ML18094B116

From kanterella
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Responds to 880810 Ltr Discussing Recommended Interim Measures to Reduce Mortality of Sea Turtles at Water Intake
ML18094B116
Person / Time
Site: Salem  PSEG icon.png
Issue date: 09/08/1988
From: Preston B
Public Service Enterprise Group
To: Cattaneo L
NEW JERSEY, STATE OF
References
NLR-E88385, NUDOCS 8910170268
Download: ML18094B116 (6)
v • d • e


Text

---.*ops~G

  • Public Service Electric and Gas Company P.O. Box 236 e

Hancoc~ Bridge, New Jer;;~~~~~ID Nuclear Department DEPT. ENVIRON. PROTECTION.

Division Water Resources Bureau of Municipal Waste Mgt.

SEP 08 -

NLR-E88385 Mr. L. T. Cattaneo New Jersey Department of Environmental Division of Water Resources CN-029 Trenton, NJ 08625-0805* fft.Tf Cl!:'? ~'!'"~".'"**! .. ; * ..*.

Dear Mr. Cattaneo:

(i  ! '

au..... c;r* ,;.... -.Ult:* 'lll;.,-7_ ~

SALEM GENERATING STATION - NJPDES NO. NJ0005622 SEA TURTLE STRANDINGS PSE&G has rec~ived your letter dated August 10, 1988, which discusses recommendeq interim measures to reduce mortality of sea turtles at the Salem circulating water intake. Many of the measures outlined in your letter have been part of PSE&G's standard procedure for sea turtles for some time and will be maintained in the future to minimize turtle mortalities. Several other recommended measures have not been part of our procedures in the past.

As I am sure you are aware, PSE&G has also met and talked with the National Marine Fisheries Service, Habitat Protection Branch on this issue for the past several years and will likely be involved with reviewing this situation with both NMFS and NRC in some detail over the next several months. Your recommendations will be considered during this review process.

Should you have any questions on this matter, please contact J. M. Eggers of my staff at 609/339-5015.

Manager - Li ensing and Regulation C D. C. Crestin - NMFS J. Stone - NRC

ENCLOSURE 113 Public Service Electric and Gas Company Shlnley LaBruna Public Service Electric and Gas Company P.O. Box 236, Hancocks Bridge. NJ 08038 609-339-1200 Vice President

  • Nuclear Operations APR o 9 1990 NLR-E90061.

United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555 Gentlemen:

BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF PLANT IMPACTS OH SEA TURTLES SALEM GENERATING STATION UNITS HOS. 1 AND 2 DOCKET HOS. 50-272 AND 50-311 HOPE CREEK GENERATING STATION DOCKET HO. 50-354 Pursuant to NRC concerns over -;:!'le potential impact of the Salem and Hope Creek Generating Station cooling water intakes on endangered and threatened sea turtles,*PSE&G prepared a report entitled, "Assessment of the Impact:~ of the Salem and Hope Creek Generating Stations on Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys kempi) and Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) Sea Turtles." Based upon the information presented, the company concludes that there will be no significant impact from plant operations on sea turtles. As a result of subsequent discussions with the NRC and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), PSE&G is now agreeing to incorporate the additional mitigating measures discussed below into the Company's programs and procedures for minimizing potential effects on these sea turtle species.

1) Conduct inspections of the Salem circulating water intake trash bars at a minimum frequency of once every two hours during daylight_ for the calendar period of June 1 through September 30.
2)

. 3) Develop a program in conjunction with NMFS to determine the attractiveness of the Salem circulating water intake to sea turtles.

4) Meet with the NMFS on an annual basis to ass*ess the status of sea turtles in the Delaware Bay and steps being taken to reduce potential impacts of the Salem intake st~ucture.

APR o 9 1990 Document Control Desk 2 NLR-E90061 As result of the NRC and NMFS review of PSE&G's report, "Assessment of the Impacts of the Salem and Hope Creek Generating Stations on Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys kempi) and Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) Sea Turtles", it has come to our attention that several pages of this report include typographic errors or data inconsistencies. PSE&G respectfully submits the attached corrected pages.

