ML20206N827

Forwards 1999 Environ Monitoring,Thermal Discharge Fish Surveillance & Dissolved Nitrogen Saturation Reduction Programs & Plans for Approval

ML20206N827
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	12/15/1998
From:	Alexander J BOSTON EDISON CO.
To:	ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
References
BECO-5.98.114, NUDOCS 9812220128
Download: ML20206N827 (6)

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• Booton ME=~r Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Rocky Hill Road a

Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360-5599 l

December 15,1998 BECo Ltr. 5.98.114 i NPDES Programs (SPA)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency P.O. Box 8127 Boston, MA 02114-8127 1999 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAMS AND PLANS Gentlemen:

In accordance with NPDES Permit No. MA0003557 (Federal) and No. 359 (State) for Pilgrim Station, the attached 1999 Environmental Monitorini), Thermal Discharge Fish Surveillance, and Dissolved Nitrogen Saturation Reduction Programs and Plans are submittea by Boston Edison Company for your approval.

l This submittalis made in accordance with Part 1, Paragraph 8d of the above-referenced permit.

These programs and plans have been recommended by the Pilgrim Administrativo-Technical Committee to replace the 1998 environmental program.

If there are any questions concerning the attached programs and plans, please do not hesitate -

to call Mr. Robert Anderson (508-830-7935).

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! gulatory Relatior-Group Manager i RDMb/radmisc/99Monit

Attachment:

Marine Ecology Monitoring Related to Operation of Pilgrim Station Unit 1, NPDES Peiwit Programs l cc: U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mass. Dept. of Environmental Prot.

l ATTN: Document Control Desk Office of Watershed Management l Washington, DC 20555 627 Main St.

l Worcester, MA 01608 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region I Mr. Nicholas Prodany 475 Allendale Road U.S. EPA King of Prussia, PA 19406 Region I, industrial Permits Section JFK Federal Building

] qq Boston, MA 02203 Senior Resident inspector Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station ~ i 9812220128 981215

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Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Rocky Hill Road Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360-5599 December 15,1998 BECo Ltr. 5.98.114 Mass. Department of Environmental Protection Division of Water Pollution Control Regulatory Branch - 7th Floor One Winter Street Boston, MA 02108 1999 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAMS AND PLANS Gentlemen:

in accordance with NPDES Pennit No. MA0003557 (Federal) and No. 359 (State) for Pilgrim Station, the attached 1999 Environmental Monitoring, Thermal Discharge Fish Surveillance, and Dissolved Nitrogen Saturation Reduction Programs and Plans are submitted by Boston Edison l Company for your approval.  ;

This submittal is made in accordance with Part 1, Paragraph 8d of the above-referenced permit.

These programs and plans have been recommended by the Pilgrim Administrative-Technical ,

Committee to replace the 1998 entonmental program.

l If there are any questions concerning the attached programs and plans, please do not hesitate to call Mr. Robert Anderson (508-830-7935).

J . exand r gulatory Relations Group Manager RDMb/radmisc/99Monit

Attachment:

Marine Ecology Monitoring Related to Operation of Pilgrim Station Unit 1, NPDES Permit Programs

Attachment to BECo Letter No. 5.98.114 MARINE ECOLOGY MONITORING RELATED TO OPERATION OF PILGRIM STATION NPDES PERMIT PROGRAMS In accordance with NPDES Permit requirements for Pilgrim Station Permit No. MA0003557 (Federal) and No. 359 (State), the following modified programs are presented for 1999. The 1978 through 1998 programs were submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Mass. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) previously,

l. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING i The Environmental Monitoring Program represents a continuation of previous monitoring with changes made based on latest results and analyses. Pre-operational studies for Pilgrim Station commenced in 1969, almost four years before initial operation in December 1972. In accordance with environmental monitoring and reporting requirements of the Pilgrim Station Operating License, DPR-35, issued by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (now the Nuclear Regu!atory Commission),

