972 (See Table VI-4). The region includes eight (8) townships in Columbia and Luzerne Counties.

Local state police officials have indicated that the over-all increase in the number of calls cannot be related to

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61' SSES construction. The, increase in the number of criminal arrests have occurred in residential areas and are follow-ing a national trend. State police have also reported no arrests on site during the construction period to date.

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Table VI-4 Total Annual Arrests Penns lvania State Police Berwick Barracks 1972-1978 (To Tune)

T e of Arrest 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978

1. Criminal 69 131 164 180 202 162 56

2. Traffic. 1, 348 1, 358 1, 589 1, 795 1, 614 1, 531 814

2. Emer enc Services Fire and emergency ambulance service in the plant area are provided through private, voluntary organizations, not as a service of local government. In the site vicinity, these organizations include--

a. Shickshinny Area Volunteer Ambulance Association

b. Pont Hill-LilyLake Fire Company (Ambulance Service)

c. Salem Township Fire Company, No. 1

d. East Berwick Hose Company, No. 2 No special arrangements have been made with these organ-izations for their services during the construction phase of the project. During plant operation, the nature of an emergency could require responses from the above organ-izations to augment. on-site response groups and facilities.

Arrangements have been made with the above organizations to provide support. upon notification by the SSES Emergency Director.

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62 CHAPTER VX SOURCES 1

Pennsylvania Economy League, "Columbia County School Enrollment Trends and Projections"., May 1978, Pages 2 to 4.

Pennsylvania Economy League, "Columbia County School Enrollment Trends and Projections", May 1978, Page l.

Compiled from data of the Pennsylvania Economy League.

Bechtel Safety Enforcement Officer, SSES, October 1978.

Personal Conversation with Mr. Robert Robbins, Assistant Administrator, Berwick Hospital.

Sgt. Anthony Matson, Pennsylvania State Police, Shick-shinny Barracks, August 1978.

Pennsylvania Power 6 Light Company, "Susquehanna Steam Electric Emergency Plan", Volume 1, Page 5-4.

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RETmm TO REACTOR MMET ilLES ~ P4 SVl SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION COMMUNITY IMPACT NONITORING STUDY. 'AN LIPDATE

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coatroom

'~~<0 octtme RKGUlATOQY DOCKH FlLE,"'OMMUNITY.

SERVICES DEPARTMENT PENNSYLVANIA POWER R LI GHT COMPANY TWO NORTH NINTH STREET ALLENTOWN'ENNSYLVANIA 18101 DECEMBER, 1978

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Pacae CHAPTER I

SUMMARY

AND CONCLUSIONS A. Introduction 1 B. Findings and Conclusions 3

1. General . 3

2. Housing . 3

3. Employment 3

4. Local Economy . ~ ~ 0 ~ 4

5. Community Infrastructure 4

6. Inflationary Impact . 5

7. Public Attitudes 5 C. Recommendations . 6 CHAPTER II SURVEY OF NON-MANUAL EMPLOYEES 8 A. Summary of Survey Results . 8 B. Area of Residence . 10 C. Type and Tenure of Residence 12 D. Family Size. 13 E. Age of Employees 14 F. Number of Children by Grade Level and School District 15 Shopping Patterns. 19 H. Recreational Activities. 19 I. Hospital Use and Purpose 20 J. Attitude Towards Area of Residence 21-K. PPGL Survey Responses. 23 CHAPTER III BACKGROUND INFORMATION: 'OPULATION, EMPLOYMENT AND MANPOWER 26 A. Population 26 B. Work Force Characteristics 28 C. Manpower Needs at the Project Site 30

1. Manual Work Force. 30 D. Non-Manual Employees 31

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E. PPGL Work Force.................. 36 S 0 U R C E S ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ o ~ ~ ~ ~ t ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 37 CHAPTER IV LOCAL VIEWS ON COMMUNITY IMPACTS A. Housing . 38 B. Local Economy/Employment 39 C. Educational Facilities 41 D. General Community Xmpacts 42 SOURCES 44 CHAPTER V LOCAL ECONOMXC XMPACTS A. Wage Distribution . 46 B. Purchase of Goods and Services 47 C. Local Taxes 48 P

l. Real Estate Tax Rates ~ ~ 48

2. Tax Xmpacts: Salem Towns hiP 48 D. Local Economic Xmpacts 51

1. Housing Costs 51

2. Food Costs 53 SOURCES 55 CHAPTER VI COMMUNITY FACILITIES A. School Enrollment . 56 B. Hospital Facilities 57 C. Water Supply (Make-up) 59 D. Public Safety 59

1. Police Force ~ ~ 59

2. Emergency Services 61 SOURCES 62

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CH'APTER I

SUMMARY

AND CONCLUS IONS A. Introduction In 1976, Pennsylvania Power 6 Light Company's (ppsL)

Community Services Department published a report on a monitor-ing program of community impacts associated with the construc-tion of PPSL's Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES), a nuclear generating station under construction near Berwick, Pennsylvania (See Figure I-1). ,The purpose of the first study, conducted largely in 1975, was to establish a procedure to col-lect information during construction and operating phases of the SSES in order to assess short- and long-term social costs and benefits.

The major findings and conclusions of that study ad-dressed several areas. Complaints from adjacent neighbors regarding construction nuisances and physical damage to struc-tures resulting from construction blasting led to recommen-dations on improvements for site preparation and construction activities. Related to this concern was a recommendation to establish a project advisory committee on subsequent construc-tion projects. Preconstruction inventories were recommended to establish information on housing stock and land costs. A stronger program for promoting employment opportunities for local residents was also recommended.

A commitment, was also made in the 1976 study to continue monitoring efforts during SSES construction and operation phases. That commitment resulted in the publication of this document. Its purpose is to review construction impacts on local communities since the 1976 study as well as to examine the status of recommendations made in that first study.

The study techniques in this update were the same as those used for the 1976 study. The methods consisted primar-ily of a questionnaire survey of non-manual employees of Bechtel power Corporation and PPGL and a series of interviews with local and regional officials, businessmen and community leaders. Because the SSES is five years into construction, the

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SSES LOCATIONAL MAP C 1 I C

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study's principal thrust is qualitative rather than quanti-tative. Most of the major socio-economic impacts related to construction have already occurred and there is little need to employ quantitative methods for predictive purposes. Con-sequently, the techniques employed herein are not necessarily intended to serve as models for all power facility projects.

B. .Findin s and Conclusions

1. General As indicated in the l976 report, this update confirms that SSES construction avoided "boom town" syndromes experienced at other large construction projects in different parts of the country. No excessive or overwhelming demands were made on any community facilities or the community's cap-ability to provide services, a conclusion shared by all local officials contacted in the course of the update. In large part the minimal impact on local communities was due to adequate supplies of workers from the regional labor mar'ket. Consequently, most workers commuted to the site daily. While those workers (primarily non-manual) who re-located to the project area initially created some pres-sure on the local housing market, early shortages have since been relieved through the local market.

2. ~Housin As suggested above, housing availability or supply never materialized as a significant issue in the course of the update. Early in the construction period the local hous-ing market was characterized by some scarcity. This was due largely as a result of the absence of a speculative market and the occurrence of a major natural disaster, Tropical Storm Agnes, which resulted in serious flooding in the Wilkes-Barre area, approximately twenty (20) miles northeast of the project site. Dislocated persons look-ing for housing subsequently spilled over into the Berwick-Bloomsburg area. Since that time the market has respond-ed to this demand and housing is generally available, usually on a contract basis.

The availability of a large labor supply within commuting

I

).

distance proved to be both a boon and a loss with respect to local communities in Columbia County. On the one hand, communities such as Bloomsburg and Berwick were spared the burden of trying to provide additional community services facilities for new worker populations. On the other hand, hopes for significant local employment were disappointed when the majority of workers were hired from the larger labor market beyond the local communities. Although em-ployment data indicates little local employment for manual workers, hiring from the local labor force for non-manual positions has increased since 1976.

Although local officials registered strong disappointment over the minimal amount of local hiring during early con-struction phases, recent contacts indicate a greater acceptance of the situation and an understanding that hir-ing practices were largely a reflection of union juris-dictions.

Local Econom~

As with the employment picture, benefits to local econ-

'omies are not in proportion to the size and cost of the SSES . A principal reason for minimal local economic bene-fits was the low levels of SSES employment in the immediate Bloomsburg-Berwick area. Additionally, contracts to ven-dors for specialized materials and/or services often went to non-local suppliers because such goods or services were not available at the local level.

Salem Township, the location of the plant site, will bene-fit from increases in local occupational and, to a lesser extent, local income tax revenues as a result of high numbers of construction personnel. Following plant con-struction, however, tax revenues associated with the plant are not likely to offset revenues forgone through the loss of tax rateables.

Communit Infrastructure With the exception of one instance where an additional policeman had to be provided for traffic control on a state highway, no unanticipated demands on schools, hospitals, emergency services or related community infrastructure systems have resulted from SSES construction. In several

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cases additional or specialized facilities were required for emergency and health care services. In these cases, pP6(L entered into agreements with a local hospital (Ber-wick) as well as local suppliers of ambulance and fire services to meet potential specialized demands caused by plant construction. PPSZ also subsidized the cost of additional facilities and specialized training.

Inflationar Im act It is commonly held in the local communities near the plant site that construction activities have had substantial in-flationary impacts on the local economy, particularly in the area of housing. Local businessmen and officials have been unable to provide specific instances or data to sup-port this belief. Data assembled during the course of the update on housing and food costs suggest increases com-parable to other areas of the state similar in the demo-graphic and economic characteristics to the Bloomsburg-Berwick area.

7. ,Public Attitudes Local officials are largely supportive of the construction phase of the plant as well as the subsequent operational phase. There also is agreement on the lack of impact which the plant has had on local communities. Such comments tend to be expressed in combined tones of disappointment and relief; relief that the construction phase has not. placed

. severe demands on the community to provide support ser-vices and disappointment that the plant construction has not yielded greater economic benefits.

No community frictions have developed as a result of new people moving into the local community. While the number of new employees relocating to the local communities has been relatively small, there remained a potential for com-munity friction arising from the newer or different values or attitudes brought into the community by new personnel.

These problems never materialized to any significant ex-tent.

A concern about recessionary impacts related to completion of SSES construction appears to be growing among certain

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sectors of the business and labor communities in the region. A labor spokesman indicated that. union enrollment is likely to shrink upon completion of the project. Fur-thermore, workers at. the plant have become accustomed to long-term employment at higher wages which may not, be available in the regional job market once the plant is completed.

Table I-1 summarizes by impact categories the types of mitigative measures proposed in the'1976 study and their current status.

C. Recommendations Few new issues or problems requiring specific recommendations were raised as a result of this update of the 1976 Community Impact Monitoring Study. Consequently, the recommendations proposed in 1976 which dealt primarily with the physical im-pacts of construction on local communities. remain critical to any future construction activities undertaken by PPGL.

Local concerns over possible "recessionary" impacts upon com-pletion of construction activities should be addressed in a post-construction update examining housing surpluses, trends in construction employment and changes in local economic activities. Representatives of local labor unions should be advised of scheduling and extent of reductions in labor force.

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Table I-1

SUMMARY

~

. t IMPACT CATEGORIES."

'nd.

STATUS OF MITIGATION STRATEGIES Im act Cate o ~p*o stl Status Co t

1. Roads (traffic control) Provide additional police per- Adopted Measure proposed by subcommittee sonnel for local 'community of Pro)ect Advisory Committee; (Shickshinny). PP&L financial support provided.

2. Transportation Form bus pools for com- Adopted Fourteen buses in operation as muting workers. a result of "ad hoc" effort by manual work force.

3. Housing Conduct housing inventory No Action Measure proposed in 1976 *com-to assess needs of future munity impact report> would plant sites. likely be adopted whenever future generating stations pro-posed.

4. Law Enforcement None required, except as indicated in Nl above.

5. Health Care Expand out-patient and Adopted Both measures carried out> pp&L emergency care facilities financial support provided.

at local hospital.

Provide facilities and staff Adopted training for treatment of radiation related in)uries.

6. Make Up Water Construction of reservoir Adopted Reservoir in planning and pre-(low flow augmentation) near plant site. liminary design stages Establish local mitigation/ Adopted Pond Hill Reservoir Advisory advisory committee. Committee operational since 1977.

7. Schools None iequired> region experiencing declining enrollments

8. Employment Develop stronger program No Action Measure proposed in 1976 community for local hiring impact report> likely to receive strong consideration if future generating stations proposed.

9. Construction Impacts Establish pro)ect advisory Adopted Ongoing effort.

committee.

Implement policy to estab- Under in study.

lish impact zones affected by Proposed 1976 construction activities (re- Evaluation lated to standing offer of purchase of homes within impact zone).

Establish requirements for No Action Proposed in 1976 study.

pre- and post-blasting inspections of structures in impact zone.

10. Emergency Services Establish arrangements for Adopted Arrangements undertaken as part local fire and ambulance of overall Civil Defense planning ,

companies to respond to Staff training supported ','ffort.

emergencies during plant by PP&L.

operation.

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CHAPTER II SURVEY OF NON-MANUAL EMPLOYEES A. Summar of Surve Results In June of 1978, a survey was distributed to Bechtel manage-ment employees at the SSES. The employment level among Bechtel non-manual employees at that time was approximately 591 (see Table II-l).. A total ef 469 completed surveys rate of over percent.

were returned, a response 79 distinction was made between those Bechtel employees who are hired ~1ocall versus those respondents w'ho were prior Bechtel employees transferred in from other job locations, i.e., non-local employees. The assumption is that non-local employees, as new residents to the area, constitute the major element of community change resulting in community impacts. Consequently, most of the data evaluated deals exclusively with non-local employees. Of the 469 completed surveys, 182 (39 percent) were classified as non-local employees. The remaining responses, 287 (6l percent) were considered local responses.

Table II-1 Bechtel Power Corporation Employees Susquehanna Steam Electric Station 1975 and 1978 Total Permanent, Bechtel Em lo ees Local Hires 1975 1978 1975 1978 1975 1978 Manager 62 83 62 80 0 3 Professional 204 306 156 146 48 160 Technical 58 102 10 2 48 100 Clerical 78 100 23 3 55 97 TOTAL 402 591 251 231 151 360

5 On a regional level, Berwick has declined in significance (in terms of residential location) relative to other locations in Columbia and Luzerne Counties. Most Bechtel employees, however, continue to live in the Berwick area, send their children to Berwick schools, and do most of their daily and major shopping in the Berwick area. In 1978, 40 percent, (4P/o) of Bechtel employees lived in Berwick compared with 54 per-cent (54%) in 1975. Similarly, in 1978, 45 percent (45%) of the respondents resided in the Berwick Area School District, compared with 62 percent (62%) in 1975. In terms of shopping patterns, 39 percent (39/) of the respondents shop for their daily needs in Berwick compared with 54 percent (54%) in 1975.

A similar drop was noted in the major needs category which indicated 28 percent (28%) of the respondents shopped in Ber-wick for major shopping needs compared with 35 percent (35%)

in 1975.

Survey respondents continue to indicate a strong preference for single family detached homes over other types available in the study area. In 1978, 58 percent (58%) indicated a single family home as the type of residences they were currently liv-ing in compared with 50 percent (50/) in 1975. Although this trend of single family housing would suggest a high rate of ownership, the majority of respondents (53%) indicated that they rented.

Data on family size is largely inconclusive. Of 161 persons responding to a question on family size, only 14 percent (14%)

indicated that there were five or more persons in their fam-ily (down from 20% in 1975), a reflection, perhaps, of the national trend towards smaller families.

primary types of recreation engaged in included fishing, swim-ming, golf, tennis and hunting, all generally active types of recreation. Other popular activities included skiing, bowl-ing, parks, camping, hiking and softball. Respondents seemed generally pleased with the availability of recreational re-sources within the study area.

When asked what aspects of the area were liked least and which were liked most, the hest-liked aspects included the scenery, small town living, friendly people and availability of recre-ation. Least liked attributes included poor roads, poor traf-fic and parking conditions at the plant. site, poor climate and high taxes.

10 .

B. Area of Residence According to survey results, Berwick still .ran'ks first con-II-2 cerning location preference for non-local employees. Table indicates 1978 distribution of residential choices compared with 1975.

Table II-2 Bechtel Power Cor oration Em lo ees Non-local  : Area of Residence No. of Families No. of Families 1975 1978 No. No.

Columbia Count Berwick Area 86 54 71 40 Bloomsburg Area 18 13 ll 23 13 12 Other Columbia Co. 8 22 Luzerne Count Wilkes-Barre Area 6 4 ll 6 Other Luzerne Co. 29 19 30 17 Other Counties 19 12 158 100 176 100 Summar b Count 1975 1978 No. No ohio Columbia 117 74 110 63 Luzerne 35 22 47 27 Other 4 19 10 TOTAL 158 100 176 100

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12 The single discernible trend is the reduction in the number of families choosing to reside in the Berwick area. Seventy-one (71) families, or 40 percent (40/), live in the immediate site area which includes Salem Township (Luzerne County) i Berwick Borough and Briar Creek Borough and Township (Columbia County), about 14 percent (14%) lower than the 1975 figures.

Luzerne County accounted for a greater share of Bechtel fam-ilies in 1978 with most of the increases taking place in the Mountaintop area, a suburban residential community south of Wilkes-Barre. Other counties have also registered gains with most increases evenly distributed among Schuylkill, Northum-berland, Lycoming and Montour Counties.

It is difficult to speculate on the reasons, or significances of changes in residential distributions. During the period in which the first community impact study was prepared (1975-1976),

the Berwick Area School District was undergoing certain changes.

Having a number of older schools, the district committed it-self to a building program to create additional classroom space.

Some local controversy arose around the issue and focused pub-licity on local schools in the district. Newspaper accounts suggested that. the schools were responsible for a housing mar-ket'ag at that time. Conversations with local realtors sug-gest that the school system remains a significant locational factor concerning area of residence, despite the fact that the Berwick Area School District has recently completed a new middle school to replace space lost through the closing of the older buildings.

T e and Tenure of Residence Fifty-eight percent (58%) of those respondents surveyed in 1978 owned or rented single family housing, compared to 50 percent (50/) in 1975. There were nine percent (9%) fewer respondents who lived in apartment-type housing in 1978. Mo-bile home housing increased slightly from eleven percent (11%)

in 1975 to fifteen percent (15%) in 1978. Forty-seven percent (47%) of the respondents owned their housing in 1978, while only thirty-eight percent (38%) owned their homes in 1975.

Table II-3 summarizes these data.

Columbia County Enterprise, "Why Are Home Buyers Saying No to Berwick?", July 9, 1976.

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13 Table XI-3 Housin T e and Tenure A. T e of Residence 1975 1978 No. o/ No.

1. Single Family 78 50 99 58 Apartment 46 30 36 21 2.

3. Mobile Home 17 ll 1 26 15

4. Motel/Rooming House 2 3 2

5. Duplex or Townhouse 13 8 6 4 TOTAL 156 100 170 100'.

Tenure 1975 1978 No. No. o/

1. Own 59 38 81 47

2. Rent 96 62 90 53 T OTAL 155 100 171 100 The above suggests little difference in trends between 1975 and 1978 survey results.' rise in ownership suggests great-er availability of housing supply.

Survey data indicates'hat one and two-person families trans-ferred into the area remained virtually unchanged from 1975 to 1978. The most, notable differences occurred in families with three or more persons.

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14 Table II-4 Famil S ize 1975 1978 No. No.

Famil S ize

l. 1 person 22 15 22 14

2. 2 persons 46 32 52 32

3. 3 persons 20 14 28 17

4. 4 persons 28 19 37 23

5. 5 or more persons 30 20 '22 14 T OTAL 146 100 161 100 The data suggest no particular signific'ance except that the decrease in the number of larger families (5 or more persons) reflects a national trend towards smaller families.

E. A e of Em lo ees The Bechtel employees surveyed constitute a relatively young work force with almost fifty percent (50/) of the employees under the age of thirty-five (35).

Table II-5 A e of Em lo ees AGE No.

Under 25 25-35 ll 73 6

'41 36-45 33. 18 46-60-. 51 60 or More ll 29 6

TOTAL 179 100

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15 F. Number of Children b Grade Level s School District Of those persons surveyed, about half indicated that they had children. Average family size remained unchanged since 1975, about 2.1 persons per family.

