ML20212C577
| ML20212C577 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Pilgrim |
| Issue date: | 06/30/1997 |
| From: | Richard Anderson, Desmond N BOSTON EDISON CO. |
| To: | ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY |
| References | |
| 50, BECO-5.97.101, NUDOCS 9710300036 | |
| Download: ML20212C577 (103) | |
Text
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Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Rocky Hill Road Plymt uth, Massachusetts 02360-5599 Nancy L Desmond Reguletory Relations Group Manage:
October 17, 1997 BECo Ltr. 5.97.101 Planning and Administration (SPA)
. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency P. O. Box 810.'
Boston, MA 02114-8127 NPDES PERMIT MARINE ECOLOGY MONITORING REPORT
Dear Sirs:
In accordance with Part I, Paragraphs A.8.b & e, and Attachment A, Paragraph 1.F, of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station NPDES Permit No. MA0003557 (federal) and No. 359 (state), Semi-Annual Marine Ecology Report No. 50 is submitted. This covers the period from January through June, 1997.
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Attachment:
Semi-Annual Marine Ecology Report No. 50 l
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Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Rocky Hill Road Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360-5599 Nancy L Deemond Regulatory Retttions Group Manager October 17, 1997 BECo Ltr. 5.97.101 Mass. Depa.tment of Environmental Protection Regulatory Branch - 7th Floor One Winter Street Boston, MA 02108 NPDES PERMIT MARINE ECOLOGY MONITORING REPORT
Dear Sirs:
In accordance with Part I, Paragraphs A.8.b & e, and Attachment A, Paragraph 1.F. of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station NPDES Permit No, MA0003557 (federal) and No. 359 (state), Semi-Annual Marine Ecology Report No. 50 is submitted. This covers the period from January through June, 1997.
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N. L. Desmond
- HVO/RDAlavflecorpt97
Attachment:
Semi-Annual Maritie Ecology Report No. 50 J
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SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT NUMBER 50
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L MARINE ECOLOGY STUDIES-RELATED TO OPERATION OF PILGRIM STAilON SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT NO. 50 REPORT PERIOD: JANUARY 1997 TilROUGil JUNE 1997
[ DATE OF ISSUE: OCTOBER 31,1997 E
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Compiled and Reviewed by: /; dM Mr.e#N Kob'ert D. Anderson Principal Marine Biologist
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Regulatory Affairs Department Boston Edison Company Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station i[ Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360 F
I TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1 S'Uhth1ARY 11 INTRODUCTION
- Ill h1ARINE BIOTA STUDIES
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IIIA blafjne Fisheries hionitorips Semi-Annual Report on Assessment and hiitigation ofimpact of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station on Finfish Populations of Western Cape Cod Bay, Project Report No 63 (January - June 1997) (hiass. Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife and Envuonmental Law Enforcement; Division of hiarine Fisheries) i 111 8 [khthic Monitoring
'E Benthic Algal hionitoring at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (Qualitative Transect
-3 Surveys), January 1997 - June 1997 (ENSR Consulting and Engineering) lilC Entrainment hionitoring Ichthyoplankton Entrainment Monitoring at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, January
- June 1997 (hiarine Research, Inc.)
IIID Impingement Monitoring Impingement of Ondanisms at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station: January - June 1997.
(Boston Edison Company)
. IV Minutes of Meeting 87 of the Administrative-Technical Committee, Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.
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SILhlhiAILY liighlights of the environmental surveillance and monitoring program results obtained over this reporting period (January - June 1997) are presented below. (Note: PNPS was in high power operation during most of this period except for an outage from mid February to mid-April).
yhting_ fisheries hionitoring
- 1. Yankee trawls (205) during h1 arch-hiay 1997, in northwestern Cape Cod Gay, for winter flounder stock assessment work were performed to determine population parameters with 7,500 fish (> 250 mm TL) marked. Four hundred and eighteen recaptures (5.6%) have been recorded for 1997 tagged flounder. Techniques for sampling young-of-the-year winter flounder for spawning success / year class strength studies were terminated previously due to lack of success with them.
- 2. In the April to June 1997, shorefront recreational fishery creel survey,1,283 anglers were interviewed in 44 fishing days. Stnped bass (98) and bluefish (136) were the predominant species recorded. Discharge area observation diving noted mostly striped bass and cunner, and all species showed no physical or behavioral problems.
- 3. Rainbow smelt spawning habitat enhancement of the Jones River (Kingston), to mitigate for the high PNPS smelt impingements in recent years, accounted for an increased egg set and ultimately hatching success to supplement the River's spawning population of this species which in 1997 was relatively low. This efTort also determined that the Jones River was the Plymouth Bay area's primary smelt spawning tributary the last couple of years.
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- 4. The cunner study concentrated on aging and trap catch per unit efTort (CPUE) for population information, as well as recruitment dynamics to estimate impact. No tagge6 cunner were released in June 1997, but 86 were recaptured from past years.
Impingement Monitoliij:
- 1. The mean January - June 1997 impingement collection rate was 0.85 fish /hr. The rate ranged from 0.06 fish /hr (June) to 2.54 fisWhr (/ , m with Atlantic silverside comprising 55.2% of the catch, followed by winter flounder,15.7%, grubby,8.5%,
and rainbow smelt,6.3%.
- 2. For April 1997, when the fish impingement rate was 2.54, Atlantic silverside accounted for 57% of the fishes collected. Fish impingement rate was notably higher in 1989-1997 than in 1988 (0.30), primarily because Pilgrim Station had much less circulating water pump capacity than normal that year.
- 3. The mean January - June 1997 invertebrate collection rate was 0.55/hr with sevenspine bay sh-imp (35.9%), commo1 starfish (11.7%) and green crabs (11.7%) dominating the catch. Ten Americae lobsters were caught.
4, Impinged fish initial survival at the Pilgrim Station intake sluiceway was approximately 37% for static washes and 72% for continuous washes.
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( Dkn.thic hionitoring L
f hiarch and June 1997 mappings of the discharge efiluent, near-shore acute impact
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zones were performed. The largest denuded (2,505m2 ) and total afTected
( (3,972m2) areas to date were evident for June indicating continuing impact since the 1986 - 1988 PNPS outage. In June, a dense mat ofjuwnile blue mussels (3-20mm length) blanketed large portions of the Chondrus (Irish moss) sparse / stunted zones as was also aoparent in June of 1990 and 1992-1996, possibly because of consistent thermal discharge during these periods.