Boston Edison carried out a post-operational Marine Ecology Program. This program was designed to investigate the Cape Cod Bay ecosystem, with emphasis on the Rocky Point area, to determine whether the operation of Pilgrim Station resulted in measurable effects on the marine ecology and to evaluate the significance of any

! such effects. The Marine Ecology Program for Pilgrim Station continued for five years l from initial full power operation (that is, through December 1977) and was replaced by I

the NPDES Permit Program (with NRC concurrence). Amendment #67 (1983) to the l PNPS Technical Specifications deleted Appendix B non-radiological water quality requirements since they were incorporated in the NPDES Permit. The post-l operational monitoring for Pilgrirr Station and the collected data are incorporated and analyzed in the Marine Ecology Semi-Annual Reports (#1-52), Marine Ecology Final Report (1978), and the Section 316 Demonstration Document (1975) and Supplement (1977) pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972.

The NPDES Program includes the following elements:

l A. Pilarim Administrative - Technical Committee The Pilgrim Administrative - Technical Committee (PATC) is an advisory committoo that was established to ensure the Pilgrim marine studies have the benefit of qualified, outside, scientific and technical advice and are responsive to regulatory agency concerns. The PATC recommends improvement to ongoing monitoring based on the latest results with the approval of the U.S. EPA and Mass. Department of Environmental Protection. It has held 90 regular meetings since July 16,1969 and will continue to be involved in future Pilgrim marine monitoring.

The PATC is composed of representatives (technical and/or administrative) from

each interested federed and state regulatory agency, Boston Edison Company, and the University of filassachusetts.

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,The present membership is as follows: .

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Aoency National Marine Fisheries Services - (1 member)

Mass. Department of Environmental Protection-(2 members)

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency - (2 members)

Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries - (2 members) l Mass. Office of Coastal Zone Management - (1 member)

University of Massachusetts -(1 member) l Boston Edison Company -(1 member)  ;

Each meeting in 1998 was chaired by a representative of the Mass. Department of Erivironmental Protection. Minutes of PATC meetings appear in the semi-annual Pilgrim Station marine ecology reports.

B. Marine Fisheries Monitorina (Mass. Div. of Marine Fisheries) )

1 The Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), an agency of the Commonwealth of ,

Massachusetts, conducts field monitoring pertinent to Pilgrim Station. The l l efforts listed below will be conducted in 1999. ,

Fish As in 1998, Marine Fisheries studies in 1999 will focus on the winter flounder population to develop an understanding of PNPS impact on this indicator species. Population estimation and adult equivalency analyses will be conducted on this key species to help assess the impact of PNPS entrainment. Winter flounder, will be studied by trawling and area swept population analysis.

Rainbow smelt spawning enhancement efforts will continue in 1999 for the Jones River in Kingston.

Finfish observational dive surveys will continue in 1999 for the Pilgrim Station thermal plume area. This monitoring will involve periodic diving from May through October to document fish behavior and condition at various stations in close proximity to the discharge canal, and two discharge area dives in late December to record any heated water overwintering fishes.

Several final impact reports will be prepared covering the multiyear periods of i study for the canner recruitment / population, winter flounder population and j rainbow smelt enhancement projects.

Restoration

, Boston Edison will support two fisheries restoration / enhancement efforts in 1999.

The first will involve rehabilitation of anadromous fish ladders on local 4 waterways, and the second will support aquatic habitat improvement projects of the Jones River (Kingston) Watershed Association.

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Gas Saturation in 1999, saturated gas analyses will be conducted during any periods of potential discharge-related mortalities. A Weiss saturometer will be used in situ to measure total partial pressure of dissolved gases and percent saturation of total gas, nitrogen, and oxygen.

C. Imoinaement Monitorina (Marine Research, Inc/BECo)

The ma!n objective of the impingement study is to calculate impingement rates of marine organisms by gathering and analyzing data on numbers and species carried onto the four intake traveling screens at Pilgrim Station. In 1999, the weekly collection time will be twenty-four hours (three 8-hour periods).