The percentage of pre-school children from 1975 to 1978 also remained unchanged. Decreases in the percentage of elementary and junior high school children occurred in 1978 when compared to the same grade levels in 1975. At the senior high school level, however, a seven percent (7%) increase was registered.

Table II-6 Number of Children b Grade Level 1975 1978 Grade Level No. No.

Pre-school Elementary Junior High School 49 67 32

'929 54 68 27 29 37 14 19 Senior High School 22 13 37 20 T OTAL 170 100 186 100 Overall, there was an eleven percent (11%) increase in the number of children between 1978 and 1975.

ln terms of enrollment trends, Table II-7 shows family resi-dence by school district.

Table II-7 Famil Residence b School District 1975 1978 School District No. o/ No.. o/

Berwick Area 48 40 45 Bloomsburg Area ~

5, 6 Central Columbia 12 15 8'5 Luzerne County Districts 14 18 22 Other TOTAL 78 100 100

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16 Table IX-8 illustrates the distribution of children among school districts. Typically, the distribution among school districts reflects trends similar to residential location reported in Table IX-2. Most children live within the 'Berwick School District, with a significant percentage living in the Central Columbia District. Luzerne County School Districts account for less than fifteen percent (15%) of children reported.

Xn 1975, the majority of families with. children, sixty-two percent (62%),.resided within the Berwick Area School Dis-dropped to forty-five trict. Three years lat'er, this figure(48"families percent (45%). The absolute numbers vs. 40 families) suggest a less dramatic effect on overall enrollment.

Nevertheless, substantial gains were reqorded in the Luzerne "

County and Central Columbia School Districts.

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Table XI-8 Number of Children School District and Grade Level 1978 School Districts Total No. No. o/ No. No. No.

1. Berwick 80 - 43 24 26 38 12 44 18 49

2. Central Columbia 23 10 19 19 28 7 26, 11 30

3. Hazleton (Luzerne Co.) 21 13 8 12 3 ll

4. Bloomsburg 17 2 8

5. Northwest (Luzerne Co.) 6 0 5 13

6. Other 20 9 13 3 11 3 8 TOTAL 186 100 54 100 68 100 27 100 37 100

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G. Sho in Patterns The 1978 survey, as did the 1975 effort, attempted to discern spending patterns of non-local Bechtel employees. The shop-ping patterns qf new area residents were examined with respect to two types of purchases, daily shopping and shopping for major needs such as furniture, large appliances, etc. Table

'II-9 records those responses.

Table II-9 Shopping Patterns: Daily and Major Purchases Res ondents,could .answer more than once.)

'ail Needs Ma'or Needs 1975 1978 1975 1978 No. No. oy Berwick 39 35 28 Bloomsburg 20 20 24 Wilkes-Barre 10 23 Hazleton 12 Other 10 14 10 12 TOTAL 100 100 100 100 Berwick's role as a local and regional shopping center, when compared to other areas, has declined. Meanwhile, the shop-ping activity in Bloomsburg, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton increased.

H. Recreational Activities The primary types of recreation used'by families or respondents include fishing, swimming, golf, tennis and hunting. Skiing,

'bowling, parks, camping, hi'king and softball were engaged in to a lesser'xtent. Data available from the 1975 survey was

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20 not comparable; the information presented below is, therefore, for the 1978 survey only.

Table II-10 Recreational Use T e No. T e No.

A. Fishing 47 14 H. Bowling 16 B. Swimming 43 12 I. Parks 12 C. Golf 39 ll Z.'amping D. Tennis 36 10 K. Hiking E. Hunting 36 10 L. Softball F..S'kiing 25 M. YMCA G. None 25 7 N. Other 39 ll TOTAL 346 99 I. Hos ital Use and Pur ose Of the 172 responses recorded, local hospitals have been used by sixty-three percent (63%) of the families, which was ap-proximately the same as the 1975 rate. Two local hospitals are located in the vicinity of the plant site, in Berwick and Bloomsburg; a third facility, Geisinger Medical Center, is located twenty-five (25) miles to the southwest, in Danville.

The majority of respondents used local hospitals for emergency purposes, although the percentage of those visits from work-related causes is undetermined~. Chapter VI, Section B, does report on the number of hospital referrals from work-related accidents.

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21 Table II-ll Hos ital Use and Pur ose Hos ital Use Hos ital Pur ose No. No.

A. Yes 109 63 A. Emergency 58 42 B. No 63 37 B. Surgery 38 27 TOTAL 172 100 C. Pregnancy 18 13 D. Check-ups 12 E. Tests F .. Other TOTAL 138 100 J. Attitude Towards Area of Residence As with the 1975 survey, an attempt was made to gain insight into the attitudes of Bechtel employees concerning the aspects of the area liked most and least by asking open-ended ques-tions. Response rates are reported below:

Table II-12 Attitude Towards Area of Residence (Respondents could choose more than one category.)

As ects Liked Best 1975 1978 o/

1. Scenery 25 17

2. Small Town Life 23 ,17

3. Friendly People. 18 21

4. Recreation 10 12

5. Near Metropolitan Areas 6 5

6. Good Schools 4 3

7. Shopping 2 4

8. Other 12 21 TOTAL 100 100

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22 "Scenery" and "small town life" have yielded somewhat to "friendly people" and "recreation" as positive community fea-tures. Overall, however, the principal appeal of the Berwick-Bloomsburg area to those surveyed in 1978 is virtually un-changed from 1975, i.e., living in a small town in a rural setting.

The "other" category had a twenty-one percent (21%) response rate which included such responses as "good municipal service",

"provided employment", and "low cost of living". Individually, responses in the other category were generally less than two percent (2%) of total responses.

In 1975, "poor shopping", "high cost of living", "high taxes" and "climate" topped the list, of undesirable factors associa-ted with local communities (see Table II-13) . By 1978, the first two categories diminished in importance"Poor while climate and high taxes remained relatively stable. roads" emerged as a strong negative feature as did "poor traffic and parking conditions at, plant site", a factor which was not even recorded in 1975.

Similarly, three additional factors emerged since the 1975 survey which represents potential local issues. These new factors include "resentment to Bechtel", "poor government", and "high utility rates".

Table II-13 As ects Liked,.Least, (Respondents could choose, more than one category.)

1975 1978

1. Poor Shopping 17 8

2. High Cost of Living 12 3 Climate 12 14 3.

4. High Taxes ll 13

5. Poor/Expensive Housing 9 2

6. Poor Roads 9 15

7. Unfriendly People 8 3

8. Lack of Culture Resources 6 4

9. Poor Schools 5 2'2

10. Traffic and Parking Conditions at the Plant Site ll.

12.

Resentment to Bechtel Poor Government 4

3

13. High Utility Rates 3

14. Other 14 TOTAL 100 100

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23 K. PP6L Surve Res onses As in 1975, all PPSZ employees assigned to the SSES were surveyed in 1978. In 1975, the number of responses, thirty-one (31), was considered statistically insignificant. In three years, the size of the PPSZ, staff increased to ninety (90), eighty (80) of which responded to the survey. While the number of responses is statistically more significant in 1978, the absolute number of employees, in terms of local community impacts, is still low. Table II-14 summarizes 1978 responses.

The terms "local" and "non-local" refer to those PP&L em-ployees who did not have to move in to the plant site area as opposed to those employees hired, or transferred in, from other job locations.

Trends similar to those identified in the Bechtel survey are discernible in responses to the PPSL survey. Since 1975, the Bloomsburg-Berwick area, particularly Berwick, remains the principal area chosen by incoming PP&L personnel. Even those 1978 responses recorded as "Other Luzerne County" (Item No. 4) included many responses from the Nescopeck area which is lo-cated directly opposite Berwick across the Susquehanna River.

Another determination of place of residence can be inferred from responses to Item No. 9, School District, which reflects a substantial response rate from the Berwick Area School District.

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'"-'able XI-14 PPGL Em lo ee Profile Total Res onses 5. e of Residence Nonlocal 1975 1978. 1975 1978 Local 13 25 Single Family 12 45 Nonlocal 18 55 Apartment 2 8 Total 31 80 Mobile Home 1 1 Other \ 1 A e Distribution Total 17 55 1975 1978 AcCe 6 ~Ae I 6. Tenure 20-29 15 Under 25 5 1975 1978 30-39 8 25-35 58 Own 14 41 40-49 3 36-45 13 Rent 1 14 50-59 4 46-60 4 Total 15 55

. 1975 Local Nonlocal 1975 1978 Engineer 5 10 1 Person 3 5 Accountant 2 2 Persons 1' 16 Supervisor 2 4 3 Persons 2 Other Management 1 3 4 Persons 6 18 Clerk-Secretary 3 1 5+ Persons 2 8 Total 16 ,49 1978 Local Nonlocal 8. Number of Children Manager 2 16 1975 1978 Professional 3 19 Preschool 8 15 Technical 17 19 Elementary 6 20 Clerical 3 1 Jr. High 4 6 S r. 3 of Residence High"'otal Area 18 44 1975 9. School District Local Nonlocal 1975 1978 Berwick Area 1 '5 Berwick 4 23 Columbia Co. 2 6 Bloomsburg 2 Luzerne Co. 4 Central Col. 11 Other 6 3 Hazleton 7 Total 13 18 Northwest 4 Benton 4 1978 Luzerne Co. 3 Local Nonlocal Other 1 1 Berwick Area 1 17 Total 7 55 Bloomsburg Area 1 13 Other Columbia Co..5 6 Conyngham Boro 1 3 (Luzerne Co.)

Wilkes-Barre 2 1 Other Luzerne Co. 5 14 Other 10 1 Total ~

25 55

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25 As ects Liked Least Dail Purchases 1975 1978 1975 1978 Berwick 10 33 Poor Shopping Facilities 4 19 Bloomsburg 7 24 Poor Schools 3. 5 Wilkes-Barre 5 7 Lack of Cultural 8 Hazleton 7 Activities Other 2 15 Poor Roads 5 Total 24 86 Poor/Expensive Housing 3 Unfriendly People 3 Ma'or Purchases Other 5 10 Berwick 16 Total 12 53 Bloomsburg 21 Wilkes-Barre 20 Hazleton 13 Other 6 17 Total 26 87 ll. Recreational Activities (Multiple Response) 1975 1978 Hunting 6 Fishing 8 43 Swimming 11 18 Tennis 8 17 Skiing (snow) 12 Camping 6 Golf 5 Parks 4 Other 10 19 None 10 Total 37 134 1975 1978 Yes 14 24 No 3 13 17 27

13. Aspects Liked Best (Multiple Response) 1975 1978 Rural Area/Small Town Life ll 29 Friendly People 8 Scenery 14 Available Recreation 6 Other 11 Total 17 68

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26 CHAPTER IXX BACKGROUND XNFORMATION:

POPULATION EMPLOYMENT AND MANPOWER The project region reflects some of the demographic trends occurring in the Northeast U.S .A. as a whole, particularly in population losses. Table III-1 records population changes in the site region over a period of thirty-five years:

Table IXI-1 Population Changes of Counties Within 20 Miles of the Site

% Change 1975

~Count 1940 1950 1960 1970 1940 to 1970 Estimate Luzerne 441, 518 392, 241 346,972 342, 301 -22. 5 345, 645 f

Columbia

~

51, 413 53,460 53,489 55,114 7.2 59,288 t

ullivan

~

7, 504 6, 745 6,751 5,961 -20.6 '5, 963 pchuylkill 228, 331 200,577 173,089 160,089 -29.9 160, 118 I

Carbon 61, 735 57,558 52,889 50,573 -18.1 52, 289 Columbia County is the only county to have recorded population increases over a 30-year period, a modest gain of 4,000 persons.

Between 1940 and 1970, the remaining counties recorded signi-ficant population decreases. Recent Bureau of Census projec-tions indicate a reversal of the long-term population decline in these counties. Table III-2 indicates population distribu-tion by area of residence. It also reflects the urban-rural contrast between the two counties closest to the project site, Luzerne and Columbia:

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27 Table III-2 Population by Residence For Counties Within 20 Miles of the Site 1 9 7 0

~counn Urban Rural-Nonfarm Rural-Farm Luzerne 267,510 66,461 2, 699 Columbia 23,926 26,170 5, 018 Sullivan 4, 691 1, 270 Schuyl'kill 83,133 73,251 3, 705 Carbon 32,268 17,564 741 At the municipal level, the project area is characterized by small urban centers in a predominantly rural region.

Table III-3 Selected Local Munici al Po ulations Distance From 1970 1975 Estimate SSES Miles)

Columbia Count Berwic'k 12.,274 12,253 4.5 Bloomsburg 11,652 12,181 16 Scott Township 3,875 3,765 14 Briar Creek Township 2,150 2,804 9 Luzerne Count Nes copeck 1,897 1,921 5 Shic'kshinny 1,685 ',590 Wilkes-Barre 58,856 57, 040 20 Salem Township 3,890 4, 397

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. 28 Although the project site is in Salem Township, Luzerne County, Salem Township's orientation is to the communities of Columbia County, particularly Berwick,' well established re-tail center and the economic focus of the area. Bloomsburg, about sixteen (16) miles .southwest of the plant site, approx-imates Berwick's size and is the county seat.

Work Force Characteristics An assumption implicit in both the 1976 Community Impact Moni-toring Study and this update is that most major community im-pacts associated with SSES construction are related, directly or indirectly, to the work force. Admittedly, the construction of a major facility li'ke SSES can have significant community impacts when the acquisition of local homes results in the dislocation of families. Since land acquisition commenced on the SSES project, approximately thirty (30) homes have been acquired.4 Long-term impacts, however, are more closely re-lated to the interaction of the work force with local communi-ties in such matters as traffic, housing, recreation, utilities (sewer and water), etc.

Before looking at work force characteristics at the project site, it would be helpful to examine the regional labor force characteristics. Table III-4 relates data on labor force size in Luzerne and Columbia Counties.

In the greater Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton area,,the size of the civilian labor force had not changed appreciably in the report-ing period. The number of persons unemployed increased signi-ficantly, however, and overall employment actually decreased.

Contract construction, nevertheless, increased by fifty per-cent (50/). Much of that increase is a result of employment at, the project site as well as the public and private rehabili-tation carried out in the wake of Tropical Storm Agnes, which caused extensive damage in the Wilkes-Barre area in 1972.

Nor did the Bloomsburg-Berwick area demonstrate much improve-ment in the reporting period. Without. a significant increase in the labor force size, the number of unemployed more than doubled. One of the few improvements was in contract construc-tion, which registered a twenty-two percent (22%) gain.

I At the project site, the labor force is at its pea'k with over 4,000 workers employed (July, 1978). As prime contractor for

ia e ~ ~ e ~ ~ III-4 Table

~ ~ ~ y CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE I EMPLOYilENT AND UNE)~PLOYMENT ANNUAL AVERAGE FOR SELECTED YEARS (000's of Workers)

A. Wilkes-Barre Hazleton

% Change 1970 1972 1974 1976 1977 '70 '77

1. Civilian Labor .Force 146.4 149-5 150.5 150.8 147.4

2. Unemployment 7.9 12.7 9.5 14. 5. 14.7 86.0 Labor Force 5.4 8.5 6.3 9.6 9.9 83.3

3. 'Employment ".

138.5 136. 8 141. 0 136. 3 132. 7 -4.1 Non-Agriculture NA 121.3 126.7 123.3 122.1 .6 (1) Manufacturing 52.1 47.9 46.4 40.6 39.3 -25.0 (2) Non-Manufacturing 70. 6 73.2 79.9 82.1 82.7 17.1 Contract Construction 5.4 6.5 7.8 8.2 8.1 50.0 B. Berwick Bloomsbur

1. Civilian Labor Force 24.7 25.6 26.6 26.5 26.0 5.3

2. Unemployment 1.4 1.5 2.1 3.2 2.9 107.1

% Labor Force 5.7 5.9 -7.9 12.1 11.1 95.0

3. Employment 23.3 24.2 24.6 23.4 23.2 Non-Agriculture 20.1 21.4 21. 7 20.6 20.9 4.0 (1) Manufacturing 11.2 11.6 10. 5 9.1 8.8 -21.4 (2) Non-Manufacturing 8.9 9.7 11.0 11.4 12.1 36.0 Contract Construction 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.9 22.2

• Data is an estimate of jobs by place of work and is not directly comparable to labor force.

data whicn estimates workers by place of residence.

30 the project, the Bechtel Power Corporation employs directly, or through its subcontractors, most of these workers. The labor force can be broken down into two broad categories, manual and non-manual personnel, for evaluation purposes.

Manual workers consist primarily of skilled craftsmen such as carpenters, operating engineers, electricians, ironworkers, etc., but also includes laborers. Non-Manual workers general-ly fall into four categories, including managerial, profes-sional, technical and clerical.

C. Man ower Needs at the Pro'ect Site

1. Manual Work Force 1973 was the initial year of significant construction ac-tivity at the project site. Under the present construc-tion schedule, the first unit will be completed in 1981 and the second in 1982. Within that time frame it is possible to trace past and future manual work force needs at the project site. {See Figure III-l.)

Table IXI-5 indicates the average number of manual workers

. employed in August, 1978. The distribution of workers by occupational category would vary based on the construction phase.

Table XXI-56 Distribution of Manual Employees by Labor Classification Susquehanna Steam Electric Station Au ust, 1978 CLASSIFICATION: WORKERS EMPLOYED {

PRIME SUB CONTRACTOR CONTRACTORS TOTAL Laborer 521 162 683 Carpenter 294 85 379 Operating Engineer 172 122 294 Electrician 640 34 674 Ironworker 209 58 267 Boilermaker 65 16 81

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31 Pipeful'ger 885 75 960 Other 268 265 533 T OTAL 3,054 817 3,871 Notes: (1) -Include craft labor only, up through and in-cluding General Foreman (2) Average number employed during month (3) Includes all other craft labor The 1976 monitoring study reported that over seventy per-cent (70/o) of manual employees commuted from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area. Table IIX-6 reflects little change in those trends. Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties provide almost sixty percent (60%) of the manual work force.

Figure XII-2 indicates distance of Pennsylvania counties from the plant site.

D. Non-Manual Em lo ees This classification includes managerial, professional, tech-nical and clerical workers. In 1978, the average number of non-manual personnel employed by Bechtel Power Corporation was expected to reach a peak of 658 employees. Actual and an-ticipated numbers of non-manual employees are listed in Table XII-7.

Although significantly smaller in number than the manual work force, non-manual employees have a greater potential to affect some aspects of community infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, emergency services, etc.

Initially, most of the non-manual personnel employed by Bech-tel were transferred in from other Bechtel job locations.

These "non-local" employees would, in most instances, relocate their families to the new -'ob site area, placing additional demands on housing supply and area schools. More specific inquiries concerning community impacts associated with manual and non-manual personnel are addressed in Chapters V and VI of this report.

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FXGURE X'XX-1 MANUAL EMPLOYEES ACTUAL AND PROJECTED SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION 5000 4000 3840 0

3000 O. 2750 $ 2800 2250,

% 2000 z'000 800 1300 ACTUAL

- PROJLCTED g1200

~~400 100 175 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 'l979 1980 1981 1982 YEAR PPB I-1978

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33 Table III-67 Residence of Manual Em lo ees b Count 1975 and 1978 Number Percent C~ount 1975 1978 1975 1978 Luzerne 1122 1402 59 50 Lackawanna 239 243 13 8.6 Columbia 90 160 5 5.7 Schuylkill 77 252 4 9 Northumberland 64 142 5 Lycoming 35 110 3.9 Monroe Dauphin 10 9 33 8

l.l Lancaster 10 4 Wayne Lebanon Wyoming ll 12 38 0

1 0

Montour 3 0 Carbon 7 2 Cumberland 5 2 Juniata 3 1, Sullivan 5 0 Susquehanna 6 9 Perry 2 0 Pike 1 1 T3.oga 1 1 Union 2 4 Bradford 2 0 Clinton 0 0 Snyder 2 5 Philadelphia 2 14 York 0 9 Adams 1 0 Bedford 0 0 Berks 4 20 Bucks 1 28 Crawford 0 0 Lehigh 3 61 2.2 Montgomery 1 5 Northampton 1 8 Wayne 0 31 Warren 0 0 Westmoreland 0 0 Centre 1 1 Delaware 1 1 Chester 0 1 Other States 118 236 8.3 Unknown 8 0 1900 2795

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DISTANCE FROM PLANT SITE (IN MILES)

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Il S 1 T C T 1 C Soo test t Cot STC1.:

0 1 t C 1 C DECEMBER 1978 0 25 75 . 100 Mi es FIG. III-2

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35 Table III-78 Non-Manual Em lo ees Actual and Pro'ected (Annual Average)

Sus uehanna Steam Electric Station Year Actual Pro 'ected 73 25 74 175 75 350 76 465 77 530 78 658 79 628 80 472 81 256 82 90 83

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36 E. PPSJ Work Force As construction on the SSES progresses, the size of the PPSL work force which operates the plant will gradually continue to expand beyond its present level of 168. These personnel are primarily involved in training and administrative oper-ations in preparation of an anticipated start-up date in 1981.