Entrainment hionitoring:
- 1. A total of 30 species of fish eggs and/or larvae were found in the January - June 1997 entrainment collections: 15 eggs,28 lanae.
- 2. Egg collections for January - April 1997 (wi:aer-early spring spawning) were dominated by yellowtail flounder, fourbeard rockling, American plaice and winter flounder eggs. hiay and June (late spring - summer spawning) egg samples were most representative of Atlantic mackerel and labrids.
- 3. Larval collections for January - April 1997 were dominated by rock gunnel, sand lance and sculpin. For hiay and June larvae, mackerel, winter flounder, and
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fourbeard rockling dominated.
4, No lobster larvae were collected in the entrainment samples for January - June 1997.
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- 5. On several occasions unusually high densities of ichthyoplankton were found, primarily involving Atlantic menhaden eggs in June 1997.
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INTRODUCTION A 29nunAQlstclire This is the fiflieth semi-annual report on the status and results of the Environmental Surveillance
- and Monitoring Program related to the operation of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (PNPS). The monitoring programs discussed in this report relate specifically to the Western Cape Cod Bay ecosystem with particular emphasis on the Rocky Point area This is the thirty-eighth semi-annual report in accordance with the environmental rnonitoring and reporting requirements of the PNPS Unit i NPDES Permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (#MA0003557) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (#359). A multi-year (1969-1977) report incorporating marine fisheries, benthic, plankton /entrainment and impingement studies was i submitted to the NRC in July 1978, as required by the PNPS Appendix B Tech. Specs. Programs m these areas have been continued under the PNPS NPDES permit. Amendment #67 (1983) to the PNPS Tech. Specs. deleted Appendix B non-radiological water quality requirements as the NRC felt they are covered in the NPDES Permit.
! The objectives of the Environmental Surveillance and Monitoring Program are to determine whether the operation of the PNPS results in measurable effects on the marine ecology and to evaluate the significance of any observed effects. If an effect of significance is detected, Boston Edison Company has committed to take steps to correct or mitigate any adverse situation.
These studies are guided by the Pilgrim Administrative-Technical Committee (PATC) which is chaired by a member of the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection in 1997 and whose membership includes representatives from the University of Massachusetts, the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection, the Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA), the Mass. Office of Coastal Zone Management, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and Boston Edison Company. Copies of the Minutes of the Pilgrim Station Administrative-Technical Committee meetings held during this reporting period are included in Section IV.
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B. Marbe Biota Studies
- 1. biarine Fisheries hionitoring I
I A modified version of the marine fisheries monitoring, concentrating on indicator species populations' impacts, is being conducted by the Commonwealth of hiassachusetts, Division of Marine Fisheries (Dh1F)
The occurrence and distribution of primarily cunner and winter flounder around Pilgrim Station and in adjacent areas are being determined. Population parameters and related life history statistics are being studied to address Pilgrim Station impacts from entrainment of j ichthyoplankton, and impingement ofjuveniles and adults.
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The smelt spawning habitat in the Jones River (Kingston) was enhanced in hiarch/ April 1997, to mitigate for large impingements of rainbow smelt on Pilgrim Station intake screens in recent years. Ccntinuing smelt mitigation is being considered.
A finfish cbservational dive program was initiated in June 1978. SCUBA gear is utilized on l
periodic dives from hiay-October in the PNPS thermal plume area.
l Results of the marine fisheries monitoring during the reporting period are presented in Section Illa.
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- 2. Benthic hionitoring I
The benthic monitoring described in this report was conducted by ENSR Consulting and .
Engineering, Woods Hole, Niassachusetts.
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Qualitative transect sampling ofTthe discharge canal to determine the extent of the denuded
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and stunted zones is conducted four times a year (htarch, June, September and Decemb n
[ Results of the benthic monitoring reported during this period are discussed in Section Illit
- 3. Plankton hionitoring
[ h1arine Research, Inc. (h1RI) of Falmouth, hiassachusetts, has been monitoring entrainment
{ in Pilgrim Station cooling water of fish eggs and lan ae, and lobster larvae (from 1973-1975 phytoplankton and zooplankton were also studied). Information generated through these
( studies has been utilized to make periodic modifications in the sampling program to more
_ efliciently address the question of the elTect of entrainment. These modifications have been developed by the contractor, and reviewed and approved by the Pilgrim A-T Committee on the 1, asis of the program results. Plankton monitoring in 1997 emphasized consideration of ichthyoplankton entrainment and selected species adult equivalency analyses. Results of the
{ ichthyoplankton entrainment monitoring for this reporting perhd are discussed in Section illC.
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_ 4. trrg)gement hfonitoring
{ The Pilgrim Station impingement monitoring and sunival program speciates, quantifies and determines viability of the organisms carried onto the four intake traveling screens. Since
[ January 1979, hlarine Research, Inc. has been conducting impingement sampling with results being reported by Boston Edison Company.
E A new screen wash sluiceway system was installed at Pilgrim in 1979 at a total cost of
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approximately $150,000. This new sluiceway system was required by the U S.
{ Environmental Protection Agency and the hiass. Division of Water Pollution Control as a part of NPDES Permit #h1A0003557. Special fish sur ival studies conducted from 1980-( 1983 to determine its elTectiveness in protecting marine life were terminated in 1984, and a final report on them appears in hlarine Ecology Semi-Annual Report #23.
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Results of the impingement monitoring and survival program for this reporting period are '
discussed in Section IllD.
C. Station Operation Ilistojy I
I The daily average, reactor thermal power levels from January through June 1997 are shown in Figure 1 As can be seen, PNPS was in a high operating' stage except for a 2 month outage.
Cumulative capacity factor from 1973 - 1996 is 53 6% Capacity factors for the past 15 years are summarized in Table 1.
D. 1997 Envirq.n_ mental Programs 4
A planning schedule bar chart for 1997 environmental monitoring programs related to the operation of Pilgrim Station, showing task activities and milestones from December 1996 - June 1998, is included.