Supplemental initial fish survival data and reimpingement data, if possible, will also be recorded. BECo will analyze the data and prepare the reports.

D. Benthic Monitorina (ENSR Consulting & Engineering)

Transect monitoring to record beshic species and map the extent of Irish moss stunted and denuded areas immediately off tha discharge canal will be conducted once (September) in 1999. This is a reduction from the three surveys conducted in 1998. Also, a multiyear impact report will be prepared analysing data from inception of the benthic transect monitoring project until the present time of 1998.

E. Entrainment Monitorina (Marine Research, Inc.)

As in 1998, entrainment monitoring in 1999 will emphasize consideration of ichthyoplankton, particularly winter flounder.

The 1999 entrainment studies will consist of routine monitoring of the Pilgrim discharge. This monitoring will be on a three times per week basis from March through September, and three times biweekly from October through February. If exceptionally high egg or larvae concentrations are found in the discharge when compared with previous years, steps may be taken to implement contingency ichthyoplankton sampling plans to assess the magnitude of the high concentrations. The plans will consist of additional tows and sample analysis from the discharge canal. MRI will analyze the data and prepare the reports including adult equivalency impact analyses for some of the more abundant and significant species entrained (6 species in 1999 compared to 3 species in 1998).

In addition, winter flounder populati7n modeling will also be done to help develop a broader understanding of PNPS impact on this species.

F. Reportina of Environmental Monitorina Semi-annual and annual reports with results of the above (items A-E) will be submitted to the EPA and DEP by October 31, 1999, and April 30, 2000, covering the periods January-June and January-December 1999, respectively.

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11. THERMAL DISCHARGE FISH SURVEILLANCE For 1999, as in 1998, the Pilgrim Administrative - Technical Committee has approved removal of the PNPS discharge canal, barrier net on an experimental

• basis (to be reviewed annually). A net will be available for installation should any related fish incident warrant it.

The Thermal Discharge Fish Surveillance Program for Pilgrim Station will involve frequent visualinspections of the discharge canal during periods of fish migration to determine fish presence and conditien. Also, periodic diver observation in the plume area will be conducted from ivey through October and in December by Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries personnel as part of the Environmental Monitoring Program.

l The observation and inspection elements of the Surveillance Program monitor compliance with the NPDES Permit by providing a check on fish in the discharge canal. These elements help indicate whan fish susceptible to gas bubble disease mortality are within or sufficiently near tM Pilgrim Station discharge to warrant action to reduce surface nitrogen saturatan level to less than 115% (as indicated by gas saturation analyses) and/or install the fish barrier net.

Ill. DISSOLVED NITROGEN SATURATION REDUCTION The plan for reducing dissolved nitrogen surface saturation levels to less than 115% in the discharge canal will involve a power reduction or outage should a school of fish susceptible to gas bubble disease mortality be in the immediate vicinity of Pilgrim Station. The procedure for determining the need, feasibility, and request for a power reduction or outage is as follows:

A. Responsible regulatory / agency personnel familiar with fishery statistics j (e.g., Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries) will estimate the magnitude of the fish school and, based on measured water quality and other pertinent environmental data, make a determination as to the likelihood and effect of a gas bubble disease mortality. They will also determine the potential necessity for a nitrogen saturation reduction and notify Boston Edison of this initial judgment.

B. Boston Edison will notify the appropriate regiona, power authorities of the possibility of a power reduction and obtain projections through at least the j upcoming weekend. Boston Edison wi!I transmit load information to the l agencies / persons taking the actions identified in item A above.

l l C. On the basis of thic information, agency personnel will formulate specific recommendations to the EPA Regional Administrator and/or the Mass. DEP, Office of Watershed Management (OWM) or their designees, on the timing and duration of a power reduction that is, in their judgment, appropriate and in the overall public interest.

l D. Responsible regulatory personnel will request a power reduction through a telephone call to the Boston Edison, Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Vice President Nuclear.

1 E. Boston Edison personnel will record results of periodic surveillance of the condition and location of the fish prior to and subsequent to any station operational changes.

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