At that time, the entire work force required to operate and maintain the plant will consist of 356 persons, including security personnel.

37 Chapter III SOURCES 1 . U.S . Census of Population, 1970 and "Current Population Reports: Population Estimates and Projections", Series P-25, No. 686, May 1977 2 U.S. Census of Population, 1970 3 "Current Population Reports: Population Estimates and Projections", Series P-25, No. 686, May 1977 4 PPSL Real Estate Department, September 1978 5 Bureau of Employment Security, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, unpublished data 6 Bechtel Power Corporation, SSES, March 1978 7 Bechtel Power Corporation, SSES Personnel Department, March 1978 8 Pennsylvania Power S Light Company, SSES Staff, May 1978

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38 CHAPTER IV LOCAL VIEWS ON COMMUNITY IMPACTS The community impacts of plant construction as perceived by local residents are as important as information conveyed in quantitative evaluations of employee numbers or move-ments. In the initial 1976 community impact study, interviews were important in gauging community attitudes and documenting the most serious local impacts of early construction activities, i.e.,

noise, dust and alleged property damage.

The personal interview technique was also used for this update. A cross section of community officials, businessmen and educators was contacted in the summer and fall of 1978. The range and number of interviews were expanded over those conducted in 1975-76. Local viewpoints are categorized according to issues potentially affecting local communities in the plant site area.

A.. Housinc[

The 1976 community impact study suggested that plant construc-tion could potentially affect housing costs and supply. The effects on housing were inconclusive, although local opinion indicated plant construction had a significant inflationary impact on local housing costs. On this point, local views seem to have remain unchanged. The director of the Columbia County Planning Commission felt that housing costs had been influenced by PPK and Bechtel employees, largely because of the nature of the housing market in Columbia County. Essen-tially a rural county with a history of slow economic growth, very little speculative building takes place. Houses are built on demand and are relatively modest three-bedroom homes.

The planning director suggested that Bechtel and PPGL employ-ees transferred into the region from other job locations were perhaps used to more "customized housing", offering greater diversity in architectural styles, amenities, size, etc.

Generally higher incomes (than those paid in Columbia County) allowed project employees to build more expensive homes. He further suggested that the average cost of a new home was in the

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39 "upper 30's" (exclusive of land costs) and that Bechtel per-sonnel were building homes considerably in excess of that cost.*

With the exception of the above effects on housing, the Colum-bia County Planning Commission staff saw little impact on

,planning concerns raised by SSES construction.

Local realtors provided additional views on the local housing market. A local Bloomsburg realtor suggested that housing costs in the Bloomsburg area have "doubled" since 1970, with a typical split level home costing $ 60,000 (exclusive of land costs) . While acknowledging rising housing costs, the real-tor was uncertain how much of the increases were associated with plant construction. He did note, however, that certain portions of Columbia County began to develop a significant second home market in the early 1970's which was curtailed following the OPEC oil embargo and subsequent gasoline price rises.

The subsequent drop off in second home construction was more noticeable than inflationary impacts on the market associated with project construction. The realtor also confirmed that speculative housing is not strong in the Bloomsburg area which, he believed, was because of the absence of local bank support.

A local Berwick realtor stated that although housing demand had been dropping off in the Berwick area since 1972, SSES construction had resulted in increased inflationary impacts on the local market3.' major reason, he believed, 'for re-duced housing activity was the proliferation of regulatory controls which discouraged local development.

B. Local Econom /Em lo ent The 1976 report indicated local concern over the relative ab-sence of employment opportunities in Columbia County. And al-though the report indicates substantial boosts to the local economy, local opinion suggests that construction of the plant has done little to improve economic conditions. A Salem Town-ship supervisor reflected that only two small restaurants had

• Chapter V, Local Economic ~lm acts, examines rises in market value and assessed value for residential properties since 1973 in the project area.

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40 opened, along Route ll in Salem Township. Similarly, a vice president of a Berwick bank also observed that plant construc-tion had not appreciably increased retail trade in Berwick The reason for the absence of retail trade, according to the Columbia County Economic Development Coordinator6, is clearly associated with the movement of workers to and from the plant site. Economic benefits to local communities are commensurate to levels of local employment, which, in the case of Columbia County, are small. Local programs to improve the economy, such as those of the Bloomsburg Industrial Development Author-ity, had greater effect on the local economy than SSES con-struction.

This view was supported by the Mayor of Berwick who noted that a number of older established businesses had closed their doors since 1970, including the town's only hotel and a major fur-niture store. Some local fast food stores may be benefiting, he claimed, but there is no significant improvement in retail trade.

The project's lack of impact on local employment was also noted and apparently accepted by local persons. Berwick's Mayor acknowledged that, while the project offered opportun-ities for employment at. higher wages than local mar'kets, the number of tradespeople employed from the Berwick-Bloomsburg area seemed small. He recognized that the jurisdictions of local unions had an effect on local hiring practices.*

• As pointed out in the 1976 study, the SSES site is located within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Northeast Pennsylvania Building and Trades Council, which includes the major labor market areas in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties. Consequently, most manual employees at the project site reside in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area.

Only one craft union, Masons and Bricklayers, has juris-diction within Columbia County. 'uring the initial period of project construction in the early seventies, expecta-tions were high that the plant would have a strong, posi-tive ef fect on local employment. Strong disappointment was registered when these expectations were not met.

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41 C. Educational Facilities Construction of the SSES has not required local school dis-tricts to expand their physical plants, largely as a result of two factors: (1) the proximity of a la'bor market suffi-cient to supply most manpower requirements, and (2) a history of declining school enrollments in Columbia County.

According to recent projections (see Chapter VI, Table VI-l),

all school districts in Columbia County will face continuing enrollment declines, at least until 1983 . Among the affected school districts, Berwick faces a projected drop in enrollment of 528 students, over twelve percent (12%) of current enroll-ment. Although he believes the projections of the Pennsyl-vania Economy League to be high by over 100 students, the Berwick Area School District Superintendent nevertheless feels the location of the SSES in his district. may exacerbate enroll-ment. losses . Berwick Area School District currently enrolls more children of Bechtel employees than any other school dis-trict in Columbia County. The district is likely to lose most of these students as Bechtel personnel move onto new job lo-cations as the SSES project nears completion. Some of these losses might 'be replaced as PP&L operational staff move into the area, but the district suffers from an adverse image rising from a building program controversy. While the controversy seems to have resolved itself with the recent completion of a federally funded junior high school, a July 1976 news article commented on the effect of the school district's problems on the housing, market:

Bob Ager, with Sweeney and Lu'kens Real Estate, also noted that people are steering clear of buying in the Berwick area. "Seven out of ten people want Central or Benton," he said.

"People just don't realize the effect that the school system has. Even though the problems may not be as bad as some people think, new people coming into the area'ear the reports about the schools and don't want to move to Berwick: The people who do move into Berwick are generally older couples who don't have children anyhow."

The Berwick superintendent also expressed a concern that new-comers to Columbia would choose not to live in the Berwick area because of its proximity to a nuclear plant. He further

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42 indicated that the land owned by PPSZ for the project and re-lated uses, over 1,000 acres in Salem Township, preempts future residential uses. The loss of this land for residential de-velopment could make it. more difficult to stabilize declining enrollments.

General Communit Im acts With a few exceptions, SSES construction has avoided any of the "boom town" syndromes experienced with some large energy-related projects in other parts of the country. Local officials in Salem Township (location of the plant site) and the adjoin-ing communities of Shickshinny and Berwick have stated that no physical facilities had to be expanded or rehabilitated as a result of SSES construction. The Borough of Shickshinny, a small community four miles northeast of the plant site, has re-cently undergone extensive surface and subsurface improvements to streets, water and sewer systems, sidewalks, curbs and re-lated site improvements. All of these improvements, however, were conducted as part of a disaster renewal effort to repair the damages of Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972.11 Shickshinny found it necessary to supplement-its one-man police force to control traffic flows at two intersections in the town's center. Traffic volumes at peak hour caused traffic control problems in the Borough as well as hampering egress a-cross a bridge which served an adjoining small community across the Susquehanna River.

Although no mass tran'sit systems serve the project site, an ad hoc system was developed among construction personnel, per-haps in response to some of the traffic conditions referred to above. By September of 1978, fourteen (14) buses were de-livering workers to the plant site from seven (7) communities.

These "bus pools" were arranged and coordinated by groups of individual workers.

Despite the increase in traffic near the site,and the concen-trations of vehicles at the site, state police in the project area report no arrests have been made at the site. An increase in the total number of calls since 1972 within their service area has occurred, but no increases could be related to plant construction.

Many of the local administrators and officials indicated that the absence of impacts on community infrastructure or facil-

43 ities was because few people associated with the plant moved into the area. As a result, frictions and community tensions which often develop when "outsiders" move into a community, did not develop locally to any significant degree.

In April of 1978, a Bloomsburg paper printed a letter apparent-ly written by wives of several Bechtel employees. The letter complained of price gouging, housing discrimination and other harassment. A Berwick newspaper subsequently editorialized on the complaint and expressed the hope that such incidents were isolated. In a later interview, the editor of the Berwick Enterprise indicated that, incidents of the type described in the letter probably occurred but that hostility or discrimin-ation against anyone associated with the SSES was not a wide-spread problem. The employees associated with the project have been accepted into the community in much the same way the community has accepted the physical presence of the plant.

The editor of the Berwick Enterprise, as well as several local realtors and school officials, expressed concern over the pos-sibility of certain recessionary impacts following completion of the SSES project. According to opinions expressed, high salaries paid to Bechtel employees afforded them opportunities to construct homes having a value greater than most houses offered by the local market. Once Bechtel employees move to new job locations, the local housing market will not provide sufficient buyers for what is considered to be more expensive housing. Similarly, the completion of project construction will significantly affect employment and earnings in the con-struction trades, according to a local labor union official.

Since 1972, the ranks of the local unions have grown in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties. Much of that growth is attributed to the SSES construction. He expressed a belief that residential construction would be able to pick up some of the released labor force, assuming the "layoffs were orderly." Even with growth in residential construction, he expected decreases in union memberships following completion of SSES construction.

He further indicated that one major effect would likely be a change in income once the plant had closed., Many of the work-ers at the plant from the Luzerne-Lackawanna Counties, he sug-gested, had become accustomed to high wages and long-term em-ployment. He characterized employment in the Luzerne County area as "short-term residential construction" of a type which will materially reduce worker income.

44 CHAPTER IV SOURCES Personal interview with Mr. Robert Beishline, Director, Columbia Cojnty Planning Commission and, Staff Planner, Mr. Gary Hildebrandt, June 8, 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. John Robison, Robison Agency, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. Ron Kile, J. D. Kile Realtors, Berwick, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. Clyde Bowers, Salem Township, Supervisor, August ll, 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. Leroy Burdis, Vice President, First Eastern Bank, August ll, 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. Stephan Philips, Columbia County Economic Development Coordinator, September 28, 1978.

h Personal interview with Mr. Louis Biacchi, Mayor, Berwick, Pennsylvania, August ll, 1978.

"Columbia County Public School Enrollment Trends and Pro-jections", Pennsylvania Economy League, May 1978.

Personal interview with Mr. Lee Cook, Superintendent, Berwick Area School District, October 5, 1978.

10 Columbia County Sentinel, "Why Are Home Buyers Saying 'No'o Berwick", July 9, 1976.

Personal interview with Mr. Donald Hargraves, Mayor, Shickshinny, Pennsylvania, August ll, 1978.

12 Mr. Al Clarke,'Bechtel Power Corporation Personnel Depart-ment, SSES site, September 1978.

Personal interview with Sargent Tony Matson, Pennsylvania State Police, Shickshinny Barracks, August ll, 1978.

Bloomsburg Morning Press, April 15, 1978; Berwick Enterprise, April 15, 1978; personal interview with Mr. J. W. Smith, Editor, Berwick Enterprise, October 5, 1978.

45 Phone conversation with Mr. Charles DePolo, Secretary-Treasurer, Northeast Pennsylvania Building & Trades Coun-cil, Plains, Pennsylvania, September 13, 1978.

I 46 CHAPTER V LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACTS A. Wa e Distribution Direct economic impacts can be gauged by the amount of money entering communities in the form of wages and salaries. The 1976 report projected a distribution of total wages for the life of the construction period as follows:

Table V-1 Pro'ected Distribution of Total Wa es: 1973-82 Non-Manual

~Count Manual Em lo ees Em lo ees Luzerne $ 168 Million 60 $ 15 Million 23 Columbia 14 Million 5 44 Million 68 Lackawanna 36 Million 13 Other 62 Million 22 6 Million

$ 280 Million 100 $ 65 Million 100 Estimated di.stribution of first quarter wages (1978) and salaries are reported in Table V-2:

Table V-2 h '

Distribution of Total Wa es: 1st uarter 1978 Non-Manual

~Count Manual Em lo ees o/

Luzerne 7.45 Million 50 .75 Million 28 Columbia .89 Million <<6 1.68 Million 63 Lac'kawanna 1.34 Million 9 ..05 Million . 2 Other 5.21 Million 35 .19 Million 7

$ 14.89 Million 100 $ 2.67 Million 100

47 Actual distribution of wages closely approximated projected estimates except the "Other" categories, which are somewhat higher than originally projected. Most of the increase over projected wages resulted from higher manual employment from Schuylkill and Northumberland Counties.

Wages paid to plant personnel return to local communities and represent a direct economic benefit in the form of local pur-chases, particularly when evaluated in terms of a "multiplier effect" stimulated by wages spent by plant employees. The multiplier effect assumes that local merchants will, in turn, spend a portion of wages received for purchase of local goods and services and that the cycle will continue with decreasing impacts. The 1976 community impact report estimated an ad-ditional multiplier expenditure in Luzerne County of $ 366 Mil-lion and $ 87 Million in Columbia County through 1982.

B. Purchase of Goods and Services The local economy has benefited from purchase of goods and services from local vendors, but not to the extent of other locations outside of the project region. Table V-3 indicates purchases for selected years by county:

Table V-3 Ex enditures With Local Vendors 000) t 1974 Luzerne 2, 269 Columbia 555'08 Lackawanna 643 Other Pa.

4, 269 1975 1, 128 448 3, 083 1976 (UNAVAXLABLE) 1977 137 592 126 5,992 As indicated in Table V-3, local counties have not compared favorably with the remainder of the state in terms of contract volume.. Local contracts tended to be for conventional con-struction materials and erection of facilities for construction and administrative buildings. Larger volume contracts for specialized construction materials or engineering services were generally placed in the'ittsburgh or Philadelphia areas where they were more readily available.

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48 C. Local Taxes

1. Real Estate Tax Rates Table V-4 indicates that combined real estate tax rates increased between 1975 and 1978 in all municipalities, ex-cept Scott Township in Columbia County, a trend reflected in both Columbia and Luzerne Counties. Rate changes ranged from a drop of 1.5 mills in the municipal rate of Scott Township to an increase- of 22 mills in the Blooms-burg School District.

It is unlikely that construction of the SSES significantly influenced tax rate changes in the municipalities listed in Table V-4, owing primarily to the relatively small num-ber of construction personnel taking up residence in the project area.

It is also interesting to note that although most rate increases were levied by school districts, school enroll-ments in both Luzerne and Columbia Counties have been .

declining since 1969-70 and are expected to continue to do so for at least the next five years.

2. Tax Im acts: Salem Townshi

,Because of existing local and state tax structures, Salem Township is likely to experience the greatest tax impact associated with SSES construction. In addition to the real estate tax rates reported in Table V-4, Salem Township levies the following nonproperty taxes:

Table V-5 Salem Townshi Non ro ert Taxes School

1. Per Capita 5.00 $ 10.00

2. Earned Income 8/o

3. Occupational Privilege 5.00 $ 5.00 4~ Real Estate Transfer Q/

Table V-4 Real Propert Tax Rates, 1975 and 1978 Tax Rate Millage 4

1975 1978 Change Municipality SD* Munici alit SD Munici alit SD Berwick 12.0 47.0 12.0 55.0 8.0 Briar Creek Borough 6.0 47.0 6.0 55.0 8.0 Briar Creek Township 5.0 47.0 5.0 55.0 8.0 Salem Township 1.5 47.0 1.5 52.3 5.3 Hollenback Township 5.0 47.0 5.0 52.3 5.3 North Centre Township 3.0 66.0 3.0 77.0 11.0 South Centre Township 2.0 66.0 3.0 77.0 1.0 11.0 Scott Township 6.5 66.0 5.0 77.0 (1-5) 11.0 Bloomsburg 15. 0 52.0 15.0 77.0 22.0 Conyngham Township 2.0 51.0 2.0 71.0 20.0

/

Columbia County 12.5 15.0 2.5 Luzerne County 16.2 18.0 1.8

• SD School District

It should also be noted that under the provisions of the Public Utility Realty Tax Act (PURTA), local taxing jurisdictions are preempted from directly collecting taxes on utility facilities. Instead, taxes are collected by the state and reapportioned to local governments based on a procedure established under the legislation. Presumably, the intent of the legislation is to prevent, individual communities from reaping "excessive" tax revenues from large utility facilities.

Using available data, itsituation is possible to examine Salem with and without the Township's tax revenue SSES from 1973 to 1978.

Of the taxes listed in Table V-5, the most significant revenue producer for Salem Township is likely to be the occupational privilege tax. This tax is levied at a flat rate upon persons employed in a taxing jurisdiction. The tax is limited to $ 10.00 on individual taxpayers. When

. overlapping taxing jurisdictions levy rates which, in combination, exceed the $ 10.00 statutory maximum, their combined rates are automatically reduced to $ 10.'00. To a

'esser extent, Salem Township will benefit from its local income tax as well as from revenues received through PURTA.

Based on five years of construction, estimated tax revenues to Salem Township associated with SSES construction are as follows:

Table V-6 Estimated Tax Revenues* to Salem Townshi SSES Construction 1973-78

1. Occupational Privilege Tax (2,615 average $ 130,750 annual wor'k force x $ 10.00 x 5 years)

2. Earned Income Tax (Estimate) 10,650

3. PURTA Revenues 7 282

$ 148,682

• Does not include transfer tax revenues to Salem Township resul-ting from sale of 10 percent (10/) interest in SSES to Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc.

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51 The impact of these revenues is diminished, however, by the loss of rateable property (over 500 acres) pursuant to PURTA provisions. Based on current (1978) millage rates, annual property taxes (local and school district) would amount to approximately $ 4,100 (or, $ 20,500 over a five-year period) on that property no longer subject to local taxation.

Consequently, Salem Township has benefited during the construction period to date by over $ 120,000 in tax reve-nues beyond that which would have been collected via local property taxes without plant construction. Similar bene-fits could be anticipated through 1982-83. Following plant construction, however r,evenues from the occupational privilege tax and local income tax will be reduced sig-nificantly and will be offset only to the extent that plant operational staff move into Salem Township. Once the construction phase is completed, it is questionable whether revenues from the three sources in Table V-6 would replace foregone property tax revenues.

D. Local Economic Xm acts Housin Costs Discussions with local realtors and area residents sug-gest a common belief that SSES construction has had a significant inflationary impact on housing costs on the plant site area. The 1976 report addressed this issue, but no conclusions were reached.

While some effort was made in 1978 to obtain past and pres-ent. housing cost data from local realtors, more comprehen-sive data was obtained from the State Tax Equalization Board (STEB). This agency develops school subsidy formulae for apportioning state funds to school districts. STEB compiles annually the total market value, i.e., sales price, of all residential transactions in each county of the state based on deeds filed with the county assessor. A ratio of assessed value to market value for each municipality is used by STEB as part of their subsidy formula.