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1996 1997 1998 FE8 JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN _
u MOV DEC _ JAN MAR _ _APR _MAY ,
ZONE 1 - PATC -
Ot C3 j
A 97 Monitoring Programs (NPDES) to EPA NRC DWPC '
l os,ir PATC(Fuff Committee)o l owsr Review Results Of 96 Programs O
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FISHERIES (Sub-Committee) O I
l em, omis Recommend for FISHERIES 98 Programs -
l ons BENTHIC (Sub-Committee) O I em m,s Recommend for BENTHIC 98 Programs N saw FATC(Fuff Committee)p saa recommend for 98 monitoristg (NPDES) programs P 1 I wir BECo meet with EPA MDEP (Potential) O I i i ,e ,,es DECO prep NPDES 98 Monitoring Programs N I s2m sm BECo approve 98 Monitorirg Programs sum l o +w Submit 98 Progrr.ms to EPA NRC MDEP p i e' m i
initiate 98 M onitoring Programs f) 0617 PATC (Futt Committee) O I mir
' Review results of 97 Programs V PNPS 1997 ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS (NPDES PERMIT #MA 0003557)
PAGE1
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1996 1997 '1998 NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR , APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAy JUM _ l
- ZONE 2. MARINE FISHERIES MONITORING !
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1277 '
Ol Issue 97 P.O. to MDMF oies 07am
_,__._ . il .. ' flounder / cunner population studies
.l ovm m?e Underwater observation - l l s7e3 owis ,
Prep semi-annual report (draft) i i tr ie Submit draft report to BECo o I ow nsacs BECo review / comment on draft report y I sees save Final report prep by MDMF j8' ,
i I iwii i Submit 97 semi-annual report to BECO O ,
l ores I tam ;
Winter flounder / cunner population studies . _.
j i eres .I . issi ;
Underwater observation - ;
etes asia l Prep annual report (draft) _ _ _ _ _ __.
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Submit draft report to BEco & Fish Subcom. o l l carn oaos BECo/ Fish Subcom. review / comment on draft report ]
o.m w,o Final annual report prep an oct, Submit 97 annua. report to BECoo I
PNPS 1997 ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS (NPDES F'ERMIT #MA 0003557)
PAGE2 m M m M M M M M M M
O O O O O O O W D D ~O FD TD D Q JAN FEB MAR APH MAY JLM .PJL AUG SEP OCT NOV OEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JLNG NOV DEC ,
. ZONE 4 -IMPINGEMENT MONITORING tais
( O issue 97 P.O. tc, MRI bte srrr ,
Ot c3 l _. _ _ - 12/77 f
! NPO record plant data car- f } f let ve f Cunusuur subinit Biuta rJam tu DECu cais l } f Mitte j i PNPS sul mit Plant data to BECo I
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. tstuu pe ep a uusu suununy sepve i.s otstN
- BECo prep 97 semi-annual report N orm o.w BECo prep 97 annual report 7 i
ZONE 5 - BENTHIC MONITORING 1
ma1Sl O issue 9T P.O. to ENSR 1 '**5 Ocalitative transects sampling (1st) o D&t?
Qualitative transects sampling (2nd) O owns omis Prep semi-annual report (draft) M l cose Submit draft report to BECo O l omie teos BECo rvw/ comment on draft report 9 10c1 t&te Final report prep lwtsus Submit 97 semiennual report to BECo 0 i co+e Oualitative transect sampling (3rd) O tate Qualitive transect sampling (4th) O PNPS 1997 ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS (NPDEF PERMIT #MA 0003557)
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1996 1997 1998
_NOV DEC_ _ JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC _ __JAN FEB MARa _APR MAY JUrt_
i l c2ft? este l Prep draft annual report -
I es,r Submit draft report to BECo/ Benthic Subcom. O l er 7 ones BECc1 Benthic Subcom. rvw/ comment on draft report y 0493 04'10 Final report prep :sma I ,,
Submit 97 annual report to BECo O f I ZONE 6 - ENTRAINMENT MONITORING l 12'15 o issue 97 P.O. to MRI eyn losm _
. Plankton sampling by MRI
-l. oces oser 7;
Sample l processing & data osm analysis ll:- l Submit data analysis sheets to BECo O li+os osan Plankton sampling by MRI, .
l omi osci Sample processing & data analysis N one Submit data sheets Io BECo O wn nw,1 Prep 97 semi-annual draft report m I .. ,.
Rvw/c9mment by BECo summme l .
PNPS 1997 ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS (NPDES PERMIT #MA 0003557)
PAGE4 me! mua sus sin m e .
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- - - -________ __ ._ _ - _-_.- -___ - ___ _ _ .-_. _2
'M' ' 'M' M'E E E E ,E -l C U C l* R E APR MAY JUN AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FES MAR _APR JUN _
_NOV OEC ;
JAN FEB MAD _ JUL _MA Y tW ' 9 10 MRI final report prep ,wisl: !=
Submit 97 semi-annual report to BEco O I e7ea sod Plankton sampling by Mal _
l f,am scrs, Sample processing & data ana!ysis pumummun i I , , , ,
Submit data analysis sheets to BECo O l Isoes em Plankton sampling by MRl(DMy) ; ,
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Sample processing & data antaysis 8'"'"*
l osm Submit data sheets to BECo O 1 e oss.
MRI prep annual report (draft) j i o wir com l Rvw/ comment by BECo 8""
ow oero MRI final report prep 88 I onu Submit 97 annual report to BEco O l
ZONE 11 -THE'RMAL DISCHARGE (DNE & NETS MAINT.)
v2'15 O Issue 97 P.O. to inner Tech j o,ms 'm Ostrier nets / canal maint.;
tres O Issue 97 Motte/ Hillier Orgt Olb77 Barrie* nets rept. (It required by regulators)
PNPS 1997 ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS (NPDES PERMIT #MA 0003557)
PAGE5 h I h8 req
_NOV DEC _JAN FE 8_ MAR , APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FE.8 MAR, _APR MAY , JUN _
ZONE 12 - REPORT MONITORtHG PROGRAMS 0907 ,&17 NPDES permit semi-annual report prep. .
