ML19346A336
| ML19346A336 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Big Rock Point File:Consumers Energy icon.png |
| Issue date: | 05/31/1981 |
| From: | ECOLOGICAL ANALYSTS, INC. |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19346A333 | List: |
| References | |
| CPC12, NUDOCS 8106190162 | |
| Download: ML19346A336 (10) | |
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O EA Report CPC12 1981 CORBICULA ASSESSMENT FOR BIG ROCK POINT NUCLEAR PLANT Prepared for Consumers Power Company 1945 Partic!1 Road Jackson, Michigan 49201 Prepared by Ecological Analysts, Inc.
Midwest Regional Office 1500 Frontage Road Northbrook, Il1inois 60062 1
o May 1981 l
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CONTENTS-Page
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 3
3.0 FIELD AND ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES 4
4.0 RESULTS 6
5.0 OISCUSSION 7
6.0 LITERATURE CITED 8
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
This report was prepared in response to Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Inspection and Enforcemer.t Bulletin 81-03: Flow Blockage of Cooling Water and Safety System Components by Corbicula so. (Asiatic Clam) and Mytilus so.
(mussel ). As noted in the Bulletin, Corbicula poses a significant biofouling threat by colonization and subsequent blocking of fire protection, cooling systess or other safety related water circulation systems. Al though Corsicula have not been reported in the vicinity of Big Rock Point Nuclear Plant, surveys specifically for Corbicula have not been conducted.
Because of the lack of data and the species' propensity to extend its range, Consumers Power Company sponsored a detailed field study of the Big Rock Point Nuclear Plant site on Lake Michigan in ruwnse to Bulletin 81-03.
Objectives of the field evaluation were two-fold. The first objective was to determine the presence or absence of the asiatic clam in the vicinity of Big Rock Point Nuclear Pl ant. Secondly, the field survey was designed to provide sufficimt infor-mation on available aquatic habitats to allow an evaluation of the potential for future intrusion into Lake Michigan source waters based upon available literature and infomation on life history and habitat requirement:.
The main text of this report is divided into four sections.
Section 2.0 presents a brief review of pertinent literature on the life history of Corbicula and its biofouling potential.
Section 3.0 detafis the field and ar*1ytical ~ocedures employed in the study. Results of the field study conducted on 13 May 1981 are presented in Section 4.0.
Section 5.0, Discussion,
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reviews the re,ults of the study relative to available information on I
4 distribution and habitat' requirements of Corbicula in an evaluation of potential intrusion of this nuisance species into.the Lake Michigan scarce waters.
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2.0. LITERATURE REVIEW Corbicula was introduced into the west coast of the United States in the i
1930's and has since spread across the southern states of this country (Sinclair 1971).
It has been reported as far east as the Potomac River system by Britton (1981) and as far north as the Minnesota and St. Croix Rivers by Cummings and Jones (1978) and Fuller (1978), resps:tively.
It has recently been reported to occur in Lake Erie (Clarke 1981).
This is the first record of Corbicula in the Great Lakes system.
Corbicula has become a significant biofouling problem. Power plants in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Maryland and Tennessee have been forced to halt o; itduce operations because of Corbicula infestations (Britton 1981). The most recent significant biofouling infestation at a ruclear power plant occurred in 1980 at Arkansas Power and light Company's, Arkansas Nuclear One.
Large densities of Corbicula in the reactor's ccoling system rest *icted the flow of cooling water and forced a shutdown.
In the electric utility industry, lost operating time and expensive reoairs because of Corbicula infiltrat1ons have been substantial. The possibility of reduced cooling water flew for a nuclear plant's safety related water ciculation systems could De serious, so the concern of the MC regarding Corb{cula necr nuclear power plants is warranted.
In the Midwest, Corbicula is most frequently collected in riverine habitats with continuous current; however, this species has also been ?ound in lake environr..ents. Corbicula is primarily found in stable silty sand substrates, but is a!so present in sediments with large portions of clay and gravel.
Rubble substrites, unstable sand or floculent sedinents are usually not inhabited by Corbicula.
3.0 FIELO AND ANAL,YTICAL PROCEDURES on 13 May 1981 a detailed survey of the aquatic habitats was conducted near Big Rock Point Nuclear Plant. Biologists employed a variety of techniques to determine the presence or absence of Corbicula in the nearshore area.
Sampling was most intense in the discharge zone because of the proclivity of Corbicula to inhabit thermal discharges in northern latitudes (Cummings and Jones 1978, and Lewis 1981). Quantitative Ponar (232 sq cm) grab samples were collected along a transect extending from the mouth of the discharge to a distance of approximately 75 yds into Lake Michigan (Figure 1).
Approxi-mately 30 grab samples were collected, screened on a U.S. Standard No. 30 met.h sieve and examined in the field for presence of Corbicula. A composite sample of sediment materials from approximately 10 of the grabs was retained for examination in the laboratory under a dissection microscope (10 to 70X magnifications). In addition to the quantitative collections, qualitative hand-picking and mussel raking (Lewis 1981) was conducted along the shoreline frcm the discharge to a distance of approximately 1/2 mi. east of the Plant.