These ratios are useful for measuring changes in housing

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52 costs in individual communities. In addition to being current and updated annually, the STEB methodology com-pensates for differences in assessment and millage rates so that individual communities can'e compared. Table V-7 below illustrates changes in the assessment/market value ratios for selected communities in the plant site area during the period from 1973 to 1977. The table also lists information for several communities similar in demographic and economic conditions to the Blo'omsburg-Berwick area yet sufficiently removed from the site to minimize the plant's influence on the local economy. These "test communities" are Milton, Sunbury and Selinsgrove and are located ap-proximately forty-five (45) miles southwest of the plant site; they had 1970 populations of 7,225, 13,025 and 5,100 respectively.

Table V-7 Ratio of Assessed Value to Market Value Residential Pro erties8 1973-1977

% Change 1973 1974 1975'976 1977 1973-1977 Bloomsburg .171 .147 .141 .134 .117 32 Berwick .169 .153 .135 .139 .128 24 South Centre Twp. .176 .153 .136 .120 32 (Columbia Co. )

Milton .138 .138 .125 33 S unbury .206 .176 .153 .145 .136 34 Selinsgrove .189 .150 .152 .139 The ratio of assessed value to market value declined in all communities during the five-year period, indicating

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53 greater increases in market value relative to assessed value. The percentage change in the last column indicates the overall rate at which market value increased relative to assessed value. For those communities within the plant site area, Berwick demonstrated the least appreciation in market value. This generally agrees with the local per-ception that property rose in value at a greater rate in outlying areas. It is notable, however, that appreciation in market value was slightly greater in communities re-moved from the project area. None of the "test communi-ties" exhibited an economic growth nor major construction projects which would have influenced housing costs. Con-sequently, it would appear that the increased housing costs in the vicinity of the plant were not significantly different from similar communities in the region.

2. Food Cost,s Food costs were examined both in project area communities

.and in communities outside of the project area. The re-sults of a market basket .comparison conducted during the summer of 1978 are presented 1n .Table V-S.

I Table V-8 MARKET BASKET COMPARISOH FOR SELECTED COMMUNITIES AUGUST 1978 Sho in List

l. Cucumbers each one .10 .10 .10 .10 1.49

2. Potatoes 10 lbs. 1.49 1.49 1.49

3. Sharp Cheese 1 lb. 2.19 2.18 2.05 2.38 4 Corn five (5) for: .59 .59 .59 .59

5. Bananas 1 lb. .20 .33 .33 .33

6. Bread 1'oaf .39 .38 .39 .33

7. Haddock 1 lb. 1.69 1.69 1.69 1.69

8. Eggs 1 Medium Dozen .77 .77 .77 .77

9. Chicken Breasts 1 lb. 1.09 1.09 1.09 1.09

10. Detergent 1 Giant Size Tide 1.63 1.63 1.63 1.39

11. T-Bone Steak 1 lb. 2.89 2.89 2.89 2.89

12. Ground Beef 1 lb. 1.25 1.29 1.25 1.49

13. Hot Dogs 12 Pack 1.49 1.49 1.19 1.19

14. Bologna. 12 oz. 1.34 1.39 1.29 1.39

15. Tomatoes 1 lb. .79 .79 .79 .79

16. Lettuce each head .69 .69 .59 .69

17. Bacon 1 lb. 1.49 1.59 1.59 1.49

18. Apples - 1 lb. .89 .89 .89 .89

19. Oranges five (5) for: .99 .99 .75 .99

20. Soda two (2) 28-oz.

E Bottles .69 .69 .69 .69 22.65 $ 22.95 $ 22.05 $ 22.66 The total market basket price for all communities is com-parable, with only $ .90 separating the highest and lowest totals. The community closest to the plant site, Berwick, recorded the lowest market basket. total. While the re-sults of a single comparison are inconclusive relative to long-term trends, it is significant, that food costs for the above items were not significantly different between com-munities.

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55 CHAPTER V SOURCES Pennsylvania Power S Light Company, "SSES: A Monitoring Study of Community Impact", 1976, Page 42.

Bechtel Power Corporation, SSES Personnel Department, May 1978.

Bechtel Power Corporation, SSES Personnel Department, May 1978.

Pennsylvania Economy League, Central Division, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, August 1978.

Pennsylvania .Economy League, Central Division, "Tax Rates and Property Valuations Part II", August 1978, Page 2.

Pennsylvania Economy League, Central Division, "Tax Rates and Property Valuations Part II", August 1978, No Page.

Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Bureau of Corporation Taxes, October 1978.

Personal Communications with Mr. Paul Weiss, Pennsylvania State Tax Equalization Board, October 2, 1978.

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56 CHAPTER VI COMMUNITY FACILITIES A. School Enrollment Surveys of non-manual personnel for both Bechtel and PP&L employees reveal that the majority live within school districts in Columbia County (See CHAPTER II). The number of children associated with the SSES work force enrolled in local school districts has not had the effect of burdening classroom space or crowding facilities. According to recent data prepared by the Pennsylvania Economy League, total enrollments in Columbia County have declined by 633 or 4.7 percent since 1969-1970.

Three of the county's six districts, Berwick Area, Bloomsburg Area and Southern Columbia Area, had fewer students in 1976-1977 than in 1969-1970. The League's projections further reveal that enrollments will decline by 1,317 students, 10.2 percent, between school years 1976-1977 and 1982-1983 and that all dis-tricts will experience decreases.

Table VI-1 indicates the enrollment trends as well as projec-tions based on research of the Pennsylvania Economy League.

Despite ongoing and projected decreases in school enrollments, total public school expenditures in the county increased by

$ 7.1 Million, or 70.4 percent, between 1969-1970 and 1975-1976 while the cost of educating each pupil increased by $ 550 or 73.5 percent. All districts recorded increases.

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57 Table VI-13 COLUMBIA COUNTY Public School Enrollment Trends and Pro'ections f School Pro'ected Change District 1969-70 1973-74 1976-77 Change 1982-83 1977-83 enton Area 972 960 1,019 4.8 1,004 erwick Area 4,682 4,567 4, 293 8.'3 3,765 12 \ 3 Bloomsburg Area 2,866 2,505 2,364 -17.5 1,805 -23. 6 entral Columbia 2,363 2,506 2,530 7.1 2,458 2.8 illville Area 1,028 1,144 1,145 11.4 1,098 4.1 outhern Columbia Area 1,690 1,651 1,617 - 4.3 1,516 6.2 ZOTAL 13,601 13,333 12,968 4.7 11,651 -10.2 For the most part, increases appear to be a,result of expenses rather than capital expenditures. Of the six oper-'tional school districts in Columbia County, Bloomsburg Area, Milville Area and Benton Area School Districts have had no new con-struction within the past ten (10) years. Berwick Area has recently completed a new junior high school which was prin-cipally funded by the U. S. Economic Development Administration.

Central Columbia and Southern Area School Districts have re-cently completed new middle and elementary schools respective-ly. None of these expansions appear to have had any relation-ship to expanded requirements arising from SSES work force families.

B. Hos ital Facilities Primary health care for the construction workers is provided by a -full-time staff of registered nurses at the SSES site.

Emergency cases requiring further treatment are referred to local hospitals. Most cases are treated at the Berwick Hos-pital while those requiring specialized treatment. are sent to Geisinger Medical Center located twenty (20) miles west in Danville. Table VI-2 indicates referrals of SSES accident cases to local hospitals:

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58 Table VI-2 Hos ital Referrals of SSES Accident Cases 1974-1978 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 Number of Cases Referred: 197 199 305 270 203 (thru Sept.)

The increased out-patient load at the Berwick Hospital was al-so affected by PPSJ job applicants (operational staff) who are referred to the Berwick Hospital for physical examinations up-on placement.

According to administrative staff at the Berwick Hospital, the SSES referred accident cases and physical examination referrals have affected out-patient facilities and services at that institution. Since 1976, two additional staff nurses have been added for out-patient care; a cardiac treatment and test center has been established; and an audio-metric facility (hearing examinations) has been installed requiring the train-ing of an additional staff person. Cardiac test facilities and audio testing facilities had been established, in part, as a response to the larger number of physical examinations re-quired for plant employment. Hospital staff pointed out, how-ever, that the increased demand for out-patient services re-sulting from SSES construction were anticipated and were incor-porated into a hospital development program initiated in the early 1970's. The recently completed program, financially supported by Pp&L, resulted in 'both an expansion of hospital facilities and services'o the community.

An additional new facility developed specifically for the SSES is a special emergency room for the treatment. of radiation related injuries. The room, constructed to PP6L specifications, is completed although it has not been used for radiation re-lated injuries since no nuclear'uels are presently at the SSES site. The construction of the room as well as the train-ing of specialized staff was subsidized by PPGL.

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59 Water Supply (Make-Up)

A source of river water supply will be required to replace water consumed by the operation of the Susquehanna SES during low-flow periods. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) regulates uses of the river as well as development affecting its tribu-taries. In September, 1976, the .SRBC adopted a.regulation re-quiring all new water users to provide enough standby water supply to replace river water consumed during periods of low flow.

PP&L has been identifying,and assessing sources of potential water supply. Publically and privately owned existing reservoirs and reservoirs under construction have been considered as a potential source of water supply. Based on review of these possibilities the preferred approach to meeting the SRBC require-ment is to purchase water from the Cowanesque Reservoir, a Corps of Engineers (COE) project under construction in Tioga Co., Pa.

and scheduled for compleCion in 1980. PP&L has forwarded a formal request to the COE to purchase seasonal storage in the Cowanesque Reservoir. The SRBC has suggested that a study be made of all potential Cowanesque water supply uses, the effect of these uses on authorized project functions, and a determina-tion of necessary re-authorizations. The COE estimates the study will take a minimum of 2 years to complete from the date of obtaining funds, which are 'not anticipated before early 1979.

In order to have an assured source of water, PP&L is preparing an application to construct its own water supply reservoir.

The reservoir site, known as Pond Hill, was selected based on technical and environmental consideration from among several identified by PP&L and its consultant.

The proposed Pond Hil'1 Reservoir site is a drainage basin of an unnamed tributary of the Susquehanna River near Pond Hill in Conyngham Township, Luzerne County. The site is located in an undeveloped wooded valley. All housing and ongoing agri-cultural activity occur above maximum water level. Land acquisition will involve approximately 1,200 acres although the surface area of the impounded water will be approximately 315 acres.

The 'impacts and design of the proposed reservoir are presently being studied. An environmental report and feasibility report are being prepared and are expected to be submitted to appro-priate agencies in 1979. The planning effort has been aided by the establishment of public participation consisting of an advisory committee formed in the fall of 1977,. the Pond Hill Reservoir Advisory Committee (PHRAC). The committee consists of 17 persons from eight communities in the area.

To date, this local committee has reviewed past. studies, re-ceived presentations on technical and environmental aspects of construction and operation of the reservoir, and visited the Susquehanna SES station as well as the Pond Hill Reservoir site.

Public Safety

l. Police Force

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60 Because of the small size of adjacent communities and the rural character of the project area, municipal police forces, where they exist, tend to be small Berwick has a force of twelve (12) officers and Shickshinny has a force of one (1) police officer. Salem Township has no standing police force although a, state police barracks, located on Route ll, has a staff of eighteen (18). (By contrast, the size of the security forces at the SSES is presently fifty-six (56). When the SSES becomes operational, a permanent on-site security force of seventy-seven (77) persons will be established.)

Only one instance has been identified where the plant con-struction has resulted in a need to increase personnel.

As described in Chapter II, most of the work force orig-inates from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area and commutes to the plant site on U. S. Route ll, resulting in substantial peak hour flows.

Route ll changes from a three-lane highway local street in Shickshinny. At peak-hour to a two-lane traffic volumes, the effects in Shic'kshinny have resulted in considerable congestion. In some instances, traffic flows have ignored local traffic lights in an effort to proceed through town.

Motorists crossing the Route 239 bridge from Mocanaqua (op-posite Shickshinny) have reportedly been unable to egress onto Route II-l).

ll from the bridge during rush hours (See Figure Community leaders solicited PPGL's help in resolving the problem. A part-time policeman was added to the force in the summer of 1978, the cost, of which is underwritten by PP&L. While the additional patrolman has alleviated con-ditions somewhat, significant relief from traffic conditions will be experienced only with a reduction in wor'k force as the SSES nears completion.

In other police matters, state police records indicate an increase in the'number of arrests in the region since 1972 (See Table VI-4). The region includes eight (8) townships in Columbia and Luzerne Counties.

Local state police officials have indicated that the over-all increase in the number of calls cannot be related to

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61' SSES construction. The, increase in the number of criminal arrests have occurred in residential areas and are follow-ing a national trend. State police have also reported no arrests on site during the construction period to date.

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Table VI-4 Total Annual Arrests Penns lvania State Police Berwick Barracks 1972-1978 (To Tune)

T e of Arrest 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978

1. Criminal 69 131 164 180 202 162 56

2. Traffic. 1, 348 1, 358 1, 589 1, 795 1, 614 1, 531 814

2. Emer enc Services Fire and emergency ambulance service in the plant area are provided through private, voluntary organizations, not as a service of local government. In the site vicinity, these organizations include--

a. Shickshinny Area Volunteer Ambulance Association

b. Pont Hill-LilyLake Fire Company (Ambulance Service)

c. Salem Township Fire Company, No. 1

d. East Berwick Hose Company, No. 2 No special arrangements have been made with these organ-izations for their services during the construction phase of the project. During plant operation, the nature of an emergency could require responses from the above organ-izations to augment. on-site response groups and facilities.

Arrangements have been made with the above organizations to provide support. upon notification by the SSES Emergency Director.

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62 CHAPTER VX SOURCES 1

Pennsylvania Economy League, "Columbia County School Enrollment Trends and Projections"., May 1978, Pages 2 to 4.

Pennsylvania Economy League, "Columbia County School Enrollment Trends and Projections", May 1978, Page l.

Compiled from data of the Pennsylvania Economy League.

Bechtel Safety Enforcement Officer, SSES, October 1978.

Personal Conversation with Mr. Robert Robbins, Assistant Administrator, Berwick Hospital.

Sgt. Anthony Matson, Pennsylvania State Police, Shick-shinny Barracks, August 1978.

Pennsylvania Power 6 Light Company, "Susquehanna Steam Electric Emergency Plan", Volume 1, Page 5-4.

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Additional Information Requested for Environmental Review of the Low-Flow Augmentation Reservoir for Susquehanna Steam Electric Station Docket Nos. 50-387 and 50-388 General Our understanding is that Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) policy is to require development of 85% or more of potential reservoir capacity. On the assumption that this requirement will result in changing the design maximum pool elevation of the proposed Pond Hill Reservoir from 940 ft. to 980 ft., provide the acreages for lands that will be inundated and the area required for the dam and spillway structures. Give the amounts and sources of additional fill required for construction and provide details concerning impacts materials associated with any borrow areas within the buffer zone. The contour map of the site (ER App. H., Fig. 1-3) indicates there may be a need for a dike at the 980-ft. level along portions of the south bank of the reservoir. Discuss the need for such a dike and provide design information if construction is necessary.

~Res oese:

Based on the design as now envisioned with a reservoir with a normal pool elevation of 981, an area of approximately 315 acres would be innundated. Maximum pool'under PMF with the recurrent flood two days later would innundate approximately 325 acres. The dam and dike shown in Plate 4 will have a.base area of approximately 35 acres and the spillway and channel (shown in the attached Plate 5) will cover approximately 5 acres. Based on the dam cross section shown in the attached Plate 4-the total volume of the embankment will be approximately 3.7 x 106yd.3. The proposed borrow areas, shown on Plate 19 are believed to have sufficient quantities of suitable embankment material. Based on .our current knowledge of the soils in the area, much of this material will be acquired from within the area to be innundated. While additional areas may be disturbed for the larger reservoir, impacts .will be similar to those described in section<

4.2.5.6 for the small reservoir. Mitigative measures will be as described in* section 4.3 and should minimize any additional impacts for the large reservoir.

Construction will be required in two saddle areas along the south rim of the reservoir immediately upstream from the embankment dam (Plate 3). The area closest. to the embankment has a maximum elevation of approximately 986 feet and will require construction of a small saddle dike as shown on Plate 3. A typical section of the d~ '

Plate 4.

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QqiOrlO

• Susquehanna SES ER-OL Appendix H.

'R~EGuiATollV DONEr E(L

The second area in the sourth rim of the reservoir, located approximately 1500 feet east of the first area,.has a minimum elevation of 991 feet. Preliminary subsurface information indicates that an impervious cutoff may be required in this area. The approximate extent of the cutoff is shown on Plate 3 and a typical section is shown on Plate 4.

t 2. State the volume of water which would be stored behind the higher dam for the 980-ft. pool and the amount of water that would be released for river augmentation.

~Res esse:

Based on a normal water surface elevation of 981, total water storage is estimated at approximately 24,100 acre feet. Of this approximately 22,000 acre feet would be available as active storage to compensate for consumptive uses with the remaining 2,100 acre feet being inactive storage. Preliminary design has assumed an average release rate of approximately 104 cfs for 106 days.

As the use of the additional storage has not been identified for feasibility design it was assumed that releases of this additional storage will be similar in time and duration to the releases required for SSES.. Refilling at a rate of 132 cfs was assumed to occur when river flows are greater than 3000 cfs. During a repeat of the drought of record refilling at this rate would guarantee a full reservoir prior to the next low flow season.

For the small reservoir report, published records (based on data thru 1972) for the source of Q7-10 was used. When SRHC reviewed our application using additional published and provisional data, they suggested a value for Q7-10 of 800 cfs be used. Based on a review of the entire period of record for the Wilkes Barre gage which is now available as either published or provisional data (April 1899 through April 1979), PP&L concurs that a value for Q7-10 of 800 cfs rather than the 770 cfs be used. Adding an average consumptive use of approximately 50 cfs gives a trigger point (for study purposes) for required releases of 850 cfs. The actual trigger point will be based on actual consumptive use. If flow at the Wilkes Barre gage were less than 850 cfs during a repeat of the drought of record, releases would be required on 106 days. An average release of approximately 104 cfs would empty the enti're active storage volume in this period of time.

t 3. The SRBC indicates from 50 cfs to 64 that the peak augmentation rate 'should be increased cfs. Describe the design changes and cost required to satisfy this rate.

~Res onsa:

Average release rates of 50 cfs and peak release rates of 64 cfs are only applicable to the small size reservoir. For the large size reservoir, a release capability of approximately 104 cfs is currently planned. Each outlet port will be designed with this release capability under a 10 foot head. Since at design minimum reservoir level ]

the lowest outlet port will be operating under approximately 18 feet of head, higher release rates will be possible without any design changes.

Plates 6 and 7 (attached) show the proposed design of the inlet-outlet structure and pipeline. Project cost data is provided in the response 'o question 37.

4. The SRBC requires that releases during low river periods be equal to actual consumptive uses by the Susquehanna station. Describe how the actual consumptive use (withdrawal less blowdown) will be determined.

R~es ense:

Plant intake is measured by a flow measuring device and monitored and recorded by the plant computer, This flow then divides into two components, cooling tower makeup, and deicing flows to the spray pond and intake structure. The cooling tower makeup portion is monitored by a flow measuring device which feeds its signal to the plant computer.

Plant blowdown is measured by devices on the three components of the discharge (unit 1 cooling tower blowdown, unit 2 cooling tower blowdown, and liquid radwaste discharge).

The spray pond, -is connected to the plant blowdown line downstream of the flow monitors mentioned above. Since the spray pond is normally kept full, any inflow will be matched by outflow. The remaining discharge flow is the deicing flow which is the difference between the total intake flow and the cooling tower makeup flow.

The plant consumptive use is the difference between the quantity withdrawn from the river and the total blowdown to the river.

Withdrawal from river Blowdown to river Intake flow Unit f/1 cooling tower discharge Unit /f2 cooling tower discharge Liquid radwaste discharge Deicing flow

t) 5.

~Res Provide schematic di'agrams of the proposed higher dam and of the site, with locations of parking lots, laydown areas, batch plant (if any),

roads and other facilities required for the higher dam.

onse:

Plate 19 (attached) shows the preliminary location of the Contractor's staging area which will contain parking and laydown areas, batch plant, office trailers and other required facilities. The location of the staging area and facilities within the staging area will be dependent on the Contractor' work plan and requirements. As this area is adjacent to the existing Township road, no additional access roads may be required. The Contractor will be responsible for the location of any haul roads and/or additional access roads he may require.

The approximate areas of the various borrow areas .and staging area are shown below Borrow Area 1 45 Acres 2 25 Acres 3 55 Acres 4 20 Acres 5 40 Acres Staging Area 35 Acres

Terrestrial

6. Appendix H. Section 1.4.5.2, Page 1-11. Confirm whether or not a 1

concrete batch plant will be erected onsite. If so, indicate the location of the plant and the acreage disturbed by construction" and yarding requirements. Also discuss disposition of all waste effluents generated during plant operations, and indicate reclamation procedures if the plant is to be located within the buffer zone.