I l mrswi Printing final semi-ennual report un ,
I l im strn BECo tvw/ comment / approval of semi-ennual report M I I .ies Submit 97 semi-annual report to EPNMDEP/NRC O 0303 .et17 NPDES annual repcrt prep hoeireen i Printing final annual report a
! own osi BECo rvw/ comment / approval of annual report 8"'u t
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Table 1: PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION UNIT 1 CAPACITY FACTOR USING MDC NFT% (Roughly approximates thermalloading to the environment 100%=32 Degrees F A T) Month 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 January 92.1 99.1 98.8 99.0 96.6 95.4 99.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 79.5 54.0 0.0 98.0 0.0 February 99.4 96.3 72.5 96.7 99.4 88.9 97.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 97.7 59.3 0.0 90.0 0.0 March 99.3 74.4 70 i 83.2 80.4 84.6 30.0 10.7 0.0 0.0 26.9 81.8 0.0 97.3 0.0 April 75.9 0.0 63.3 6.4 53.5 92.7 5.4 10.5 0.0 0.0 11.9 90.8 0.0 89.7 44.1 May 98.2 0.0 94.5 0.4 97.8 0.0 77.9 4.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 94.3 0.0 97.3 80.1 June 94.3 65.1 97.2 77.5 97.8 0.0 96.3 16.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 85.0 0.0 66.2 87.5 July 95.3 95.7 97.6 80.3 97.4 0.0 55.1 28.6 0.0 0.0 ' O.0 96.9 0.0 80.5 97.2 August 92.3 97.7 88.2 86.9 97.4 28.5 94.5 50.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 96.5 0.0 83.1 75.7 September 51.4 96.7 0.0 84.8 94.1 96.4 21.6 52.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 71.4 0.0 86.5 68.3 October 94 0 94.3 0.0 98.0 72.8 94.2 98.7 30.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 95.4 0.0 79.0 39.9 November 94.9 99.5 0.2 80.0 13.7 23.7 96.8 66.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 88.1 0.0 78.6 88.9 December 97.7 98.8 87.7 94.8 65.2 98.1 94.5 77.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 99.1 0.7 18.1 87.1 ANNUAL % 90.5 76.4 65.2 74.0 80.6 58.4 72.3 28.9 0.0 0.0 17.5 84.4 0.1 80.3 56.0 CUMULATIVE CAPACITY FACTOR (1973 - 1996) = 53.6%
= OUTAGES > 2 MONTHS
* = NO CIRCULATING SEAWATER PUMPS IN OPERATION FROM 27 MARCH - 13 AUGUST,1984
= NO CIRCUL\ TING SEAWATER PUMPS IN OPERATION FROM 18 FEBRUARY- 8 SEPTEMBER,1987
= NO CIRCULATING SEAWATER PUMPS IN OPERATION FROM 14 APRIL - 5 JUNE,1988
= NO CIRCULATING SEAWATER PUMPS IN OPERATION FROM 9 OCTOBER - 16 NOVEMBER,1994
= NO CIRCULATING SEAWATER PUMPS IN OPERATION FROM 30 MARCH - 15 MAY,1995 radmisc/ chart M M M M M M M M M M M M
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!I SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT ON ASSESSMENT 7
AND MITIGATION OFIMPACT OF THE PILORIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION ON FINFISH POPULATIONS OF WESTERN CAPE COD BAY
- I Project Report No. 63 (January to June 1997)
By Robert Lawnn, Brian Kelly, Vir. cent Malkoski, John Boardman, Erin Casey, and Paul Nitschke I I I h n: *a-l 3 '
,F 5
I ' 4 i I 1 October 1997 Massachusetts Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Environmental Law Enforcement Division of Marine Fisheries I 100 Cambridge Street Boston, Massachusetts 02202 I I I
L TABLE OF CONTENTS { E sm- e. [ l Executive Summary 1 ll Introduction { 3 111. Methods and Preliminary Findings 4
- 1. Winter Flounder Population Study 4
- 2. Cunner Studies 6
- 3. Smelt Restoration 8 ,
( 4. Recreational Fishery 11
- 5. Observational Dive 11
[ - IV. Acknowledgments 12 { V Literature Cited 13 [ [ [ [ [ [- h ii [
I LIST OF FIGURES Figure page
- 1. Investigative area for rainbow smelt, winter flounder, 5 and cunner, January to June 1997 (not to scale). ,
- 2. Station locations forjuvenile cunner recruitment study 7 off Pilgrim Station,1997. l
- 3. Survey tool used by divers to estimate abundance of 8 juvenile cunner in the Pilgrim Station area.
- 4. Smelt egg density within Zones A & B of the Jones 9 River habitat enhancement area,1997.
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- 1. EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Winter Flounder Poontation Studv
- We contmued our study to characterire the local winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus) population.
Our objectives are to define the discreteness (fidelity to natal v. as) of the local population and to estimate its absolute abundance. Between 25 March and 21 Maf 1997, we completed 205 trawl tows wh a contracted commercial fishing - vessel, the F/V Frances Ehzabeth. A total of 30,180 winter flounder was sampled, of which about 7,500 were - taggcd Of 483 tagged fish recaptured during field sampling,418 were tagged in 1997,58 la 1996, and 7 from i
= 1994/95.
cunner simile. L
.We have studied the distribution and general movement patterns of adult cunner (Tautogolabrus
- odrpersus) off Pilgrim Station and have found them to be very residential in nature. We are now investigating
= this species recruitment dynamics. : Cunner were caught in the immediate vicinity of the outer breakwater at' .
= Pilgrim Station by baited fish' traps to generate catch per unit effort and length /ficquency data for population studies, and were released at the capture site. In June,2,469 cunner were sampled, of which 152 were kept for
- ageing. A total of 84 tagged fish was recaptured from those that had been marked over the previous four years.
~
. Demarcation and habitat characterization ef the three recruitment study sites were completed, while diving observations revealed that cunner settlement had not yet begun by the end of June.
