ML19282C827

Comments on Draft Suppl to Fes:Recognition Should Be Given to Cumulative Impacts of Siting Two Plants Adjaccent to Each Other

ML19282C827
Person / Time
Site:	05000471
Issue date:	04/26/1979
From:	Meierotto L INTERIOR, DEPT. OF, FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE
To:	Regan W Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
NUDOCS 7905040473
Download: ML19282C827 (2)

Text

-

a .

ePkNa b, United States Department of the Interior

-gp!]

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240 In Reply Re fer To:

ER 79/225 APR 2 61979 Mr. William H. Regan, Jr.

Chief, Environmental Projects Branch 2 Division of Site Safety and Environmental Analysis Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555

Dear Mr. Regan:

Thank you for your letter of February 28, 1979, t ransmit tin g copies of the draft supplement to the final environmental statement for Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Our comments are presented according to the format of the draft supplement or by subject.

Criteria for Site Evaluation The NRC staff's analyses of alternate sites do not indicate that the consequences of major accidents were considered in any other context than population densities around the site.

In accidents involving core-melt into the ground, hydrologic and geologic conditions at the site are likely to play major roles in the eventual outcome of the accident. These factors should be considered in the final supplement.

Fish and Wildlife Resources The implication is made on page 38 that Massachusetts is working unilaterally to establish anadromous fisheries in the Merrimack River. The program to restore anadromous fisheries to the river actually is a joint effort of the fish and wildlife agencies of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service, and should be noted as such. (The same implication is noted on p. 49, par. 1.)

We recommend that recognition be given to the fact that the cumulative impacts of siting two nuclear power units adjacent to each other may be greater than the impacts from a single unit in a discrete location. This could be especially important where common cooling-water intake and discharge facilities are used for multi-unit installations as noted on pages 70-72.

LMO \

73050400 3

- . ~ .

On page 49 it is stated, " Cold shock induced mortality to fishes would probably not be a problem at present due to the low quality of the Merrimack River fishery." We recommend that this be changed to reflect the fact that fish attracted to a warm thermal plume in winter can become metabolically acclimated to the higher temperatures, and thus susceptible to death or severe stress if the power plant ceases to discharge heat due to a malfunction or refueling shutdown. Migrant fishes also can be affected by rapid cooling of waters; migratory behavior (response) is stimulated by water temperature change, thus a rapid cooling could affect movement of fishes through project-area waters. Finally, the quality of the fishery in the Merrimack River is expected to- improve with the improvement in water quality which should result from ongoing pollution abatement programs.

The distinction should be made on page 138 that while the lobster fishery is primarily a commercial fishery, the soft-shell clam fishery in New Hampshire is solely a recreational fishery. The soft-shell clam population in New Hampshire is not large enough to sustain a commercial fishery. Harvesting is controlled by setting daily harvest quotas, and by permitting the taking of clams only on certain days o f the week.

We hope these comments will be helpful to you in the preparation of a final supplement.

S neer.

G NW*

Larry c . Meierotto K:sistent SECRETARY