~Res ense:

At this point, it is assumed that a concrete batchplant will be needed and a location is indicated on Plate 19. The need for and location of a batch plant will be based on the construction Contractor's recommendations. The area which will be required by construction and yard requirements will depend on the contractors proposed plan of operation.

All effluents generated during the batch plant operation will be collected in a holding pond. After the solids have settled out it will either be reused or discharged via a pipeline to Pond Hill Creek.

Waste effluent disposal will meet the requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources for disposal of such waste.

Reclamation procedures will be developed as part of the plan described in question 15.

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7~ Appendix H, Section 2.3, Page 2-2. Provide specific information justifying the statement that, expansion of "the most favorable existing, privately owned water supply reservoir was found less favorable" than other possibilities. Include details concerning reservoir location, needed reservoir expansion and discuss the basis for the "most favorable existing reservoir". Also indicate the economic environmental criteria used, and the results of comparing this alternative with the other potential sites considered in the TAHS (1977) report.

~Res ense:

The most favorable existing privately owned water supply reservoir was the Pennsylvania Gas and Water Company's (PG&W) Nesbitt Reservoir located on Spring Brook in Lackawanna County adjacent to Pennsylvania Route 502. Expansion of the reservoir would require construction of a 210'igh new dam about 7000 feet downstream of the existing Nesbitt Dam. Because the safe yield of Spring Brook could not supply the water needed by both PP&L and PG&W, a 5 mile long pipeline to the Lackawanna River would be required. Because of the poor quality of the Lackawanna River, it was believed that a 9 mile long pipeline from the Susquehanna River upstream of its confluence with the Lackawanna River would be necessary. Provision of water treatment facilities not presently required might have been required for municipal water supply because water pumped into the reservoir might be of poorer quality than that of Spring Brook. Expansion of the reservoir to provide approximately 27,000 ac. ft. of storage for PG&W and PP&L use was estimated in 1975 to cost $ 55 million to $ 65 million dependent on pumping source, exclusive of any water treatment facilities.

Approximately 290 acres would have been innundated and relocation of a short section of Route 502 would have been required. Except for the existing 120 acre reservoir and Route 502 the entire area is wooded.

The most significant adverse impacts. would have been related to the required pipeline and water quality. Any pipeline route could not have avoided developed areas. In addition to the impacts associated with pipeline construction in developed areas (traffic, noise, dust, etc.)

real estate acquisition for a pipeline route potentially could have been difficult and time consuming.

Because of the relatively high cost, lack of significant environmental advantages and potential for delays, this site. was eliminated from consideration. Other PG&W sites were previously judged less favorable and eliminated from further consideration based on topographic or hydrologic considerations or distance from a suitable pumping source.

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8. Appendix H. Section 2.4.4, Page 2-8, indicates that terrestrial ecology studies at Graves Pond and the Little Meshoppen sites were conducted using methods described in Appendices A-1 and A-2. This appears in contradiction with a following statement that only reconnaissance studies were conducted at Graves Pond. Clarify and characterire the reconnaissance studies conducted at Graves Pond.

~Res ense:

At the Graves Pond site, reconnaissances were conducted both along public roa'ds within the site and on utility-owned (Pennsylvania Electric Company) land within 1 mile downstream of the site. These reconnaissances, for the purpose of generating. species lists, were conducted in the same fashion as the reconnaissances at the Little Meshoppen and Pond Hill sites. The topics covered by these reconnaissances included vegetation (overstory, understory, and herb layer), birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Water chemistry samples were collected just below-the proposed dam site before the stream passed under the road to the east of the embankment (*see Fig.

2-3). Aquatic ecology samples were collected at the downstream (Penelec) property. Forest vegetation was not studied by quadrat analysis, nor were small mammals trapped, at the Graves Pond site.

Rs Appendix H. Section 3.2.2.2.1, Page 3-10. In view of PPGL's commitment to "conduct additional field studies to check for the presence of any rare or endangered plants," advise the scope, methodology and results of the additional studies that were undertaken.

~Res oese:

Consultation with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Smithsonian Institute, and the United States Department of Interior indicated that threatened plant species in 40 CFR 27872 (July 1, 1975) have been collected in Luzerne County and that suitable habitat may exist at Pond Hill. PP6L contracted Ichthyological Associates, who have a Terrestical Ecologist on their staff, to conduct field studies.-

Results of these studies conducted during the species'lower and The results are attached.

10

ICHTHYOLOGICALASSOCIATES, INC.

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER ECOLOGICAL STUDY EDWARD C. RANEY, Ph.D. R.D. 1, BERWICK, PA. 18603 THEODORE V. JACOBSEN, M.S.

President 1717) 542.2191 Project Director 301 Forest Drive WtllIAMF. GAlE, Ph.D.

I:hoca, N.Y. 14850 Aquatic Research Director (6071 257-7121 JAMES D. MONTGOMERY, Ph.D.

2 July 1979 Terrestrial Research Dire<<ror RECEIVED Ifs. Lynn Schroeder JUL 5 i97g Pennsylvania Power and Light Company Two North Ninth Street ENVR. MGI~AT.

Allentown, Penna. 18101

Dear Lynn:

l have had a chance to look over the material from Pond Hill today. Sre collected two species of Poa: Poa pratensis, the common Kentucky bluegrass, and P.'rivialis, called rough bluegrass. The lemma (one of the bracts in the spikelet) smooth, rather than pubes-cent. This feature can be easily dist"nguished under a binocular microscope. Thus, we did not find any Poa pal~udi ena.

Since our search was reasonably careful, and we collected samples of anything questionable, l feel that the Poa ~aludi ena is probably not present; however, I will make another trip up to the area in the second week of July.

Xf you have any questions, please call.

Sincerely, James D. Hontgomery Terrestrial Research Director

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ICHTHYOLOGICALASSOCIATES, INC.

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER ECOLOGICAL STUDY EDWARD C. RANEY, Ph.D R.D. 1, BERWICK, PA. 18603 THEODORE V. JACOBSEN, M.S.

President I717I 542 2)91 Project Director 301 Forest Drive WllLIAMF. GALE', Ph.D.

Ithoco, N.Y. 14850 Aqstotic Research Director (607) 257-71 21 20 July 1979 JAMES D. MONTGOMERY, Ph.D.

Terrestriol Research Director Lynn Schroeder Pennsylvania Power & Light Company Two North Ninth Street n::I'EIVE L Allentown, PA 18101 AUI-.02 1979

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Dear Lynn:

,:,':;I ment up to the open wetlands on"Pond Hill on Friday, 13 July.'he marsh

• vegetation, especially ScT:~us, Sol2'dago, and Sp22'aea .has grown considerably, and grasses are mucn less evident than 'when we were there in mid-June. I found no Poa at all, except some old fruiting material of Poa p2'at'ens2s.

Apparently Poa flowers and fruits in June, as records indicate.

another species list to be added to the one from the June if these I compiled would be useful to you, I'l put them together and send a copy along.'incerely, trip; James D. Montgomery, Ph.D.,

Terrestrial Research Director JD~sI/msh C

I g4 ICHTHYOLOCICALASSOCIATES, INC.

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER ECOLOGICAL STUDY EDWARD C. RANEY, Ph.D. R.D. 1, BERWICK, PA. 18603 THEODORE Y. JACOBSEN, M.S.

President (717) 542 2IPI Project Director 301 Forest Drive WILLIAMF. GALE, Ph.D.

Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 Aquatic Research Director (607) 257-71 21 JAMES D. MONTGOMERY, Ph.D.

20 August 1979 Terreslriol Research Dk ector Lynn Schroeder Pennsylvania Power & Light Company Ctc']Ir~

Two North Ninth Street if)(g ~

Allentown, PA 18101 sc'OIr~ t979 iig@p

Dear Lynn:

~re ~ I Enclosed is a list of the plan identified from the wet meadows of the Pond Hill site. I have divided the list 3.nto woody plants, grasses, sedges, ferns, and other herbaceous plants for convenience. Naturally, this is list of the flora, since our surveys were brief and covered only not a complete early summer.

However, we should have covered those plants present at this season reasonably well, especially the grasses.

If you need additional information, please contact me.

Sincerely, James D. Montgomery, Ph.D.,

Terrestrial Research Director JDM/msh Enclosure

P P

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Plants observed in open wet meadows on Pond Hill site, June-July 1979 Woody Plants Acev mba Red Maple Rubus aZEegheniensi s Blackberry Sambucus canadensi s Common elderberry Spiraea Zatifolia Meadow-sweet S. tomentosa Steeplebush Grasses GEycema s5ma5x . Powl mannagrass Lee~sia ozpzoides Rice cutgrass Poa pr a0ensis Kentucky bluegrass P. O~viaZi s Bluegrass Sphenopholi s intemredia . Medgegrass

~septum pensy Zvani curn 'Trisetum Sedges Crave cmnita Sedge C. inivmescens Sedge C. Zumda Sedge C. scovama Sedge e CQI'8 sppe Sedge EZeocha~s ob5usa Spikerush Scious a0mvivens Bulrush S. cfpezinus Wool grass Perns fi Afiy~~um Z~'= femina Dennstaedhi a punctilobula Lady fern Hay-scented fern Drpmie~s cmsiafa Crested wood fern D. spinulosa Spinolose wood fern Onoclea sensibi lis Sensitive fern Os~ada cinnamomea Cinnamon fern Thelyptems palusb~s Harsh fern Other Herbaceous Plants Aster puniceus Purple-stemmed aster Boehmema cy Zindz'ica Palse nettle CampanuEa ap~noides Harsh bellflower Eupatomum macula~ Spotted Joe-Pye-weed E. per'foliatum Boneset Galium 5mfidum Bedstraw Hyctocotp Ze ame~canum Mater-pennywort Hypemcum mutiEum St. John's wort fl 2mpatiens bi or a Jewelweed Juncus effusus Rush J. tenuis Path rush

Pond Hill site plants, June-July 1979 Page two Other Herbaceous Plants (cont.)

Nyosotis scorpioides Por ge t-me-no t .

Po2ygonum sagitta~ Arrow-leaved tearthumb Solidago gigantea Late goldenrod S. graminifoZia Plat-topped goldenrod S. vugosa Rough goldenrod*

SteEEavia Eongi foZia Chickweed Symp Eocarpus foeiidus Skunk cabbage Verbena bastarda Blue vervain Ver oni ca americana American brooklime V. officinaZis Common speedwell VioEa sp. Violet

10. Appendix H. Section 3.'2.2.3.1, Page 3-14. Discussions of local wildlife populations include references to a hunter survey conducted by Biometric Services Inc. and various estimates involving wildlife populations and/or habitat condi.tions by the "Pennsylvania Game Commission" (pages 3-14, 3-15, A-5). If this and similar site specific information is available in report form, please provide copies. t

~Res ense:

1 Seventy copies of a hunter survey were distributed in the Pond Hill area by handing them to hunters in the field, leaving them on car windshields around the site in hunting season, and leaving several copies for public availability at Larry Yokum's grocery store. Nine of these surveys were returned (12.9%). The'ollowing is a summary "of the questions asked and the 9 responses.

e 1977 Hunter Survey

1. Did you take any deer from this specific area? NO-S, YES-1 2.A. Did you sight any deer in this area which were not taken? N0-2, YES-7.

2.B. If so, how many'?

"28"'nd The 7 responses were: "2"; "4"; "6"; "8"; "12";

"about 30" 3.A. Did .you take any other game animals from this area this year, including trapping'? N0-.7, YES-2 3.B. If so, what animals and how many? Response ill 18 muskrat and 3 raccoon. Response //2 1 rabbit, 6 squirrels, and 2 grouse.

4. Did you spot any non-game animals, including birds, in this area this year? If so, please identify them to the best of your ability. NO or no response-6, YES-3. Response F1-"-numerous songbirds, 1 broad-winged hawk, and 2 ruffed grouse. Response 82 grouse.

Response I/3 crows, hawks, wookpeckers and many other small birds.

5. Any comments you would like to make. No response-6. Response f/1 How about asking the Game Commission to stock some turkeys here. Response f/2 In July,- 1976, I saw a hen turkey with about 12 young; 2 flocks of turkey in October; a black bear in deer season; and I shot a red fox here in '1975. ,Response II3 This valley has been rich with wildlife for all the years I can remember; and all efforts should be made to conserve them.

Following you will find an internal report summarizing the results of an interview with Pennsylvania Game Commission officials; and population harvest, and hunting data for various game species for some counties of Pennsylvania, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Pond Hill lies in Luzerne County. The draft statement from Mr. Palmer, noted on the internal report, was never received by BSI.

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Summary of Pennsylvania Game Commission Comments Concerning The Proposed TAMS-PPGL-Susquehanna Reservoir Project POND HILL SITE Meeting, 3/2l/78 Commission personnel: J. Hugh Palmer, State Wildlife I'A Game Biologist; R.W. Nolf, Luzerne County (South) Game Protector Biometric Services personnel: Dr. Carl S. Oplinger, George E. Wieland III, Dennis A. Grube

[Biometric Services is awaiting a draft statement from Mr. Palmer, a copy of which will be received by T.A.M.S., concerning this meeting as well as one on 3/22/78 at the Graves Pond and Little Meshoppen sites. Bracketed [] phrases are Biometric additions and not necessarily the opinion of the Game Commission.]

I. The land-- Creek bottom land is the best habitat for game, especially if it has clearings interspersed, such as the Pond Hill site's old beaver dam areas. Creek bottoms and clearings serve as a wildlife feeding, brooding, and seasonal or permanent LI residence site. Also, seep areas, or springs with little gradient and low discharge and of good water quality, serve as important I

winter food sources for game. 'Many seeps are present in the Pond Hill creek bottom area.] Surrounding areas are of lower quality at the Pond Hill site because of: higher or steeper gradient; less moisture due to more wind exposure at the higher elevations and fewer seeps or springs; and the close proximity of man from the Pond Hill section of Conyngham Township, a community which is developing northward toward the valley.

Moving species closer to man would increase the hunting pressure

'I BIOMETRIC SERVICES, INC.

on those species which could still find suitable habitat; or cause some species to attempt to relocate in other nearby habitats. The latter would have an effect similar to the loss of original habitat. in the creek bottom in that if these surrounding areas are already at their carrying capacity, the introduction of more members of a given species would cause a critical loss of game until the surrounding areas again drop e

within their carrying capacity.

XI. ~L'xistin wildlife As far as is presently known, this site

[nor 'the other two] contains no threatened or endangered species.

t Beavers were in the area up to as recent as six years ago, but have since disappeared. They may have been trapped out of the area, had their dams damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Agnes in l972 and emmigrated rather than rebuilding, or a combination of both. There are no signs of beaver activity in the site at present, although it has suitable habitat and a history of natural beaver repopulation.

The site is characterized as class 3 for ring-necked pheasants on a scale of l to 3 with l as the highest. Xt is stocked with farm pheasants by the Game Commission between Lily Lake and a point east of the Hanover Rod and Gun Club-leased property.

Pheasants here are in, the put and take category, where few if'ny of these birds actually live. and brood here, but rather are e

stocked and hunted out each season. Slocum Township, to the east of Conyngham Twsp., is heavily populated with pheasants.

The area is characterized as Class 2 (on a scale of l to 3)

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turkey land, which means that there are some resident as well as stocked birds here, i.e. that some of the stocked turkeys are not taken by hunters the first year, survive the winter, and possibly breed. Stocked. turkeys are released in the same areas as pheasants. Creek bottom land, especially the grassy areas of- the old beaver dams,are good habitat for turkey brooding. The turkeys work, or feed, on Penobscot (Lee)

Mountain. Being very sensitive to disturbances, the birds do not work the southern [Pond Hill] side of the valley as much due mostly to the activities of local farmers and other residents.

'i The lack of roads through the stream valley enhances its value for turkey breeding. The seep areas, in the creek bottom are important wintering areas for the turkeys; these seeps provide food both from aquatic vegetation and by supplying enough

'oisture for hemlocks and spruce, which are also eaten by wintering turkeys. In winters with prolonged continuous snow cover, such" as the winter of 1977-78, seeps provide the only food source for these birds.

Black bears have been reported in and near the reservoir site. However', these sightings are very infrequent and it is believed that the bears are residents of Cranberry Swamp, which is to the east of Lily Lake. Swampy areas provide good cover for bears, and Cranberry is swampy year-round. The bears are probably looking for food when they are seen in this valley or near Pond Hill.

The inundation area is reported to be a good ruffed grouse

I BIOMETRIC SERVICES, INC.

area. [Grouse have similar feeding requirements as turkey and pheasant.]

The site is a good American woodcock hunting area. Xt is reported to be typical woodcock habitat. for the surrounding regions, which is enhanced by the presence of alders [hophorn-beam and birch] in the site. The area has good migratory cover for woodcock.

Gray squirrels are numerous in the site. ' variety of trees provides a good food .source [e.g. oak, hawthorn, beech, hemlock, and white pine]. The (small) red squirrel population is low here due to predation and to red-. gray interactions. No (large red) fox squirrels are known to inhabit the site or any surrounding area.

No snowshoe rabbits are known in the area. Snowshoes prefer swampy, cleared areas. Some cottontails are present. The cottontail population in the creek bottom hemlock areas is low because of high natural predation.

Beaver dams are good areas for waterfowl, especially in migrating season. Old beaver dams, as are found in'he site, are potentially good habitat for wood duck residence.

The Pond Hill reservoir site is excellent for whitetail deer hunting'.'emlocks and spruces growing along creek bottom seep ar as are an important winter food source for deer. The valley was labeled "...A-1 deer country and a good wintering area..." by Mr. Nolf.

The site is frequented by trappers who get muskrat, raccoon, mink, and some years beaver here. Comparabl.e areas for these

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furbearers are nearby in Luzerne County. Trappers in this region are often supplementing their income, not just seeking a recreational outlet; the value of pelts has been increasing over the past few years.

The major predators at this site are great horned owls and foxes. Wild dogs, which tend here to have shorter noses than domestic dogs, roam Penobscot Mountain. There have been

,reports of large cats in the area, but none of these have been confirmed. It is believed that these cats are not residents, but are merely moving through the area.

As has been stated before, the creek bottom land, with its flowing water, grassy areas from old beaver dams, and seeps, is the best type of habitat for numerous wildlife species. An impoundment would destroy all of these areas via inundation, i.e. this habitat would be lost for the life of the reservoir.

Major mitigation of habitat loss could be undertaken at this site, as has been done by PPGL, in conjunction with the PA Game Commission, at the Montour Steam Generating Station.

Clear cuts, i.e. permanent openings, could be maintained on the southern slope of Penobscot Mountain. These grassy areas would help offset the loss of the beaver dam creek bottom areas. Turkey brooding and deer residence would occur here.

The same activity would provide substantially less benefit on the southern (Pond Hill) side of- the reservoir due to distur-

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bances from roads, residents, and farms.

Woodcock could find limited suitable habitat downstream from the dam if the gradient isn't too steep and if the amount.

of clearing is kept at an absolute minimum during construction and development. Seep areas higher up on Penobscot could be developed with coniferous plantings, helping to offset the loss 'of creek bottom seeps and to provide limited new winter.

habitat for turkey and deer.

The clear cuts could. best be developed by rotating the n

land use. Clear 5 out of every 25 acres., Five years later, cut a new set of 5-acre sections. Cut the remaining fifths of the timber 5, 10, and fifteen years further on. As these latter cuttings are occurring, 'the originally cleared areas 4

would be undergoing a succession back to a forest cover. The end result, once one 25=year cycle has been completed, would be to force various stages of plant growth, yielding grassland of 0-4 'years of age, with 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, and 20-24-year old vegetation covers interspersed, providing numerous ecotones and a highly-varied habitat [grass -shrubs- pioneer trees---mixed mesophytic timber]. The .tree clearcutting could be managed by PPSL or an outside wildlife consultant, and be performed either by commercial operators or by residents seeking firewood on a payment-for-wood basis.

Snowshoe rabbits prefer cleared swampy areas. Thus, if such a swampy area was present, snowshoe habitat could be created where none had previously existed,.and a successful

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stocking of this species might be possible. [Swampy areas.

are not known on the Penobscot side at present, reducing the chances of successful snowshoe introduction in drier cleared areas there.]