Smelt Restoration To compensate for impingement of rainbow smelt (Osmerus-mordax) at Pilgrim Station, the
)
~ Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries was funded by Boston Edison Company for restoration work. The objective was to enhance the quality of spawning habitat in the Jones River, which hosts the major smelt 1
4 J 4 - - A .- 4+ + .m - I spawning run in the Plymouth area. We placed I88 egg collecting trays (filled with sphagnum moss);nto the Jones River to collect the naturally spawned eggs. Smelt egg deposition is higher on vegetation, and egg survival to hatchmg can be up to ten times higher on plant material than on hard bottom. I Recreational Fisherv Creel data for 42 sampling days were collected at the Pilgrim Station Shorefront to determine sportGshing success. Striped bass (Atorone saxatilis) and bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) were predominant in the catch. Observational Dive An observational dive was completed in the discharge area on 20 June. Visibility was poor because of dredgmg actiuty in the intake embayment. Approximately 40 striped bass,3 tautog (Tautoga onitis), and 24 cunner (one with a red t-bar anchor tag) were noted. No abnornnlities in appearance or behavior of the fish were eudent. I I. I I' ,
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- 11. INTRODUCTION
{ Ecological work in the marine environment off Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is being conducted to assess and remunerate for any negative impact of power plant operation. Investigations are being conducted by the Power Plant Team of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF), focusing on three key finfish species' populations (winter flounder, cunner, and rainbow smelt) in the nshore waters (coastal zone) oflower Massachusetts and western Cape Cod Bays. Funded by Boston Edison Company unu Purchase Order No. LSP007549 in 1997, this work is ongoing. In this half year report, methodology and progress on existing programs undcitaken &om January through June 1997 are discussed. Measurements, counts, indices, and vis-2al observations are used to report preliminay results and accomplishments through the first half of 1997. ( ( ( ( i ( 3 [ z
\
I Ill. METHODS AND PREllMINARY FINDINGS 1 WINTER FLOUNDER POPULATION STUDY E To assess the magnitude of impact oflarval winter flounder entrainment at Pil rim Station, we are studying winter Gounder. Our objectives are to define the discreteness (fidelity to natal w population and to estimate absolute abundance of adults. We again contracted a commercial fishing ve:ssel, the FN Frances Eheobcth, to sample wii t,oth for tagging purposes ar.d to estimate density. The study area exte,ded southeastward fro Marshneld to the Mary Ann buoy, Manomet, from nearshore (9.2 m MLW) out to the 36.6 m (MLW contour (Figure I). The trawl gear was different from that used in 1996,in that the net used last year I ses crely damaged during commercial Gshing operations a.nd had to be replaced. The replac I, Yankee otter trawl (21.9-m sweep and 15.8-m headrope, which had the same 15.2 em stretch mesh a mesh liner), it was fished with 12.8-m legs and 78.6-m ground cables. The trawl doers (#5 Bison doors of stect,(1.5 m X 0.9 m and 181 kg each). Warp length varied with depth of water fished, ranging fr 92.3 m. Despite changes in some of the gear dimensions, measurements made while fishing in door and net spread were approximately the same as in 1996. Winter Gounder were enumerated, measured (length), and assessed for sex and reproductive state kd (matunty) before bemg released near capture sites. In addition, flounder a 250 mm in length (TL) we veh blue Petersen disc tags. Data also were collected ca net geometry and the trawl distance of each will generate independent estimates of population size via mark and recapture and by an arca (density extrapolation). Between 25 March and 21 May 1997, we completed 205 trawl tows within the study area. Tow dura aseraged 30 minutes, while tow length averaged 1.2 km. A total of 30,180 winter flounder was which about 7,500 wcre tagged. Of the 483 tag returns we ol;tained during our field sampling,418 we Gsh,58 were fish at large one year, and 7 were tagged in the 1994-95 period. I I I
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-Figure 1. PNPS investigative area for rainbow smelt. V.SUO.
]
/ winter flounder, and cunner. January to Qb : June'1997-(not to scale). . - "I s
An in-depth analysis of recaptures will be undertaken when tag return data have been collected through the end of 1997 and will appear in the next annual repon, which will include information on movements, recapture locations, discreteness of the local population, and population estimates derived from both denWy estrapolation and mark and recapture techniques. I'1 2 CUNNER STUDIES I We have studied movements, home range, age, dirtribution, and abundance (relative and absolute) of g cunner in the vicinity of Pilgrim Station, with a past emphasis on their behavioral :esponse to the thermal discharge current. O cr the last several years, we tagged adult cunner with a Floy T bar anchor tag as part of our investigations. We are not tagging this year but are recording recaptures of previously tagged fish. To sarrple cunner, baited fish traps are fished overnight to optim!7e captures, in that cunner forage most actively at dusk and dawn All cunner are counted and measured for each trap haul, and sex is determined when possible, most ollen, I by external examination All fish are released at the site of capture. These data generate catch per unit efrort information, i e , catch per trop haul. To age cunner from the Pilgrim area is an ongoing objective. In addition, reemitment dynamics of cunner also are being examined as part of a larger efTort to assess entrainment impact of early life stages of cunner off Pilgrim Station. Fecundity by age, length and weight w as investigated for cunner off Pilgrim Station (Lawton et al 1996). The Adult Equis atency model is used to equate eggs and larvae entrained to equivalent adults. Our trapping efforts in June of 1997 resulted in the capture of 2,469 cunner in the immediate Pilgrim area, of which 152 were retained for ageing. We recaptured a total of 84 tagged Gh which had been marked over the previous four years: 12 from 1996,58 from 1995,1I from 1994, and 3 from 1993. Work will be ongoing throagh July to collect length / frequency, catch per unit effort, and recapture data. To address the relationship of recruits to population sir;, cunner settlement and recmitment are being imestigated for a third consecutive year. A SCUBA census of cunner reemit densities is again underws.y this 6 I I
t summer, with the goal of qJalitalisely assessing entramment impact at Pilgnm Station in order to Rocky Polni
-m a s [
peiform mier9 ear comparisons, we base adopted the \ Discharge pg,,. same Osed sampimg stutions (Figure 2) of the last two smon E\ , White Horso scars tLawton et al i996) Recruittnent is innuenced by s arung abuie factors. such as, w ater temperature which
* * * * * " Manomet Pi.
~"~
acts m a density independent manner, and by demographics We believe that several years of Figure 2. stath,n tm.tkins fue juvenii. cunn.r euruitmeni .iudy oil hignrn st.ikin,1997. comprehensn e data will be insightfut as to local cunner recruitment processes and pessibb power plant inten ention. The density of new recruits. (juveniles)is quanti 0cd at a site just off Pilgrim Station and at two other locations away from the power plant (Figure 2). All three sites have similar bottom substrate and are at approumately the same depth. The station near the plant is about 20 m southeast of the discharte canal. A second station is located 0 5 km northwest of Rocky Point, while the third is 1.5 km southeast, off White llorse { Beach Each site was 0xed by a mooring block and surface buoys. Ten 10-m by 1 m replicate band transects are es enly spaced at 36" inten als, radiating out from each mooring block. Following the procedures established in 1995 (Lawton et al.1996), we characterized the habitat at all three stations prior to beginning our comprehensive diver census in July liabitat was quantified by visual estirm i of percent composition of the dominant substrate, including afgal type, in each squ .rc and at each point intercept of a prescribed grid. Substrate categones encountered and recorded included sand, cobble, and filamentous, Deshy, and crustose macro algae. These categories were then grouped into structure (algae) versus nmstructure (sand and cobble) categHes, which will be statistically analyzed by chi square analysis. Boulders are not listed as a separate category because all are cavered with macro algae. Algal height and rugosity, i.e., an mdes of substrate structural complexity, also were que stined along each transect. 7
I Cunner recruits are visually enumerated while , I I I SCUBA dising along each of the 10 band transects per o station To ochneate width and length of a transect, a one meter wide t bar sampling tool, with attached 4 i Compees e compass and hnc reel with 10 m ofline (Figure 3), is
~~ E pushed ahead of the swim path by a diser, acting as Troneeot une #wl l- M**3 $ '
g naugator A second daer (the census taker) counts and
" '* W*
- 5 Figure 3. Luncy imi used t>y dam to estim ie t.unJana d records the number of cunner recruits uhh swimming jusende tunnet in me hignm Stein me.