Detailed field notes recording habitat types and biota observer were maintained.
Depths sampled by both quintitative and qualitative techniques ranged from less than 1 ft to 15 ft and habitats included shifting sand sediments in the discharge, stable sand offshore habitats, and the rubble-bot *m high energy surf zone.
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P00RURE
4 4.0 RESULTS Quantitative P3nar grah samples collected in the Big Rock ?oint Nuclear Plcnt discharge contained orily sparse numbers of benthic invertebrates. No Corbicula were observed in thirty grab samples from this area.
Substrates in the di scharge ware scoured fine sand, probably subject to periodic shifting due to wind driven wave action. The on1; :oobenthos observed were sporadic midge-fly larvae (Chironomidt,e) and side-swimmers ( Amphipeda).
The scoured, shifting sand substrates of the discharge area offered an extremely harsh habi tat for benthic forms. Sphaeriid clams, which are abundant in Lake Michigan and possess habitat requirements and preferences similar to Corbicula, were not observed in the discharp area.
Qualitative hand-picking and raking with a mussel rake along the shore east of the Plant revealed a diverse, highly specialized beathic assemblage.
Dominant fauna included worms, midges and several riverine forms such as caddisflies (Helicopsychidae, Hydropsychidae and Leptoceridae) and mayflies (Heptageniidae and Leptophlebiidae). The only molluscs observed were physid and lyanacid snails; no Corbicula were cbse ved. The nearshore fauna was indicative of the coarse, rocky substate and steady wind-driven wave action.
The combination of substrate and wave action resulted in a benthic assemblage more typical of riverine situe*.lon with the fauna dominated by forms adapted for active clinging to the s.abstrate as opposed to sessile forms passively resting on ce burrowed in the sediment.
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l 5.0 DISCUSSION Intensive sampling of Lake Michigan on 13 May 1981 yielded no evidence that Corbicula presently occurs or has occurred near the Big Rock Point Nuclear Plant. Furthennore, results of the study indicated that this portion of the lake provides unsuitable habitats for future colonization by this introduced species. The fine sand substate and continuous current of the heated discharge canal provided the most probable habitat for the occurrence of Corbicula; however, no pelecypods of any species were observed.
In addition, a factor that will limit the potential intrusion of Corbicula is the low ambient water temperatures that occur in this region of Lake Michigan.
The maximun average monthly temperature during 1980 was only 71 degrees Fahrenheit and nean winter temperatures were near freezing (Consumers Power Co.1981).
In a study of the New River, Virginia, Corbicula populations were greatly reduced or eliminated during severe winter conditions when the water temperature was 0 degrees centigrade for about a two-week period (Graney et al.1980).
The relatively low temperature rise in the mixing zone following condenser passage is also below optimal lower limits for Corbicula. Areas outside of the discharge present a less favorable environment for Corbicula.
The substrate outside 0; the discharge canal was predominantly gravel and rubble.
Although these areas were heavily colonized by attached macroinvertebrates, rubble is not a preferred habitat for Corbicula.
In sununary, Corbicula is not now apparent near the Big Rock Point Nuclear Plans, and because of the lack of suitable habitats and low ambient temperatures tnat provati near the Plant, the species will probably not occur in this l
portion of Lake Michigan in the near future.
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6.0 LITERATURE CITED Bri tton, J.C. (Ed.) 1981.
Co' bicula newsletter. Vol. 6(1), pp.1-15.
r Clarke, A. H.
1981. Corbicula fluminea, in Lake Erie. Nautilus 95(2):
83-84.
Consumers-Power Company, 1981.
Big Rock Point Nuclear Plant. 1980.
Monthly operating reports submitted to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Cumminos,i in the lower Minnesota River.
S. E. and J. A. Jones. 1978. Occurrence of Corbicula manilensis Phillip J. Minn. Acad. of Sci. 44(3):
13-14.
Fuller, S.L.H.
1978. Freshwater mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) of the Upper Mississippi River. Observations at selected sites within the 9-ft channel navigation project on behalf of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Prepared for USAC0E by Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Penn. 401 pp.
Graney, R. L., D. S. Cherry, J. H. Rodgers, Jr., and J. Cai rns, Jr. 1980.
The influence of thermal discharges and substrate composition on the popula cion structure and distribution of the Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea, in the New River, Virginia.
Nautilus 94(4):130-136.
Lewis, R.B.
1981. Survey of freshwater mussels (Pelecypoda: Unionacea) at selected sites in Pools 11 through 24 of the Mississippi River. Prepared for USAC0E Rock Island District by Ecological Analysts, Inc., Northbrook, Illinois. 188 pp.
Sinclair, R.M.
1971. Annotated bibliography on the exotic bivalve Corbicula in North America, 1900-1971. Sterkiana 43:11-18.
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