The grading of a few banks and the planting of hemlocks on the north side could replace some of the valuable deer habitat lost due to inundation. The deer presently in the valley would not migrate to the south due to the activities of.man, and would be unlikely to migrate to the northern side of Penobscot Mountain due to its north-facing slope (colder in winter) and a major secondary road connecting Mocanaqua and Lee.

Should recreational .development occur on the site, snow-mobiles should be banned. Turkeys 'will not maintain residence here with snowmobile noise, and deer would be disrupted as well. 'nowmobilers often purposely chase deer, which frequently results in either the deer collapsing from exhaustion or injuring itself attempting to escape. Even if the act is not purposeful, the deer often flee the noise with the same detrimental results.

When clearing the valley's vegetation during reservoir construction, some careful planning can help mitigate habitat loss. The reservoir bottom (the deeply submerged inundation area), should -be clear cut. However, the creation of a beach, or open band, 'between the trees left standing and the maximum water level elevation is not conducive to wildlife. Instead,

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it, is proposed that the trees should not be cleared some 0 to 15 or 30 feet below the maximum water level (or a 25-50 foot-wide band) except at the recreational access area, especially on the Penobscot side. This would leave various heights of tree tops emergent from the filled reservoir. Such

,a shoreline cover would maintain or possibly improve muskrat and raccoon habitat, although the reservoir in any form will no longer be suitable habitat for beaver and mink. The partially submerged trees (flooded timbers) would also provide excellent fish habitat.

The reservoir has the potential of providing new water fowl'habitat. Xf the reservoir is built wide open (with a perimeter beach) mallards [and migrating geese] will be the, only waterfowl to use the lake, except fox an occasional wood duck or black duck which would stop only long enough during migration to recuperate. Wood ducks and black ducks like cover, so the proposed flooded timber areas would create new habitat for these species, some of which will nest on the site.

Wood ducks may currently frequent the old beaver dams in the creek bottom, and the construction of an open reservoir would displace these birds. However, the,ducks would not be driven completely out of the area because of the nearby refuge of the II Susquehanna River.

Hunting pressure may keep waterfowl off the lake in the fall. Closing the lake to duck hunting would be ineffective

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because: local hunters may retalliate against the project; enforcement of the "no hunting" area would be too expensive and difficult for the PGC personnel to effectively patrol; and the creation of a new waterfowl habitat with hunting per-mitted would help to take hunting pressure off the river and surrounding lakes and streams.

The Game Commission personnel were unsure of any possible effect the loss of the creek bottom habitat could have on the bear population of Cranberry Swamp.

It has been suggested that some small areas of the reservoir be graded to provide pool areas with flooded timbers during drawdowns. [This could be done at the eastern end of the valley, by creating small perimeter pools which could retain water from seeps or springs.]

IV. Economics-- The Pennsylvania Game Commission is funded entirely by hunters'icenses and fees. Many local businesses sell hunting gear [including field clothing, footwear, arms, and ammunition]. .A loss of wildlife here would cause an economic loss to the PGC (some licenses may not be renewed), local trappers (pelts), hunters (food and recreational value), and local businesses.

V. Further contacts--1. PPGL's records for wildlife management around the Montour Steam Generating Station. 2. Local trappers:

Bird [?], Yokum, Lapinsky, Ron Stevetsky. 3. Information:

Charles Culp, US Fish & Wildlife Service, 112 W. Foster Ave.,

State College, PA (814) 234-4090, for recommendations concerning

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waterfowl resting and nesting, and effects of reservoir drawdowns on waterfowl. Tom Wynrick [?] of the Dallas Timber Office. The Bureau of Forestry at Hazleton or Bloomsburg,.

the latter for Max Coy [?] on Old District Road.

vy. Hunter ~surve The best days to survey deer hunters are opening day and the first Saturday of the season. These were among the days used by Biometric Services personnel. Biometric Services received a return of 9 out of about 70 surveys distributed to hunters'ehicles, to hunters in the field, and including about 25 copies left at, Yokum's Grocery Store for public availability. Mr. Nolf stated that this percentage of returns was very good for the Luzerne County coal regions.

Avera"-e'.".: .:;:1 Po ulation, Harvest and Huntin I

Data for Cottontail Rabbits in Penns lvania

)or".ner)st:. -'::icn Value Har- Pa11 Pop- Ye;.rly Pop- Hunting Acres Harvest Harvest vest Per ulation ulation. Effort Hab: tat '72-'73~Av 'arvest Rate )av Act v. Acre Per Acre. P=r Acre >!;:nba s/Acre Bracford 541,02C 31,568 ., 10/ 0. 058 1.43 0. 584 2,570 0. 082 Carbo.". S9,736 22,023 P ~ '0% 0. 254 6. 27 1. 227 5.:99 C.501 Co'u"bia 20S,662 35)130 0.168 4. 14 1.122 4.53? 0.277 136,752 32)815

" 15% 20% 0.237 5.85 1,18" 5.205 0.50"

. L..E r. 251,6)92 6] 913 20% 0. 246 6 07 F 1. 230 5.412 0.506 140,576 23,427 ,, 15% 0. 167 4.12 1.111 4.888 0.222 vn ~o

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66,842 8,632 15% 0.129 3.18 0.861 3.788 0,229

Ãcrt.". .b.: .:.and 202,569 33) 161 20% 0.164 4.05 0.819 3.604 0.338 43,030 4)708 10% 0.109 2.69 1.094 4.814 0.119 c\ 4 g ~v - ~

77,242 5,205 '0% 0.067 1.65 0 674 . 2.956 0.133

~130

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5" Sot 360,190 30 399  : 10% 0.084 2.07 0.844 3.714 I) 267)270 16,986 '. 10% 0. 059 1,46 0.591 2.600 0.123

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155,851 21 531 15% 0. 138 3.40 0.921 4.052 0.201 Div. Tete .s 2,203,242 327,518 0.149 3. 68

=putt-. as" =vision 100,019 20% 0,240 $ 5.92 1,198 5.271 0. 426 Berks 417,588 0. 426

'3,768 20% 0.272 6.71 1,362 5.993 Bucc' 270,898 2.900 0,223 Chester 404,856 40,033 15/ 0.099 2.44 0.659 15% 0.1G2 4.00 1.081 4.756 0.257 Dzuph:n 219,674 35,616 0.180 15% 0.140 3,45 0.937 4.123 Del .;,-a 46,834 6,580 5.174 0.352

'f CE 4v. I 479,004 112,617 20/ 0.235 5.80 1.176

~

20% 0.250 G.17 1.250 5.500 0.384 Le van:..". 169)398 47,358 0.488 20/ 0.242 5. 97 1.209 5,320 Lenin!) 163 9>5 39,654 0.470

))O~~nc )7>> 517340 20% 0.265 ~

6. 54 1.325 5.830 193)778 ~

~

4.660 0.578 176,254 46,640 25% 0.265 6.54 1.059 20/ 0.239 5.90 1.194 5.254 0.471 cn'".k'x \

219,262 52,350 3.155 0.336 ho") 490, '6 70,354' 20% 0.144 n

3. 55 s nR 0.717

e ulation Harvest and Huntin Data .for Gra S uirrels in Pennsvlvania hortheast Division Value Har- Fall Pop'- "i Xeaxly'op- Hunt:inf;

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Acres Harvest Harvest Harvest vest Per ulation 'lation Effort, Rate Per Acre Acre Per Acr Per Acre ~!an-Davs iAcl

'abitat Bradforc 344,000 43,524 10% 0. 127 5 0-92 1.265 1. 896 0. 111 Carbon 196,40Q 10,896 10% 0. 055 0. 40 0 '55 0. 832 Q. 110 Columbia 158,800 32)732 10% 0-206 1.50 2.061 3.092 0.217 Lac>~~.anna 174,70Q 15,355 10% 0. 088 .0. 64 0.879 1.318 G.193 Luzerne 386 100 4~.623 10% 0.1:;6 0.84 1.156 1.734 0.151 O.lr o e 295,400 14, 977 10%. 0. 051 0. 37 0. 507 0. 761 0. 056

~!cn our 30,300 9,554 10% 0. 3l 5 2. 29 3. 153 4.730 G. 255 hor t ilumber '.e)...

ee 135,300 43, 645 10% 0. 323 2. 34 3. 226 4 ~ 839 0. 281 Pike 318,000 11, 204 ~ 10% 0. 035 0. 25 0. 352 0. 528 0. 014 Sullivan 258,610 7,205 10% 0. 028 0. 20 0. 279 0. 418 0. 030 Susauehann-: 283,033 13 832 10/ 0. 049 0. 36 0.489 0. 733 0. 092

')>a j:le 281,000 15,557 10/ 0. 055 0. 40 0.554 0. 830 0. 010 V'vo... ln 147,464 20,287 10% 0. 138 1.00 1.376 2. 064 0. 167 Div. Totals 3,009,107 283,592 10% 0. 094 0. 68 0. 942 1.414 Southeast Division Berks 178,100 56,735 10% 0. 319 2. 32 3. 186 4.778 0. 405 Bucks ~ 100. 700 55,756 10% 0. 554 4. 02 5. 537 8.305 0. 558 Chester 118, 100 46,158 10% 0. 391 2.84 3. 908 5.863 0. 453 Dauphin 161,200 47,132 10% 0. 29? 2.12 2. 924 4.386 G. 226 Dela-are 17,555 9,391 10% 0. 535 3. 08 5.349 8.024 0. 405 Lancaster 98,100 81,264 10% 0. 828 6.01 8.284 12.426 0. 697 Lebanon 69,939 26,146 10/ 0. 374 2.72 3.738 5.608 0.366 Lehi"h 20,810 10/ 0. 474 3.44 4.740 7. 110 0.7c 8 43,906

".fontgomery 50,700 38,072 10/ 0. 751 5.45 7.509 11. 264 0. 832 e)or). na..lPtc:e 5S,523 28,698 10% 0. 490 3 '3 4.904 7. 356 0. 761 Scl:v"lki 1 345,200 37,529 10% 0. 109 0.79 1.087 l. 631 0. 146 York 162,800 112,156 '0% 0. 689 5.00 6.889 10. 33L 0. 645 Div. Totals 1,404,823 559,847 10% 0.399 2.90 3.985 j 5. 978

Avera e Anrual Po ulation Harvest and Huntin Data for White-Tailed Deer in Penns lvania

orthezst D'vision Value Har- Fall Pop- Yearly Pop- Hunting

~l**

Acres Harvest Harvest I

Harvest vest Per ulation ula tion Effort Bradford Habitat:i 702,70Q

'72-'75 5, 045 Av

. 20/

'0/

Pcr'cre

0. 0072 0 Acre 7.1A Per Acre

0. 0359 0.0203 Per Acr>>

0449

0. C254 0.213 0.181 Carbon 239, OQQ 1,456 0. 0061 6. 06 Colunbia 289,650 2, 239 30% 0. 0077 7. 70 0. 0257 0. 0322 0.230 Lac kavanr. a 243;572 931 20% 0. 0038 3. 80 0. 0191,'18 0.0239 0.113

~ r i1P 24 2 707 rtr OA 4 - f2

%fr rwoe 365,080 1, 752 ". 20% 0. 0048 4.? 7 P. 0240

0. 0300 0. 142 Qntour 77,750 278 30% 0. 0036 3. 55 0. 0119 0. 0149 0. 106 Nor thu=.ber land 266,16Q 933 35% 0. 0035 3. 48 0. 0100 0. 0125 0. 104 P'ke 332, 410 2, GQP 15% 0. 0063 6. 25 0. 0419 0.0524 0. 187 Sullivan 297,060 2,564 25% 0-OG86 50 0. 0345 0.0432 0. 256 Susauehanra 510,170 2. 101 20% P. OO4> 4. 09 0.0206 25? 2 Wayne 453,060 2,741 15% 0. 0060 6. Ol 0. 0404 0.0504 0.179 o~jno 241 380 1 186 35% 0. 0049 4.89 0. 0140 0.0175 0.146 Div. Totals 4,532,232 26,113 0.0058 5.73 0. 171 Southeast Division Berks 474,580 1,331 30% 0. 0028 2. 79 0.0093 0. 083 Bucks Chester 297,080 433,200 1,270 297 30%

20%

0. 0043

0. 0007 4.25

'.68 0-0142 0.0034 '.0117 0.0178

'0.0043

0. 127

0. 020

0. 121 Dauphin 297,050 1,207 3'5% 0. 0041 4,Q4 0.0115 0.0145 Delavare 46,960 35 15% 0.0007 0.74 0. 0050 0.0062 0. 022 Lancaster 494,700 514 35% 0.0010 1. 03 0.0030 0.0037 0.031 Lebanon 210, 380 = 651 25% 0.0031 3.08 . 0.0124 0.0155 0.092 Lehigh 172,736 340 30% 0.0020 1.95 0.0066 0.0082 0.058

'.fontgonery 201,890 158 35% 0.0008 0.78 0. 0022 0.0028 0.023 Korthac:pton 190,300 421, 20% 0.0022 2.20 0.0111 :0.0138 0.066 Schuylkil1 457,450 2, 615 35% 0.0057 5.6S 0.0163 0.0204  : 0.170 York 535,7?2 900 20% 0.0017 1. 66 '.0084 Q.pl05 0.050 1

1 0.0026 2.54 0. 076 Div. To tais 3,812,098 9,739

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1 Huntin Data for Rin Necked Pheasants in Penns lvania

ortheast D'vision I

Harvest Ualue Har- Fall Pop-~ Yearly Pop-Range Acres Harvest Harvest Per vest Per ulation ulation Hunting Effo TVQa Habitat '72-'73 Av Acre Acre Ac=e

'er Per Acre Man-Da s/Acr Brad ord 2nd Class 158,841 1,309 35% 0. 008 $ 0. 17 ~

0. 024 0. 035 0. 04~9 3rd Class 54i5,803 2,783 35/2 0. 005 0. 11 0. 015 0.022 Carbon 1st Class 30,546 3) 357 80%1 0. 110 2.34 0. 275 0.412 0.3283 2nd Class 21,660 910 60%1 0. 042 0.82 0. 140 0.210 3rd Class 54i,428 1,423 50/1 0. 026 0.55 0.105 0. 1527 Cc'abia 1st Class 97,748 10,992 80/1 0. 112 2.38 0. 281 0. 422 0.2373

~

2nd Class 128,850 5,662 60il ,0.044 0.94 0. 146 0. 219 Lzcka"anna 2nd Class 64, 981 2,633 35/- 0. 041 0. S7 0. l.16 0.174 '.4063 3rd .Class 88,862 2, 243'7 35/2 . 0.025 0. 53 0.072 0.108 I~ ) l 0 80!1 0.0 6 2. 04 0. 241 0. 361 0.2343 ns 0.107 0. 160 444 0. 023 0.49 0. 065 0. 098 Nonloc 1st Class 31,651 2)272 80/ 0. 072 l. 53 0. 179 0.269 0. 1873 2nd Class 39,433 1,100 60/1 0. 028 0. 60 0. 093 0.139 3rd Class 11)108 17S 0. 016 0. 34 0. 046 0.069 contour 1st Class 77,647 =

35/',275 80% 0.081 3..72 0. 202 0. 303 0.2023 2nd Class 3,000 .63 60%1 0.021 0.45 0.699 0. 105 NaorthU12berd and 1st Class 153,934 15,853" 80/1 . 0.'103 2.19 0.257 0. 386 0.2383 2nd Class '1,639 3,612 60% 0.039 0.83 0.131 0.197 3rd Class 24)993 602 50il 0.024 0.51 0.076 0. 146 Pike 3rd Class 22,216 2)815 35%2 0.127 2.70 0.362 0. 543 0.373 Sullivan 3rd Class 86,085 Insufficient data for population calculations 2nd Class 4 443 88 0/2 0. 20 0.43 0.057 0.085 0.1S93

~rd Class 167.172 2 110 35/ 0. 013 0. 28 0.036 0.054 Payne 2nd Class 17,772 Insufficient data for population calculations 3rd Cla s 91,639 Insufficient data for po ~ulation calculations V oisin 2nd Class 38 877 32 1%2 0.011 0.2 0.032 ~ 1543 3rd Class 159 579 1 110 35/ 0. 15 0. 020 0. 030 Div. Tot al.. 2,588,760 2'iOTE: Kill of stocked birds not included in'harvest figures. All data for wild populations only. '

Cocks nly

2. - Cocks and hens

3. Use this value for all range classes in county H

4 h

lvera e Annual Po ulation Harvest and Huntin Data for Ruffed Grouse in Penns lvania Northeast Di; ision Pall Pop-Value Har- Xearly

~/*

Hunting I

Acres Harvest Harvest Harvest vest Per ulation Pop-'ulation

.Effort Habitat $

72-'73 Av Rate Per Acre 'cre Per Acre Per Acre Bradford 344,000 7, 083 15% 0. 021 0.19 0.137 0.206 '.099 Carbo;: 196,400 2, 109 15% 0. 011 0. 10 0. 072 0. 107 0.124 Co lu~.b "' 158,800 2,558 15% 0. 016 0.15 0. 107 0. 161 0.120.

Lackawzn::a 174,700 3,266 .: 15% 0. 019 0.17 0.125 0.187 0.262

.u em~. 386 100 7 033 15% 0. 018 0. 17 0.121 0. 182 0.182

~!onroe 295,'400 2,530 15% . 0.009 0. 08 0. 057 0. 086 0.055

~~o "ou 30,300 44 0. 001 0. 01 0. 010 15% 0. 015

'. 06'.

Northu-..berland 135,300 2, 511 15% 0. 0..9 0. 17 0. 124 0. 186 0. 144 Pike 318,000 2,698 15% 0. 008 . 0.08 0. 057 0. 085 0. 024 Sullivan 258,610 1,454 15%. 0.006 038 0. C56 0. 045 Susouehanna

~ 'I

'eiayne 283 033 281, 000 4 301 15% 0. 015 0. 14 0. 101 0. 152 0. 3ll 2 517 15% 0.009 0. 08 0. 060 0.090 0. 083 iw vo..s 1 n ~ 147 464 2 511 15% 0. 017 0. 16 0. 114 0.170 0.145 Div. Totals 3,009,107 40j615 15% 0. 013 0. 12 0. 090 0.135 I

Cg 2 ~

Southeast Division Berks 178, 100 1, 619 15/ 0. 009 0.08 0. 061 0. 091 0. 102 Bucks 100,700 504 15% 0. 005 0.05 0. 033 0. 050 0. 097 Chester 118,100 8081 15% 0. 007 0. 06 0. 046 0. 068 Dauphin 161,200 619 15% 0. 004 0. 04 0. 026 0. 038 0. 078 Delaware. 17,555 1432 15% 0. 008 0. 07 0. 054 0. 981 0. 037 Lancaster 98,100 297 15/ 0. 003 0. 03 0. 020 0. 330 0. 051 Lebanon 69,939 143 15% 0. 002 0. 02 0. 014 0. 020 0. 057 Lehigh 43,906 4302 15% 0. 010 O. 09 0. 065 0. 098 0. 228 Hontgoaery 50,700 2152 15% 0. 004 0. 04 0. 028 0. 042 0. 075 Korthanpton 58,523 923 15% . 0. 016 0.15 0. 105 0.158 0. 218 Schuylkill 345,200 7,179 15% 0. 021 0.19 0.139 '.