abone and slightly m front of the nasigator, This position assures good visual coverage of the swath of the transect All counts are completed within a sampling day to limit temporal variability, At each station, underwater usibihty was measured laterally using a Secchi disk. Systematic samphng for recruits began in early July following the termination of this reporting period I (Jaricary to June 1997) Cunner settlement from the water colunm (pelagic larvac) to the bottom (benthic recruits) had not yet begun at our stations by the end of June. I 1 ihiELT RESTORATlON The go:.1 ofoiu 140 smelt project was to enhance the quantity of quality smelt spawning habitat in the Jones Rn er, the major smelt spawning tributary to Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury Bay (PKDB), the presumed ongm of the local smelt population impacted by Pilgrim Station (Figure 1). We placed 183 specially designed egg collectmg trays in a selected area of the known smelt spawning ground on the Jones River to collect the I naturally spawned demersal, adhesise smelt eggs by providing an ideal habitat for egg deposition and embryo des clopment Sphagnum noss fills the ita)s, prosiding a substrate that has interstices, which in turn, give the depositional matenal three dmiensions The moss represents a micro-environment that olTers protection for smelt dunns the egg stage, thus reducing ' egg turnover' (loss). Water can seep into the moss, to carry away metabolie 8 I I
l wastes and provide a continuous supply of oxygen to the eggs. Sphagnum has consistently collected higher egg sets than natural hard abiotic bottom. The smelt spawning ground in tir 'ones River is comprised largely of hard substrate (sand, gravel, and cobble). Endemic attached macroscopic aquatic vegetation, provides an ideal surface for egg attachment and development, but ( cunenses geaerally less than a quarter of the bottom area on that spawning ground. Sutta (1980) reported that snelt egg sursital to hatching was about 10% on veSetation but only 1% on hard surfaces. Our trays provided { ca an additional seven percent of plant material to the upper spawning area. Os erall smelt egg deposition in the Jones River. in 1997 was substantially down from last year. We estimate that about 90% of the upper spawning area (Zone A) was unutilized with no egg sets (Figure 4). This included the majonty of our i PS egg trays, which were emplaced there. Egg densities on natural substrate and on the egg collecting trays, correspondingly, were relatively light. Density counts on egg trays (obtained using square in;h counting screens) averaged 10 eggs pei square inch. om street Dam
, W h"
- The upper one third of Zone B had .\ = M "*** *'
- ne u. i patchy egg sets of moderate to light ='"*
densities. Areas containing more than LtLxts == 50 eggs per square inch would be ,, considered heavy sets,20 to 50 per
^
square inch, moderate, and less than
- 20. hght. Ilydrographic conditions in ,
zann
. iss.-
the Jones Rner were not especially Figure 4. sna ess e n.ay.ma ron A a u oro w. suv i.ww.we , 1997. fasorable this spring for successful { smelt egg production. Water temperatures were unusually cold, and numerous northeast storms resulted in a [ l hensy spnng freshet. There were also three trees down across the river, creating at least partial impasses to fish 9
I mmement upstream Two weic remmed this spnng The third is >ct to be addressed These factors likely hmited the number of spawmng fish entering this rner system The macro-algae spp., which had been puiblematic m past years, was again s cry abundant this year. Eggs that settled on the algae, as well as, eggs on the trays txtame entangled in the long hair hke plant filaments. We believe this entanglement reduces water flow to the eggs. uhich could hinder egg development and survnal The majority of smelt spaw ning appeared to occur before the algae prohferated, and we feel it did not hinder initial egg deposition. Although egg sets on the trays were light this year, many ects(elver stage) took up residence in the moss of the trays, which provides refuge. When the trays were re.noved from the river, aner smelt egg hatching, the moss contaming the elvers were emptied into the pond above the dam to facilitate the cels upstream passage to nurseiy areas In retrospect, these trays collect elvers and clTer promise for aquaculture pursuits in the future. Dunng the 1997 smelt spawnmg season, Ecl Ris er, Town Ilrook, and Smelt Brook (other known smelt spawmng tnbutanes m the PKDil estuarine complex) were inspected weekly for smelt egg production. We perused areas of known spawning activity based on past observations Town llrook and Smelt Ilrook appeared to have somewhat better egg production than last year; however, egg sets were generally light and sporadically krated oser the spawning areas, We did not Gnd any egg deposition in Eel River, although we observed some adults m this nyer. Spring storms apparently deposited large amounts of sand into this system which may have covered any egg sets A decline in smelt populations has been taking place throughout hiassachusetts Day and likewise in Quebec, Canada. Currently, smelt spawning is limited to only three tributaries on the south shore of Quebec (Brad Chase, personal communication)'. Causality for the wide-spread declines has not been verined. There are obvious problems associated with stonn water runoff, attendant seuimentation, end nutrient loading. These perturbatums degrade water quahty and the quahty of Spawning benthic habitat, thus negatively impacting smelt
' Brad Chase, hiassachusetts Division of h1arine fisheries, Annisquam River hiarine Fisheries Station, Goucester, h1A 01930
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- production beginning with the egg stage.
