ML20209D350

Forwards Aquatic Environ Conditions in Chickamauga Reservoir During Operation of Sequoyah Nuclear Plant,Fifth Annual Rept (1985) & Apps.Jul 1985 Plan Alterations Decreased Phytoplankton & 200 Plankton Densities

ML20209D350
Person / Time
Site:	Sequoyah
Issue date:	08/29/1986
From:	Rivers M TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
To:	Barrett B ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Shared Package
ML20209D353	List: ML20209D350 ML20209D379
References
NUDOCS 8609090272
Download: ML20209D350 (3)

Text

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r TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY KNOXVILLE. TENNESSEE 37902 AUG 291986 i

! Mr. Bruce R. Barrett, Director

l. Water Management Division

! U.S. Environmental Protection l Agency, Region IV 345 Courtland Street, NE.

l 1 Atlanta, Georgia 30365 l

Dear Mr. Barrett:

j SEQUOYAH NUCLEAR PLANT - NPDES PERMIT NO. TN0026450 - NONRADIOLOGICAL l AQUATIC MONITORING PROGRAM Enclosed are two copies of the report, " Aquatic Environmental Conditions in Chickamauga Reservoir During Operation of Sequoyah Nuclear Plant (SQN) -

Fifth Annual Report (1985)." This report is submitted in accordance with part I., section B.l.c., and part III., section F., of the Sequoyah National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit, and my June 25, 1985, letter to you. The enclosed report summarizes data collected January through December 1985.

Recommendations made in last year's report were implemented in July 1985 following your office's approval. The altered plan used in July provided strong evidence that decreases in phytoplankton and zooplankton densities from upstream to downstream of SQN in May and July (both low-flow periods) were largely due to SQN. Results from the altered plan also allowed these studies to be further refined to select specific conditions of river flow and plant operation necessary to complete evaluation of SQN effects on plankton.

The 1985 larval fish studies provided basically the same results as previous years--low entrainment rates for all species except freshwater drum. As a result, sampling for larvae other than freshwater drum was discontinued in spring 1986 (letter to EPA dated February 14, 1986), and this effort was redirected to evaluate effects of these high entrainment rates on the freshwater drum population in Chickamauga Reservoir. The results of cove rotenone studies and sampling for adult freshwater drum stocks in 1986 will be submitted to you by April 1, 1987. At that time, a recommendation about additional freshwater drum studies and cove j rotenone reporting will be provided. TVA had originally planned (letter-to EPA dated February 14, 1986) to conduct fish larvae studies in 1986; i but because SQN did not operate in the spring and summer of 1986, these 3 studies were not conducted.

l The water quality data showed that the SQN diffusers redistribute the DO j concentrations in the water column, at and downstream of SQN so that sur-i face concentrations of DO are reduced and DO concentrations in the lower i strata are increased. We plan to conduct studies to define the extent and j duration of the DO reduction in the upper strata during spring and summer when SQN resumes operations. These results will be used to determine the

! potential for effect on aquatic biota. A workplan detailing these studlas

! will be submitted to you by March 1, 1987.

8609090272 860829 PDR ADOCK 05000327 An Equal Opportunity Employer R PDR

i Mr. Bruce R. Barrett AUG 291986 l

SQN was shut down August 22, 1985, and has not been operational since j that time. Therefore, we do not plan to submit an annual report in June  !

1987 on the plankton studies conducted during 1986. We prefer to wait until sufficient information from the recommended plankton studies has been gathered to further refine this 9 valuation before submitting another report on plankton. We would, however, provide a status report each January, starting in January 19E8, that identifies the status of any remaining plankton studies.

I We ask your concurrence with our recommendations so we can finalize plans for the future work. If you have any questions, please call Clyde W.

Voigtlander at FTS 856-6655 or (615) 632-6655 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sincerely.

I 06 Martin E. Rivers Director Environmental Quality f Enclo~sures j cc (Enclosure):

i Mr. Kenneth W. Bunting, Director

} Division of Water Management .,

Tennessee Department of Health and Environment 150 Ninth Avenue, North TERRA Building l Nashville, Tennessee 37219

, Mr. Harold R. Denton, Director (2) k l Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation j

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 7920 Norfolk Avenue Washington, D.C. 20555 Dr. J. Nelson Grace Regional Administrator U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Contnission Region 2 101 Marietta Street, Suite 2900 l Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Mr. C. Wayne Pollock, Chief Fisheries Management Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Ellington Agricultural Center Post Office Box 40747, Room 153 Nashville, Tennessee 37204 Continued on page 3

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AUG 281986 Mr. Bruce R. Barrett Mr. Philip L. Stewart, Manager Chattanooga Field Office Division of Water Pollution Control 2501 Milne Avenue Chattanooga, Tennessee 37406-3399 Mr. Walter D. Stieglitz (2)

Acting Regional Director -

Department of Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Richard B. Russell Federal Building 75 Spring Street, SW.

Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Mr. W. Reid Tatum, Regional Manager Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency 216 East Penfield Street Crossville, Tennessee 38555 Mr. Lee B. Tebo, Chief Ecological Support Branch U.S. Environmental Protection Agency College Station Road Athens, Georgia 30601