0.208 0.183 York 162,800 217 15% 0.001 0.01 009 0-013 0.024 I

Div. iotal.s 1,404,823 13,097 15% 0. 009 0.08 0.062 0. 093 C

N'

)I II

- ~

'I )

I I I I

/ I ~

Harvest Value Har- Pall .Pop- ;Yearly Pop;.'

ortheast

)irieicc Bradford Carbon Colu.-..o ia Acres 198,400 I

Harvest 963 Harvest Rate 20% I

~

Per Acre

0. 0049 Insuf icient data for population calculations Insufficient data for population calculations vest Per Acre

0. 49 ulation Per Acre

0. 0343 ulation

)

0. 0340 ',

Per Acre;-

)Hunting effort

'. 'an-Da~s/Acre

. O. 21.6 Lack -.anna Insufficient data for population calculatioas

'.u-e <<n e 208 OIoo 502 2 / O. OO24 0.24 0.0121 O. 0169 0. 100

.".cnroe 140,800 401 20% 0.0028. 0. 28 0.0142 0,0199 0.058

fontour Insufficient data for population calculations i'Icr t "eu.e.herl a'it Insufficient data for population "alcul.ations Pic.e 206,080 502 20% 0. 0024 . O. 24 0.0122 0. 0170 .0. 041 Sullivan 288,COO 719 20% 0.0025 0. 25 0.0126 0. 0177 O. 124 C. ~ ~r e re. Insufficient data for co ulation calculations

')'I 2 yre Q Insufficient data for population calculations

)I voi..i r.< Insufficient data for o ulation calculations Div. 7otal=-

Southeast Division Berks Insufficient data for population calculations Bucks Insufficient data for population calculations "I.es" e" Insufficient data for population calculations I D uphin 83,200 249 20% . 0.0030 0. 30, 0. 0150 0.0209I 0.108 Dela..are Yon-turkey range I Insufficient data for population calculations Lancaster Lebanon Lehi" n 44 I 300 '02 Insuf ficient data population 20'or

o. 0045 calculations

0. 45 0. 0225 0. 0316 0. 140

.'fon t goaery Insufficient data for population calculations

'.:or t ha."..p tc n Insufficient data for population calculations Sch yl.kill Insufficient data for population calculations York Insufficient data for population cal.culations Div. 7otals

ll ll. Appendix H. Section 3.2.2.3.1, Page 3-16. Indicate the authority for stating the bird list for the region "totals" 135 species. Please explain in view of the markedly higher number of bird species identified during studies in the vicinity of the Susquehanna SES, about 2.3 miles down-river (see Susquehanna SES ER-OL) .

~Res onse:

The sentences on page 3-16 should read: "The list of birds for the region in which the inundated area is located totals 135 species, 75 of which have been verified by recent field work. The 60 species not field checked may also be using the area."

The New Jersey Audubon Society (NJAS) developed the ornithological portion of the Pond Hill Reservoir Environmental Report (PHRER). Their results were summarized and forwarded to Mr. Richard Heiderstadt (TAMS) under a cover letter from Richard Kane, of the NJAS Wildlife Research Unit, dated June 14, 1978. They determined that there, were 132 species of birds which could inhabit the Pond Hill site based on range maps and the habitat types present in the Pond Hill site including the border.

They field checked 59 of these species. Their sources for the range and habitat determinations were:

Pough, R.A., 1949. Audubon Land Bird Guide. Doubleday 6 Company Bull, J., 1964. Birds of the New York Area. Harper and Row.

Biometric Services, Inc. (BSI) asked certain field team members who were qualified in bird studies to prepare an independent checklist of bird species while they were in the study area for its own records.

The BSI range and habitat source indicated that 61 bird species could be ~usin the Pond Hill site. Of t'hese 61, 51 were field checked. The source for the range and habitat information was:

Robbins, C.S., B. Brunn, and H. S. Zim, 1966. A Guide to Field Identification of Birds of North America. The Golden Press, Inc.:

New York, 340 pp.

Three of the species from BSI's range and habitat determinations were not among the NJAS list. These were the: Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous), Acadian flycatcher (E idonax virescens), and mockingbird In reviewing the data in the PHRER for birds, and the NJAS and BSI bird data, it has been determined that 14 bird species field checked by the BSI team were not included in the PHRER. These species, all of 13

which should be added to the field check list of Table 3.2.2-6, part II. Birds, are:

SPECIES STATUS HABITAT PASSERIFORMES Acadian Flycatcher Em idonax virescens) forest Black-throated Blue Warbler Dendroica caerulescens) M, (SR? ) forest Brown Thrasher l SR edges Cedar Waxwing Bomb cilia cedrorum) M, (SR?) forest, edges Chestnut-sided Warbler Dendroica ens lvanica) M, (SR? ) forest, edges Eastern Wood Pewee SR forest Evening Grosbeak Hes eri hong ves ertina) (PR?) forest Mockingbird (PR? ) edges, meadows Pine Warbler forest Red-breasted Nuthatch 8 (PR? ) forest Starling (Sturnus vul gris) PR all terrestrial habitat Swainson's Thrush H locichla ustulata) forest Tree Sparrow (S izella arborea) forest edges

'I STRIGIFODKS Screech Owl (otus astro) PR forest edges In total, 35 bird species were common to the NJAS and BSI lists, 24 were unique to NJAS, and 16 were unique to BSI, for a total of 75 species field checked.

The NJAS study included 5 days of observation at the site by 2 NJAS wildlife biologists, who spent a small part of their time in the Held looking for signs of other types of wildlife (amphibians, reptiles, mammals) and vegetation and habitat types. The BSI list was made by casual observation of bird species over a 9-month period (September, 1977, to May, 1978) while conducting other inventories.

The Susquehanna SES ER-OL, which identified 128 bird, species in the field, was prepared by conducting 1 to 3 bird counts per month over a 2-year period. The SSES site is within the immediate Susqeuehanna River valley, and thus 'probably contains many migratory and waterfowl species not likely to be attracted to or found in the Pond Hill Creek valley, the latter of which is somewhat removed from and perpendicular to the river. The Pond Hill studies were limited to the inundation area and border. The SSES studies covered a potentially greater and more open coverage area't the plant site and along Penobscot Mountain.

The 61 bird species field checked in the PHRER, plus the 14 species listed above, include all 75 species found in the Pond Hill Creek valley and border area during this study, by both NJAS and BSI.

Thus, the differences in numbers of species between the SSES ER-OL and the PHRER with the 14 additions,-may be due to: 1) a much greater effort in terms of time spent in the field on the part of the SSES, ER-OL ornithologist (4 seasons for 2 years as opposed to PHRER's 3 seasons for 9 months); 2) a larger site and/or study area at SSES; 3) a more suitable setting for observation at the SSES site than in the small, wooded valley containing Pond Hill Creek (better visibility on an open slope 'facing a river than in a small, wooded valley); and 4) better and more diverse types of bird habitat at the SSES study area than at the mostly-wooded Pond Hill site, the former thus attracting a greater variety of resident and migratory birds.

15

12. Appendix H, Table 3.2.2-3, Page 3-33. What is the basis for values listed under the column heading entitled "cover" (cumulative basal area?)? Also, indicate the general location of sample plots (reservoir site, buffer zone, or both) and the type or types of sampled forest communities for which importance values of component species were calculated.

~Res ense:

Cover, as defined in Appendix A, page A-2, is "the percent of unit area covered by a given species". The cover values given in Table 3.2.2-3 are the areas for any, given species divided by the area of the 14 quadrats times 100, The area for any given species is the sum of the areas of the tree trunks at breast height from all 14 quadrats.

The vegetation cover map enclosed indicates the approximate location of the quadrats. Please note that the maximum water level line is the 940-foot line. The table below indi'cates the general location of the sample plots. The importance values were calculated for the combined results of the 14 overstory quadrats, which were located in forested areas of deciduous woodland and mixed coniferous/deciduous woodland.

UADRAT NO. GENERAL LOCATION 1 reservoir near high water level (980-foot) 2 reservoir near high water level (980-foot) 3" reservoir 4 border very near high water level 5 reservoir 6 reservoir 7 reservoir 8 reservoir 9 reservoir 10 reservoir ll reservoir 12 reservoir 13 spillway 14 reservoir t1

13. Appendix H, Table Table 3.2.2-6 Page 3-39. Information presented in the is the basis for several uncertainties:

Is the inventory applicable to the Pond Hill site r

or a local area including the site (see next item).

Beaver is a listed species but "beaver left or were removed from the area sometime between 1969 and, the present," (page 3-8) see also page 3-15.

"Approximately 18 species of mammals are known (?) to inhabitat area" (page 4-7) 16 species listed in the inventory.

"The site is frequented by trappers who get mink" (page 3-15) not listed.

"The meadows provide habitat suitable for hairy-tailed and star nosed'moles ," (Page 3-13) not listed.

"The more mobile animals such as and foxes -,"II (Page 3-7) not listed.

"A representative for the Pennsylvania Game Commission provided population estimates for skunk and others" (Appendix A, page A-5) not listed.

a In view of the foregoing and other statements, provide clarification as to mammal species occurring in the vicinity of the proposed reservoir site. r

~Res ense:

I The inventory is applicable to the Pond Hill site, including the border, as shown in Figure 3-1.

Beaver are not currently found in the si'te and should be removed from Table 3.2.2-6. Beaver found its way onto the list because abandoned beaver dams and meadows were found along Pond Hill Creek in the site; but no signs of their current presence (i.e., fresh cuttings, new dams, etc.) were found, so in keeping with the "present" nature of the other species on this list, beaver should be removed.

The "18" was a numerical error in submission of the report. This paragraph should read as follows:

"Sixteen species of mammals, 5 species of reptiles, and 17 species of amphibians were observed in the area. Also, about 135 species of birds occur in the area, of which 75 species were observed in the site (see Wildlife Species Inventory at the end of Section 3.2.2.2)."

The number "16" stands despite the removal of beaver from the species list (above) because a porcupine was seen by BSI personnel after the report was submitted. Porcupine should be added to the species list (Table 3.2.2-6, page 3-39) as follows:

SPECIES HABITAT RODENTZA Porcupine Erethizon dorsatum) forests Mink were not observed in the field by BSI personnel, nor were there signs of their activities (see Appendix A, pages A-3 and A-5). However, PGC officials noted that mink have been taken from this valley in the past (see the report of that interview, Question 10).

These moles were not observed in the field, so are not included on the species list. The habitat present is suitable for their occurrence, but they were not observed by BSI.

Foxes were not seen by BSI personnel, so they are not included on the list of species field-checked. Their presence has been indicated by PGC officials and one respondent to the hunter survey, so foxes were included in the text, prefaced by "such as".

Skunks were not seen in the field by BSI personnel, so are not included in the list of species field-checked. Enclosed please find Held kill records and population estimates of several game species of animals from Luzerne and several other eastern Pennsylvania counties. As this information was applicable to Luzerne County as a whole, and was not specific'to the site, it was not included in the report. See question 10.

In conclusion, the mammals of Table 3.2.2-6, excluding beaver but including porcupine, are those either actually seen by BSI personnel, or whose current presence was shown by some signs of their activity and observed by BSI personnel. The Table does not include any species likely to be there as a result of range or the presence of suitable habitat, nor does it include any species reported to be there by any source other than BSI's study, be it PGC data, hunter survey, or hearsay.

18

14. Appendix H, Section 4.2.2.2, Page 4-6. The principal impact area associated with reservoir construction is identified as involving 260 areas (or 315 acres for the higher pool). However, in view of the

,steep terrain, it is likely that sloughing at the edges of the reservoir will occur due to wave action. Discuss the potential of this impact in terms of additional area that may be disturbed and indicate proposed measures (if any) that will be used to control shoreline erosion. 'lso provide estimates of additional acreages of the buffer zone that will be disturbed for each of the following: "a staging area for construction, a parking lot for construction personnel," road construction (Page 4-55), and the utility right-of-way between the pumping station and the dam site (Page 8-3).

~Res onsa:

la I 7 A geological reconnaissance of the reservoir did not reveal any areas where sloughing at the shore line will be a pxoblem, mainly because the soil cover over the underlying rock is thin. However, a more detailed geolo'gical inspection will be made prior to construction and all areas where sloughing might be encountered, will be identified. Suitable ground cover of the slopes in the vicinity of the water line will be provided at all areas where sloughing may be a problem. If critical areas axe found (i.e., where there is deep soil cover on a steep slope), riprap or other suitable methods may be 'used.

A summary of the area available for use during construction is discussed above in the response to question 5 and shown on Plate 19. A route for the utility right-of-way between the pump station and dam has not been determined.

19

15. Appendix H. Section 4. 2. 2. 2, Page 4-8. The text indicates that adverse impacts on terrestrial wildlife resulting from reservoir development will be "substantially offset" by management of the buffer zone to "improve the habitat - as described in Section 4.3" (see also Page 7-2). However, this subject is not specifically addressed in Section 4.3. References to managing wildlife resources are limited to statements that plans "will be developed in cooperation with the Pennsylvania commission on fish and wildlife" and that diverse habitat will be maintained. Accordingly, please provide details of the jointly planned program for improving terrestrial wildlife habitat in the buffer zone; e.g., will selective timber harvesting be implemented to promote growth of browse and other important, wildlife food plants? ~

Also provide specific details of management practices or methods that will be used to maintain diverse habitat. In particular, indicate any instances, including utility right-of-way maintenance, whereby chemicals will be used to control vegetation.

~Res ense:

Because negotiations with property owners are still underway, the exact boundaries of the buffer zone have not been established. After the size 'of the buffer zone is finalized, a detailed program will be prepared based on PP&L's experience with land management and the Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commissions'ecommendations.

To the extent PP&L can influence utility right-of-way maintenance practices (since some of the utility services may be provided by another company), PP&L will follow accepted practices, including use of EPA approved chemicals to control vegetation.

- 20

h

16. Appendix H, Section 4.2.7.4,'age 4-70. Provide acreages and general descriptions of existing plant communities that will be significantly altered as the result of construction and maintenance of the proposed 2.84 mile overhead distribution line for supplying energy to the pump station.

~Res ense:

Since the distribution line to the pumping plant is not in PPGL's service territory, another electric utility may provide the service.

Detailed plans for this have not been made. If the existing distribution line along Rt. 239,is used, the impact would be minimal.

- 21

n 1I

17. Appendix H. Section 4.3.2.4, Page 4-87. Statements in the text indicate uncertainty as to the source area(s) of select borrow materials that will be used in dam construction (pages 1-11, 3-18, 4-88), and that "A more detailed search for" suitable ma'terials-

"will be conducted" (Page 4-87). Accordingly, indicate if final plans entail borrowing materials fromareas within the buffer zone. If so, provide details concerning locations, affected acreages and depths of excavation. In the event the area indicated in Figure 1-3 is the designated borrow site, provide justification for this selection (prime farmland) in view of land use policies established by the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (Page 3-124) et. al.

~Res ense:

Based on our current knowledge of the soils in the area, we anticipate that borrow for the dam will come from the areas shown in Plate 19.

The approximate acreages for the various borrow areas are shown in the response to question 5. We expect that borrow depths will be between about 5 and 20 feet or more, depending on the depth of material present. Borrow area 4 is anticipated to be the source of rock materials. Borrow area 3 is anticipated to be the first source of core material with areas 1 and 2 secondary sources used only if needed; Area 5 has been identified as a possible source of suitable core material, but is not anticipated to be necessary. Filter material will either be purchased from local quarries (about 5 miles south of the site) or processed on the site.

While some of the proposed borrow areas are classified Class II farmland, none of these areas are currently being actively farmed except for hay production. As indicated in Sections 4.2.5e6 and 4.2.10.3.1, borrow areas will be regraded, topsoil replaced and the area revegetated which should minimize the effect of the borrow areas on this farmland. The selection of areas for borrow sites was based on the availability of suitable material for dam construction as there is a'limited amount of suitable material available at the site, and such material, in general underlies Class II to utilize such farmland for borrow areas.

farmland, it will be necessary

18. What time of year is construction scheduled for7

~Res ease:

At the present time the preliminary construction schedule for the large reservoir is the same as shown in Figure 1-12 of the Susquehanna SES ER-OL Appendix H.

~Res oese: It At the present time based on the preliminary schedule, initial reservoir filling for the large reservoir will be approximately the same as shown in Pigure 1-12 of the Susquehanna SES ER-OL Appendix H.

t 20. How often and by what means

~Res oese:

will the traveling 4

screens be cleaned?

The design of the intake structure, has not been finalized and other designs which might be more conducive to remote operation with no greater environmental impacts are being investigated. Based on the design shown, it is anticipated that the traveling screens will be a standard design unit utilizing screened water to wash the screens.

Anticipated. cleaning of the traveling screens will be automatic based on head loss across the screens when the pump station is operating. Ne also anticipate routine operation of the pumping system including traveling screens and their, wash cycle to insure that it will perform satisfactorily when needed. The schedule for such operation will be determined during final design. Debris disposal will,be as described

'in Section 1.4,2.5.

U I

t1

21. What

~Res mitigative measures will be

,riverbed during times of discharge7 oese:

used relative to scouring of the The pump station-outlet works shown on Plate 8 provides for energy dissipation in the sleeve valves. Water overflowing the weir will fall approximately 10 feet to a concrete apron (not shown) which, it is anticipated, will dissipate energy adequately to minimize scouring in the river.

t)

22. How will the water returned to Pond Creek and the Susquehanna

~Res reoxygenated2 onsa:

River be The- project design provides a multiport inlet-outlet structure which will allow selection of the best quality water from the standpoint of temperature and dissolved oxygen for discharge to Pond Hill Creek and the Susquehanna River. In addition, the 10 foot free fall from the pump station-outlet works and impact on the concrete apron described in the response to question 21 will provide additional reoxygenation of the water dischaiged to the Susquehanna River.

23. What are the predicted evaporation rates from the reservoir7

'l

~Res onsa:

Anticipated evaporation rates on a monthly basis are:

-January 0.0 inches July 4.9 inches February 0.0 inches August 4.3 inches March 0.0 inches September 3.1 inches

.April 3.2 inches October 2.0 inches May 4.4 inches November 1.5 inches June 4.6 inches December 0.0 inches for will water river 1 24. How a.

often, during and initial filling of what duration, 1

be pumped from the the reservoir and

b. for make-up purposes'Res ense:

it n

For the large reservoir is expected the initial filling period of the reservoir will approximately be the same as the period shown in Appendix H, Fig. 1-12. To accomplish this, the pumping rate will be increased to approximately 132 cfs. This rate will be sufficient to fill the active storage volume in approximately 84 days. Pumping is anticipated to occur when river flows are greater than 3000 cfs.

Normally refilling will be from high spring flows when the best quality water will be available. Pumping will also be necessary on a routine basis to ensure equipment availability and to prevent the reservoir from becoming stagnant. Such a pumping schedule will be based on equipment manufacturers recommedations and actual reservoir operating experience.

C 1 Workforce Characteristics

25. Provide a profile of the workforce by time schedule including number, residence location, and estimated salary by category.

~Res ense:

Please refer to Figure 1-12, "Construction Schedule Pond Hill Reservoir",'f Appendix H'. Based on the current schedule Construction would commence in late-1980 and would reach a peak during the last quarter of 1981 when five of the six major, construction activities would be underway simultaneously. At that time, whe work force is expected to have approximately one hundred and twenty five (125) workers and reflect the following composition and salaries:

Pond Hill Reservoir Work Force Composition and Salary 1980-81 Manual Labor Number of Workers Houri Rate Carpenters 15 813.85 Cement Masons 8 14.08 Electricians 7 17.05 Ironworkers s 16.34 Laborers 15 12.38 Operating Engineers 15 17.25 Teamsters 10 12.54 Pipefitters/Plumbers 10 15.26 Other Craftlabor 15 12.39 Subtotal 100 Non-Manual Supervision 15 $ 11 15 Field Engineers 10 Subtotal 25 Salary information is based upon labor cost reports for the week ending at the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station Project. '/10/79 Concerning residence location, please refer to the response to question number 26.

26. How many workers will move into the area; where will they reside, how many people will they bring with them including the number of school age children, and what kind of housing will they prefer.

~Res onsa:

The Pond Hill Reservoir Project is located approximately five miles from the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station site". Consequently, the same, labor force market providing workers for the nuclear station will also be a factor in providing workers for the Pond Hill Project. At the Susquehanna site, the work force, peaked in January/February, 1979 at 4620 manual and non-manual workers. In September, 1979, the work force stood at approximately 3450 manual workers and 845 non-manual workers, or a total of 4295 workers.

The effects of this work force on local socio-economic conditions has undergone considerable study by PPSL. In 1976, a community impact monitoring study was conducted and updated in 1978 (copies attached).

One of the studies conclusions is that a "boom town syndrome" in the project area was avoided because over eighty percent (80%) of the manual work force lived within commuting distance (60 miles one way) of the plant site. Table III-6, Residence of Manual Em lo ees b Count from the 1978 update is attached as is Figure III-2 from the same report. '

By way of contrast, the Pond Hill Reservoir Project will employ a peak work force of approximately 125 as shown in Figure 1-7 of the Environmental Report. An alternative project design utilizing a higher dam elevation, i.e., the "full development alternative", is not expected to add substantially to the size of the work force (larger equipment and longer peak).

Using the data from Table III-6 above, it is assumed that for a work force of 125, 85 percent (106 workers) will be daily commuters to the project site. The remaining workers would be considered transient.

Experience at the 'Susquehanna site has shown that the majority of the transient workers choose temporary housing quarters, i.e., motels, boarding house, etc. and return home on weekends. It is expected that the transient workers at the Pond Hill site will make similar arrangements.