4 RECREATIONAL FISilERY Creel data from the sportfishery were collected from April to June by seasonal public relations' personnel of Boston filison Company at the Pilgrim Station Shorefront. Information was recorded in survey form fo. 44 sampimg days to detemtine sportfishing effort, catch by species, and areas where fish were landed. In reference to fishing locations, the major concentration of anglers was situated on the north and south dischargejetties bordering the thennal effluent canal. Between 20 Apnl and 30 June,1,283 anglers were interviewed at the Shorefront. The two predominant species sought were striped bass (Morone sarottlts) and bluefish (l'omatomus saltatrix), There weic 234 rccorded catches of these species during the survey.136 were bluelish and 98 were striped bass [86 sublegal and 12 legal b 28 inches TL)). Ilowever, other landings of sublegal striped bass were not recorded prior to the end of June; thus, the total catch of striped bass is under reported.
$- OBSERVATIONAL DIVE An obsers ational SCUBA dive was completed at the mouth of the pilgrim Station discharge canal on 20 June. Visibility was aceptionally poor (ca.1,5 m) due to suspended sediments carried through from the dredging actnity m the intake embayment. The divers noted approximately 40 striped bass, estimated to be between 30 and 40 cm in length (TL) All appeared healthy and were strongly motile. Three tautog (Tautoga onitish ca 30 cm TL, and 24 cunner (10 to 13 cm TL) also were noted. One cunner, observed at the seaward end of the southemmost discharge jetty, bore one of our red t.bar anchor tags; the tag number was not discernable. No abnormalities in appearance or behavior were observed among either labrid species.
1I-
I IV ACKNOW1.EDGhiENTS I We appreciate the guidance of Robert D. Anderson of Soston Edison Company, W. Leigh Bridges of the Division, and the Pilgrun Administrative-Technical Conunittee, speciGcally for their input on study programs. We also are grateful to numerous hiDhiF employees for assistance with our field sampling. I I I I I I I I I I I I
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I VI LITEitATURE CITED Lawton. R P . B C Kelly, V J. hialkoski, J. Chisholm, P. Nitschke, and J. Boardman.1996. Annual Report on Monitonng to Assess impact of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station on Selected Finfish Populations in Westem Cape Cod Bay (Vol 1). Project Report No. 60 (January to December 1995). In: hiarine Ecology Studies Related to Operation of Pilgrim Station. Senil Amiual Report No. 47. Boston Edison Company, ( Plymouth, h1A. Sutter, F. C.1980. Reproductive biolog of anadromous rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordar, in the Ipswich Bay area, hiassachusetts. h1 S. Thesis, Univ. of Mass., Amherst. 49 pp. l 13 -
I I FINAL SE511 ANNUALltEPoltT Number 50 I I 11ENTillC ALGAL S10NITOllING AT Tile l I PILGillA1 NUCLEAll POWEll STATION (QUALITATIVE TilANSECT SUltVEYS) January-June 1997 I l I to llOSTON EDISON COh1PANY Itegulatory Affairs Department Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station I Plymouth,51assachusetts 02360 lI From ENSit I 89 Water Street Woods llole,51A 02543 I (508)457 7900 I I io"'->*' I
TAllLE OF CONTENTS EX EC UT I V E S U M M A lt Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 1.0 I NT il O D U CT I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
- 2. 0 M E T i l O D S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 I 3. 0 It E S U LT S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.1 M AltCil 1997 TitANSECT SUltVEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.2 J UN E 199 7 TitA N S ECT S UllV E Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4.0 D I S C U S S I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
, 5.0 m 1El m UitE Ci u D........................................................... .
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Il I l I.lST OF FIGUltr.S l Figure 1. Location of I'llgrim Nuclear l'ower Station !)ischary,e Canal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Figure 2. 1)esign of the Qualitath e Transect Sun ey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Figure 3. I)enuded and Sparse C/mndrus zones Obsen cd in March 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 l
- Figure 4. f)enuded. Sparse, and Stunted Chondrur Zones Obsen cd in June 1997 . . . . . . . 8 i
l l I l I' I, I I' Il il I: I
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
This report presents results of qualitative surveys of benthic algae in the thermal effluent of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (PNPS) that were completed in March and June 1997. These investigations represent the most recent phase oflong-term efTorts to monitor efTects of the thermal elliuent on the benthic algal communities within and just offshore of the PNPS discharge canal. Field suney techniques were identical to those used in previous investigations. The undenvater profite of the jetties has changed somewhat over the years. Stomis have moved nme boulders away from thejetty to positions closer to the central transect line. For the sake of maintaining
- consistency in calculations of the area of the Chondrus denuded zone, the same base dimensions of thejetty that have been used in figures for this report for many years, are continued for the current surveys, llowever,
[ as a reminder that the condition of thejetty is by no means static, those boulders encountered by the divers near the 30 m and 40-m marks are indicated in the March figure. The qualitative transect studies performed to evaluate the Chondrus crispus community in the thermal plume area indicated ' hat in March 1997 the areas of the denuded (1662 m') and total afTected zones (2092 m*) were larger than in previous spring surveys (except for April 1996) when the plant was in operation, although only the denuded zone exceeded the historical baseline set in March 1991 by more than 15%. In June 1997, the areal dimensions of the denuded and total affected zones were dramatically larger than had been seen in previous summer surveys, exceeding the previous highs recorded in June 1996 and exceeding the historical baselines by more than 15%. In June 1997, the Chondran denuded zone (2505 m') was 37% larger than the June 1990 baseline (1835 m2) and the totally afTected 2 area (3972 m ) was 86% larger than the June 1990 baseline (2135 m2). As in rnany prior summer surveys (1990 and 1992 1996), a dense mat oijuvenile blue mussels (Afytilus cdulis) was seen throughout the monitoring area. Mussels settled after { the March sun ey but by June had grown to 3 20 mm in length and covered most of the totally affected area. He large Chondrus denuded and totally afTected zones observed in March and June 1997 may have been due to a combination of enormous numbers ofjuvenile mussels settling in the area during the spring, high water temperatures in Cape Cod Bay the previous September, and the high plant capacity in effect from July 1995 through January 1997 when the plant operated at over 92% capacity for seventeen out of nineteen months (mean = 88%). The increase in size of the Chondrus affected zones began to be noticeable during the October 1995 and February 1996 surveys which showed the largest affected zones for fall and winter since 1983, continued throughout 1996, and has continued for the spring and summer 1997 surveys. The station outage from mid-February to mid April 1997 seemed to have little effect on reducing the size of the Chondrus afTected area; this is not surprising due to the known lag in response time of this algal community to environmental changes (BECo,1986). 1