If you have any questions concerning this matter; please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely, Attachments c Mr. J. c. Stone Licensing Project Manager- Salem Mr. c. Y. Shiraki Licensing Project Manager - Hope Creek Mr. T. Johnson Senior Resident Inspector Mr. T. Martin, Administrator Region I Mr. Kent Tosch,* Chief New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Environmental Quality Bureau of Nuclear Engineering CN 415 Trenton, NJ 08625 Dr. M. Masnik - USNRC Elaine Chan, Esq. - USN~C Douglas Beach National Marine Fisheries service

  • SECTION 6.0 ONSITE INFORMATION 6.1 OCCURRENCE OF SEA TURTLES AT SALEM GENERATING STATION Sea turtles have been observed at Salem Generating Station and during field sampling associated with the station since 1977. A total of 44 sea turtles have been reported since 1979 (Table 6-1 and Appendix A, Tables A-1 and A-2). The majority of these turtles (38) have been collected from the Salem Generating Station circulating water intake (38 turtles)
  • The remaining six turtles were collected during station related environmental
  • sampling (trawling) or were stranded on other areas of Artificial Island. No strandings have been reported from either the Salem or the Hope Creek service water intakes.

6.1.1 ANNUAL COMPARISON Table 6-2 summarizes the total number of turtles of each type reported to occur on the Salem circulating water intake. Direct annual comparisons of these data are complicated by the variations*in effort between and/or within years. During any particular year the number of sea turtles collected at the intake ranged from zero prior to 1980 to ten in 1988. The actual number of loggerheads incidentally captured on the intake ranged .between zero and eight animals annually.

Based on the levels of incidental capture observed at the intake, it is estimated that zero to nine loggerheads (mean = 3) and zero to three Kemp's ridleys (mean = 1) could be expected to be taken from the intake during any given year (95 percent confidence limits). However, a portion of the turtles captured died of causes unrelated to the station and were just part of the river debris drawn into the station. Also a portion of the turtles captured were alive and released back into the wild. If we exclude animals which were moderately and severely decomposed from this calculation, zero to eight loggerheads (mean = 2) and zero to three Kemp's ridleys (mean < 1) with no evidence of previous damage would be expected to be taken from the intake during a given year.

6.1.2 SPECIES COMPOSITION Twenty-six loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and twelve Kemp's ridleys (epidochelys kempi) were captured from the circulating water intake from 1980 to 1988 (Table 6-2).

The loggerheads were all juveniles or subadults. Carapace lengths (straight length) ranged from 29 to 81 centimeters with a mean of 53.9 centimeters (Figure 6-1).

6-1

TABLE 5-2 SEA TURTLE STRANDINGS IN COASTAL NEW JERSEY AND DELAWARE BAY REPORTED BY MARINE MAMMAL STRANDING CENTER (EXCLUDING TURTLES TAKEN FROM SALEM GENERATING STATION)

(Schoelkopf 1989)

ANNUAL DISTRIBUTION*

Year Loggerhead Ridley Leatherback 1980 9 (1) 0 2 (1) 1981 4(4) 0 13 (1) 1982 2(2) 0 13 (0) 1983 8(5) 4(0) 9 (0) 1984 8 ( 1) 0 2 (0) 1985 22 (4) ' 1(0) 7 (0) 1986 15(1) 0(1) 2 (0) 1987 37(2) 1 (0) 33 (1) 1988 13(6) 0 6 (1)

Totals 118(26) 6(1) 87(4)

MONTHLY DISTRIBUTION Month Loggerhead Ridley Leatherback Jan 1 0 2 Feb 0 0 .1 Mar 0 0 1 Apr 0 0 0 May 0 0 2 Jun 8 0 2 Jul 25 1 8.

Aug 36 1 11 Sep 46 2 34 Oct 24 2 24 Nov 4 1 6 Dec 0 0 0 Totals 144 7 .91 5-13

GA TX MS . AL 1\

\

\

GULF OF MEXICO GULF OF ~IEXICO 120

~

Vi C) z c ALL. SPECIES (N =. 436) z<(

Cl::: .

(/)

100 r-I .

~ 11

,-.., =:i I

... I I *,-,

I '

.-v 0

II I I '

50

l_

I' w

;.... I ' 1J L.-

0 "V

i I

I

~

n I

i fl11

~ L z r 2, 20 , 9 , 8 , 7 1 6 , $ , 4 , .3 , 2 , , , 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 ,

, STATISTICAL ZONE Fiqure 5-3. Sea Turtle Strandinqs, U.S. Gulf of Mexico 1987 (NMFS 1988)

Retrieved from "https://kanterella.com/w/index.php?title=ML18094B116&oldid=2505874"