Transient housing is virtually non-existent in the smaller communities surrounding the immediate project area, i.e., Pond Hill, Mocanaqua, Shickshinny, etc. Transient housing would be available in Hilkes-Barre or Nanticoke, approximately 15 and 5 miles, respectively, northeast of the project site. As the size of the work force at Susqeuhanna site is reduced, additional transient housing will become available in the Berwick-Bloomsburg area.

Consequently, it is anticipated that fewer than 5 workers will move into the project area on a permanent basis. Assuming 2 school age children per worker, ten children would be added to local school enrollments, probably in the Berwick or Bloomsburg (Columbia County) school districts. It is not expected that enrollments of this size will create significant demands for additional classrooms, staff, etc.

Both the Bloomsburg Area School Distr'icts and the Berwick Area School Districts have experienced declining enrollments in the 1969-79 decade, despite the location of a significant work force at the Susquehanna site.

32

Table III-6 Residence of Manual Em Count 1975 and 1978 Number Percent C~ount 1975 1'978 1975 1978 Luzerne 1122 1402 '59 50 Lackawanna 239 243 13 8.6 Columbia 90 160 5.7 Schuylkill 77 252 9 Northumberland 64 142 5 Lycoming 35 110 3.9 Monroe 9 33 1.1 Dauphin ,10 8 Lancaster 10 4 Wayne 12 0 Lebanon 11 1 Wyoming 38 0 Montour 3 0 Carbon 7 2' Cumberland 5 Juniata 3 1 Sullivan 5 0 Susruehanna 6 9 Perry 2 0 Pike 1 1 Tioga 1 1 Union 2 4 Bradford 2 0 Clinton 0 0 Snyder 2 5 Philadelphia 2 14 York 0 9 Adams 1 0 Bedford 0 0 Berks 4 20 Bucks 1 28 Crawford 0 0 Lehigh 3 .61 2.2 Montgomery 1 Northampton 1 8 Wayne 0 31 Warren 0 0 Westmoreland 0 0 Centre 1 1 Delaware 1 1 Chester 0 1 Other States 118 236 8.3 Unknown 8 0 1900 2795

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27. What effect will commuters and const'ruction related traffic have on local roads? Include data on traffic increases, peak traffic loads, l

road damage and mitigation programs.

~Res ense:

4 The effect of commuters and construction related traffic is discussed in Section 4.2.7.1, B-2 and Appendix B-3 of Appendix H, and is not expected to change for the "Full Size" Reservoir.

t 28. Provide

~Res Pond ense:

details Hill Lake.

on the recreational facilities and uses planned e

for the Recreational facilities for Pond Hill Lake are discussed in +Section 4.2.8 and Appendix B-4. PPGL is consulting with the Pond Hill Reservoir Advisory Committee to determine which type of facilities would be most appropriate before formulating detailed plans.

• Susquehanna SES ER-OL Appendix H.

29. How will the Pond Hill Lake affect land use, recreational development and real estate prices in the nearby area? Are these changes compatible with long and short term local and county plans? Provide

'ocumentation.

~Res ense:

Land use, recreational development and real estate prices in the nearby area are discussed in *Sections 4.2.5.7, Impact of Land Use Changes on the Site Vicinity, <<4.2.8, Recreation,'nd *4.2.5.7.1, Direct Impact on Township. This should not change significantly for the "Full Size" Reservoir. *Section 4.2.5.7.1 indicates that the township has no comprehensive land use plan, but township officials "indicated that use of the land for the reservoir would be viewed positively."

• Susquuehanna SES ER-OL Appendix H.

I e

t)

30. Provide a Include a profile of all communities within 5 miles of the site.

brief description of the demography, settlement pattern, social organization, political organiz'ation and economic organization.

~Res ense:

Communities in the reservoir site vicinity are discussed in Appendix H, Section, 3.2.5.2 and 3.2.5.3. The 'Susquehanna SES Environmental Report, Tables 2.1-3, 2.1-4 and 2.1-5 contain population data for the surrounding area.

t1

31. Provide a research

~Res resources ense:

that design may be for location and evaluation of culture within the site boundaries.

PPGL is presently developing a comprehensive plan for locating and evaluating cultural resources within the Pond Hill site boundaries. It is expected that the plan will be available by mid-November 1979.

Because of weather restriction it is not anticipated that work will begin before the Spring of 1980.

32. Provide a cultural-historical profile of the local prehistory and history.

~Res ones:

The local history of the area is discussed in Appendix H, Section 3.2.4.2, Social and Economic Characteristics of the Region and Site Vicinity. Prehistory is discussed in Section 3.2e9 Archaeological and Historic Sites.

Alternatives and Cost-Benefit

33. Provide details of the estimated $ 27 million present worth of outage cost. Include description of the methodology, the average amount and the price of electricity, and the discount rate used to arrive at the estimated present worth of outage cost.

~Res oese:

Details of the estimated $ 27 million outage cost are. included in response 34. The response to this request will be made in terms of current estimates for replacement energy, which are, based on present and projected fuel prices. The incresed costs are primarily due to higher projected fuel prices.

Analysis of historical river flow data by TAMS for the period of record (1900-1978 inclusive) shows that the river will be below the allowable minimum an average of about four (4) days per year. During the periods of low flow,. if no flow augmentation is available, Susquehanna will, in all probability, have to curtail operation, i.e., shut down until the river flow is again greater than the minimum allowable. The relatively low cost energy provided by Susquehanna will have to be replaced by higher cost coal and/or oil energy. The average annual energy requirement including'hat for start-up time is estimated to be between 160,000 KK and 170,000 MWli. This energy range is due to the difference in length of start up time associated with a cold or hot shutdown condition of the reactor at the time the plant is scheduled to return to service. It is uncertain at this time in, which condition the reactor would be held (cold or hot) if plant operation were curtailed (shutdown). for several days due,to low river flow. Average replacement energy costs in 1983 are estimated to be about $ 35/MVfl. The total 1983 present worth of the average annual replacement energy costs over a plant life of approximately 30 years is estimated at about $ 100 million. Costs are referenced to 1983 because it represents the earliest expected in-service date for the Pond Hill Reservoir, The above outage costs were computed using replacement energy cost estimates which recognize PP&L's involvement in PJtf. Representative values for 1983, 1985, 1990 and 1995 are shown below. 'Beyond 1995 replacement rates were assumed to escalate at a conservative 5%/year rate. The present worth value of the replacement energy was computed using eleven percent (11%) as the discount rate.

39

Projected Replacement Energy Rates (mills/kWh)

Weighted On-Peak Off-Peak ~Aveva e 1983 45 25 35 1985 55 30 40 1990 95 40 65 1995 150 60 100 t)

34. A.

B.

Provide on-peak and off-peak replacement energy costs.

Explain the assumptions and the methodology used to estimate the present worth of replacement energy cost of between $ 3 million and

$ 58 million for the best and worst case.

C. How was the estimate made of $ 48.7 million cost for 3 years, 30 days (per year) outage'Res ense:

A. On-peak and off-peak replacement energy costs for 1979 through 2000 are shown in the following table. These replacement energy costs were the current PP&L estimates for planning studies at the time the Pond Hill environmental report was prepared. These data have been revised and the revised figures are discussed in response 33.

MILLS/VKH ON PEAK OFF PEAK 1979 24. 9 14. 8 1980 28. 0 15. 8 1981 27. 4 16. 1 1982 27. 7 16.6 1983 31.6 18.4 1984 32.9 19.3 1985 34.8 19.7 1986 37.8 20.6 1987 41.7 22.1 1988 44.9 23.0 1989 48.9 '4.3 1990 53. 9 25.7 1991 59.4 28.5 1992 63.6 30.2 1993 68.0 32.0 1994 72. 8 33.9 1995 77. 9 36.0 1996 83. 3 '38. 1 1997 89.4 40.4 1998 95.4 42.9 1999 102.1 45.4 2000 109.2 48.2 These replacement energy costs through 1991 were estimated based on PP&L and PJM interconnection production costing studies. The values after 1991 were estimated using escalation of 7% for on-peak costs and 6% for off peak costs.

B. The method used for estimating the range and average present worth of replacement energy costs is based on the following assumptions.

Cost of money 11.15%

Weekday on peak hours 15 Weekday off peak hours 9 Weekend day off peak hours 24 Normal forced outage rate, where applicable 21%

Overall outage rate, where applicable 30%

Plant output per day, full load 50,400,000 QK Plant output per day, allowing for forced outages 40,000,000 10%

Plant outage per day, allowing for all outages 35,300,000 KWH Timing of plant outages through life of plant random years Calculation of cost of outages for week days, weekend days in each year through the life of the plant were made. An example of the results of this calculation and a 'brief description of the method follows.

The total cost of a one day outage is equal to the value of the energy that would have been generated on peak and off peak minus the value of the fuel saved as a result of the outage plus any operating capacity charges lost or incurred because of the loss of operational capacity on the system. This can be written as follows:

Cost of an Outage (KK on Peak)(On Peak Rate-Fuel Cost)

+ (MWH Off Peak)(Off Peak Rate-Fuel Cost)

+ (Unit Rating)(Operating Capacity Rate)

EKQPLE:

The cost of one weekday outage of Susquehanna 1 (assuming 100% load).

On Peak Rate ~ $ 27.4/tÃH Off Peak Rate $ 16. 1/5ÃH Fuel Cost = $, 6.2/MWH Operating Capacity Rate $ 56. 4/MW-Day is equal to (1050MW x 15 hrs) ($ 27.4/MK-$ 6.2/MWH) + (1050MW x 9 hrs) ($ 16.1/bÃH-$ 6.2/M%)

+ ($ 56.4/>K-Day) (1050MW) ~ $ 487,000 The following partial table of such results is included for illustration and for reference later.

COST PER DAY OF OUTAGE OTHERWISE AT FULL LOAD Weekda 24 Hours Weekend 24 Hours Year Unit 1 Unit 2 Total Unit 1 Unit 2 Total 1981 487,000 487,000 250,000 250,000 1982 502,000 485,000 987,000 262,000 247,000 509,000 1983 582,000 570,000 1,152,000 306,000 292,000 598,000 1984 596,000 583,000 1,179,000 .311,000 299,000 610,000 1985 617,000 606,000 1,223,000 314,000 293,000 607,000 2008 3,150>000 3,145,000 4,275,000 1 ~ 1 30 ~ 000 1 ~ 1 20 ~ 000 2 ~ 250 j 000 The next step was to determine the present worth of a random one day outage occurring any time through the life of the plant. Because outages for other reasons could also occur at any time, the outages could be concurrent and therefore a 70% capacity factor was assumed to evaluate outage energy lost. The present worth of a random-one-day outage is the present worth of a full day of outage spread equally over the study life of the plant, and is equal to:

B Full Year Outa e Cost n (365) (K x) (1. 1115)n-x n=x where: 2 = last year of study, x . first year of study (Full Year Outage Cost)n (Annual MK On Peak)(On Peak Rate-Fuel Cost) + (Annual MWH Off Peak)(Off Peak Rate-Fuel Cost)

+ (Unit Rat'Lng)(Weekdays Normally Operational)(Operating Capacity Rate)

PRESENT WORTH OF A RANDOM ONE DAY OUTAGE OTHERWISE AT 70% CAPACITY FACTOR Present Worth 1981 For Unit 1 $ 187,264 Per Day Present Worth 1982 For Unit 2 201,713 Per Day Reference is made to Table 1.3.2-1 page 1-4 in the environmental report, the records.

summary of reservoir operation if based on historical flow During the 30 year period from 1909 to 1938 inclusive, the Pond Hill reservoir drawdown would have been necessary for SSES operation only 7 days. However, during the period 1939 to 1968 inclusive, it would have been needed a total of 217 days. These records were taken as the minimum and maximum exposure to random outages through a 30 year life of SSES. The same chart indicates a total of 236 days of reservoir hypothetical need in the historical 71 years of record or an average of 100 days per 30 year life. The 1) minimum, 2) maximum, and 3) average needs were evaluated as follows:

Unit 1 'nit 2 From previous tabulation present worth of one day outage $ 187,264 (1981) $ 201,713 (1982)

1) Minimum Number of Days 7 7 Present worth minimum days $ 1, 310, 848 (1981) $ 1, 411, 911 (1982)

Present worth factor to 1978 .728235 .655182 Present worth 1978 minimum days $ 954,605 $ 925,111 Sum of units 1 & 2 $ 1,879,716

2) Maximum Number of Days 217 217 Present Worth $ 40, 636, 288 (1981) $ 43, 771, 721 (1982)

Present worth factor to 1978 .728235 .655182 Present worth 1978 maximum days $ 29,592,767 $ 28,678,444 Sum of Units 1 & 2 $ 58,271,211

3) Average number days 100 100 Present worth average days $ 182 726>400 (1981) $ 202 171 2300 (1982)

Present worth factor to 1978 .728235 .655182 Present worth 1978 average days $ 13,637,720

$ 13,215,873 Sum of Units 1 & 2 $ 26,853,093 The immediately preceding value of about $ 27,000,000 for present worth (1978) of average historical replacement energy is that referred to in response 33. The present worth (1978) of replacement energy cost was thusly estimated to be between $ 2 million and $ 58 million. (The $ 3 million minimum in the environmental report is apparently in error.)

C. The financial exposure to a lengthy drought in the early years of operation was quantified byassuming 30 day outages in each of the years 1983, 1984, and 1985. It was arbitrarily assumed that plant load would otherwise be at full output to maximize this exposure. From the table titled "Cost per Day of Outage" in part B of this response the following calculation of replacement costs was made:

44

Cost per Day Cost per Week Weighted of Outage of Outage Average Cost Per Da of Outa e Weekdays t<eekeude ~Meekda e Weekends Total 24 hours 24 Hours 1983 $ 1, 152, 000 $ 598,000 $ 5,760,000 $ 15196,000 $ 6,956,000 $ 994,000 1984 1,179,000 610,000 5,895,000 1,220,000 7,115,000 1,016,000 1985 1,223,000 607P000'>115P000 1,214,000 7,329,000 1,047,000 Weighted Average Cost 30 Day Present Worth Present Pet Da of Outa e ~Outa ee Factor to 1978 Worth in 1978 1983 $ 994,000 $ 29,820,000 .589 $ 17,600,000 1984 1,016,000 30,480,000 .530 16,200,000 1985 1,047,000 31,410,000 .477 14 950 000

$ 48,750,000 The estimate of present worth (1978) is $ 48.7 million for three years, 30 days (per year) outage.

i

35. The ER indicates that the detrimental effects of plant shutdown on (1) fuel cycle economics and (2) system reliability have been taken into consideration. Provide an estimates of such costs and the effect on the reserve margin. How would it differ from the historical margin? A tabular representation of the last ten years historical reserve margin and the next ten years margin(considering the latest forecast) under the shutdown condition for the applicants and PJM is necessary.

~Res esse:

In Section 2.2 No Action-Alternative "River Following" on pg. 2.1 of the ER the Applicant states:

"However, the cost of Susquehanna SES outages only includes the cost of replacement energy and does not consider possible detrimental effects of plant shutdown on fuel cycle efficiency or on plant and system reliability. These effects would tend to increase the cost of the average outages."

The Applicant feels that these costs are not quantifiable at this time.

S stem reliabilit Good engineering and operating practice requires that cycling of

,mechanical and electrical equipment should be minimized. Most components including packing, seals, bearings, welds and motors are subject to increased failure when subjected to other than steady-state conditions. It is anticipated that the Susquehanna units will be operated at full power most of the time, shutting down periodically for refueling. Any reduction from full power or unit shutdown caused by low flow conditions will result in off normal equipment operation (e.g.

varying loads or varying temperatures). As stated above, the end result of such fluctuations from steady-state operation would be decreased equipment reliability (i.e., increased equipment failure rates). Because of the built in redundancy in many Susqeuhanna systems, the inherent safety of the plant would not be degraded nor would plant availability be greatly reduced by this decreased reliability. However, maintenance effort and costs would increase and, since repairs often occur in radiation fields, the total manrem exposure would increase. These increased maintenance costs (manhours, material and manrem) should be added to the lost generation costs when computing the impact of low flow induced power reductions.

Unfortunately there is not a sufficient data base on specific equipment failure rates in o'rder to accurately quantify the costs involved.

The effect of the outages on the reserve margin is shown on the following table. Historical reserve margins since 1970 are shown for comparison.

P&f/PP&L RESERVE MARGIN

~Prc ected 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 With Sus uehanna P&f 34 33 34 30 30 31 30 31 29 27 PP&L 29 44, 58 53 48 46 42 35 33 30 Without P&f PP&L Sus uehanna 37 29 30 26 29 23 25 18 25 15 27 13

'610 27 4

25 2

23 1

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 Historical PJH 13 21 22 16 28 39 42 38 40 35 PP&L 1, 6 14 34 30 39 27 48 39 35 t 36. Please quantify, if possible, the statement in the ER exposure to higher shutdown costs due to early draught considerable."

ense:

that "The is

~Res The drought referred to in the above statement is the drought of record which was 106 days. Should this drought occur, the energy loss 9 70%

capacity factor would be about 3,366,000 MK. The value of this energy in 1985 is estimated to be about $ 130 million. The present worth value in 1983 of the energy is about $ 110 million.

S t 37. Provide a summary breaddown of the project cost components by year for the storage size required by PP&L and separately for larger project which may be agreed upon with SRBC.

~Res esse:

Since engineering specifications and design have not been finalized, the following annual cash flows for both reservoir sizes are preliminary estimates only.

Cash Flows to Million'rior 1980 1980 1981 1982 1983 Total Susquehanna Needs Only 2.1 3.2 17.0 19.3 5.6 47.2 Full Size Reservoir 2.1 4.5 24.1 26.6 7.7 65

38. For the "river follower" alternative, indicate the alternative supply sources of electricity (e.g., PJM, own peaking units, etc.) to meet demand during Susquehanna SES shutdown period. Please provide the detail back up of the cost associated with each alternative.

~Res ense:

The Applicant is a member of the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection (PJM) and shares in the reliability and economic benefits which are provided by the coordinated operation of the power pool. The pool functions under a one system concept and at any instant, the total load requirement of the Interconnection is supplied by the lowest cost generation available (within reliability and transmission constraints) in the pool. If Susquehanna were unavailable, the lost energy would be supplied from the lowest cost equipment whether the Applicant's or that of another utility on the interconnection. The replacement energy costs currently estimated are identified in the response to questions 33. These costs are somewhat less than estimated operating costs for the alternative of using combustion turbines. Operating costs for new combustion turbines in the early 1980's are expected to be about 80 mills/kWh. These costs are exclusive of capital costs which are estimated to be about $ 175-

$ 200/kM in this time frame.

~

~

-'50

For Cowanesque Reservoir as a water supply storage for flow augmentation, provide the associated cost (fixed and/or yearly) of this alternative.

~Res ense:

There is no practical way to anticipate the entire range of factors which will affect the costs of pursuing Cowanesque Lake as a source of makeup water for the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station. lie have attempted to estimate the actual water costs of this option. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has yet to supply definitive pricing data for its dam project, which is still under construction. Assuming costing similar to that for Corps projects in the Delaware River Basin, we have for planning purposes estimated a life of the plant cost of approximately .twelve million dollars.

However, at this time we cannot predict whether such costs will be the most significant factor affecting the desirability of this option. The Corps is presently conducting a study into the availability of water at Cowanesque Lake for storage and the existence of users for that water. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission has stated that the availability. of water storage generally at the Lake and its use specifically for the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station are subject to substantial, unresolved questions.

The present schedule for the Corps study sets a completion date in 1982.

In addition, present indications from the Corps are that Congressional action, after that time, will be necessary to add water storage as an authorized use at Cowanesque Lake.

The risks of; a) lengthy extension in the Corps schedule, and b) delay in Congressional action increase our exposure to shutdown during low flow periods.

The indefinite length of that exposure and its attendant costs (see answer to question 38), make projections of the costs of the Cowanesque Lake option speculative. Moreover, should the Corps study produce negative results or should necessary Congressional action not occur, the cost of pursuinq the C

option.

q pi These

~1i 1; ldt qi 1 uncertainties have; in fact, led the 1

e i fl'I ig'"

Susquehanna River Basin .

Commission to state publicly that Cowanesque Lake cannot be presently considered as a timely alternative for supplying makeup water for Susquehanna Steam Electric Station.

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