. .I
l I! 1,0 INTRODUCTION ) 1his report represents a continua: ion oflong-tenn (24 y r) benthic studies at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (PNPS) that are intended to monitor the effects of the thennal effluent. The 1997 qualitatise monitoring program is identical to that perfonned since 1980 and consists of SCUllA sun e> s of algal cos er in the thermal piume of the effluent within and beyond the discharge canal (l'igure 1). Suneys are , conducted quarterly durir g March, June, September, and December. This Semi Annual Report includes qualitatise obsenations recorded in March and June 1997. Work was perfonned under lloston Edison Co. (DECO) Purchase Order LSP007548 in accordance with requirements of the PNPS NPDES Permit No. M A 0003557. 2,0 METilODS 1he unalitative algal surs ey is performed by SCUBA divers in the same location and with the same tahniques that have been used since the present monitoring program began, approximately 16 years ago. The elliuent area is surveyed by two or three SCUl3A equipped biologists operating from a small boat. To ameliorate the effect of the powerful outflowing eurrent upon the divers it is critical that the survey occur near the time of high tide; the divers generally begin the survey at or within an hour of high tide and are finished an hour later. For the qualitative transect suney, observations are made along the axis of the discharge canal. A line is stretched across the mouth of the discharge canal (Figure 2). A weighted central a transect line (CTL), marked at 10-m intervals, is then attached to the center of this line and deployed along the central axis of the canal to a distance of 100 m offshore. Using a compass, divers extend a 45 m (increased from 30 m for the 1997 dive season) measuring line, marked at 1 m intervals, perpendicular to the CTL at each 10,n mark. A diver swims along this third line, recording changes in algal cover from the CTL through the denuded and stunted C/mndrus areas, until the algal cos er looks nonnal. The terminology established by Taxon (1982) and followed in subsequent years uses the growth morphology of Chondrm crispus to distinguish between
- denuded" and " stunted" zones. The denuded rone is the area in u hich Chondrm occurs only as stunted plants restricted to the sides and crevices of rocks. In this area, Chondrus is found on the upper surfaces of rocks only where the microtopography of the rock surfaces creates small protected areas, in the stunted zone, Chondrus grow s on the upper surfaces of rocks but is noticeably inferior in height, density, and fror.d development compared to plants growing in unaffected areas. In 1991 the divers began to discriminate between a stunted zone and a " sparse" zone. The sparse j rone is an area with normal looking Chondre plants that are very thinly distributed. The normal zone begins at the point where Chondrus height is fully des eloped and density reaches the arabient concentration.
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The dive team must keep in mind while taking measurements that the shallow depths nenhwest of the discharge er.nal hamper normal Chondria growth, in addition to evaluating algal cover, the divers record any unusual occurrences or events in the area, such as resuhs of unusually strong storms, and note the location cf any distinctive algal or faunal associations. 3.0 IESULTS Qualitative transect surveys of acute nearlield impact zones began in January 1980 and have been conducted quarterly since 1982. Two surveys were perfonned (March 28 and June 22)during the current reporting period, bringing the total number of surveys conducted since 1980 to 64. Results of surveys conducted from January 1980 to June 1983 were reviewed in Semi Annual Report 22 to DECO (BEco, 1983). A summary of surveys conducted between 1983 and 1996, including a reGew of the four suneys performed in 1996, was presented in Semi Annual Report No. 49 (BEco,1997). Detailed results of the mapping surveys conducted in March and June 1997 are presented in the next two sections. 3.1 M ARCll 1997 TRANSECT SUR\TX ) ) The denuded and sparse Chondria crhpsa areas mapped on March 28,1997, immediately offshore I of the PNPS, are shown in Figure 3. A large boulder that is nearly exposed at mean low water, and that is used as a landmark by both the ENSR and Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries dive teams, is plotted I in the figure. The denuded zone is essentially devoid of Chondria, whereas sparse zones have normal-looking Chondria that is thinly distributed. In March 1997, the Chondrea denuded and totally affected zonas were smaller than in spring 1996 but larger than measured during all other previous spring sun eys. The C8'ondrea denuded area (1662 m8) was 11% smaller than in April 1996 but 26% lt.rger than the previous spring maximum of 1321 m2 seen in March 1991. The typical asymmetrical distribution of the denuded zone around the central transect line was seen with a pronounced bulge to 27 m north of the CTL at the 50-m mark on the transect line; 62% of the denuded Chondran area was north of the transect line. At its furthest extent the denuded zone extended to 100 m along the transect line. The sparse Chondria zone measured in March 1997 (430 m8) was 25% sicaller than in April 1996 and well within the range (90 - 901 m3) encountered during prior spnng surveys. The sparse zone occurred only in a thin patch southeast of the denuded rone but was present as a solid band from the 50-m to the 90-m mark on the CTL The total affected area (2092 m') was one-third smaller than it had been during the previous survey in December 1996,14% smaller than in the 1996 spring survey, and 3% larger than measured in March 1983, the historical spring baseline for the total affected zone. 5
March 1997
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l The Chondria plants that occurred outside of the affected area were colorful and heahhy. l Gracilaria. an alga indicativv of w anner water, was seen within the discharge canal, along the entire transect line at the 40-m mark, and rarely onhe transect line at the 50-m mark. A variety of other algal spece.s weie j growing thickly along the 30 m and 40 m transect lines. A few Fucia plants weic observed between transects. Only very few individuals of the blue mussel, .$tihn cdulis, were seen; the spring set had not yet occurred. Other invertebrates obscried included a few starfish, Asteriasforbcsil, a mussel predator; the common periwinkle, Lhic ina littorca, and swarms of ampeliscid amphipods. No fish, crabs, or lobsters were seen. 12.JUNT 1991 TilANSI:CT SUllVI:Y W llesults of the divers' survey for June 22,1997 are mapped in Figure 4; extent of mussel coverage l is indicated by M's placed at the outside border of the mussal encrusted area. Low visibility caused by dredging activit!es within the intake area prevented the divers from sun' eying the innermost transect line at I 30-m on the CTL. A large set ofjuven le blue mussels appeared subsequent to the h1 arch 1997 dive and by June were 3 20 mm long and covered all rock, sand, and algal surfaces. Large mussels sets have been observed in many prior June surveys (e.g. every year, except 1991, since 1996 he Chondrus denuded and totally ofTected areas were larger this summer than observed during any past summer survey. The area (2505 m') of the denuded zone was 50% larger than that meastred in hiarch 1997,14% larger than that seen in June 1996, and 37% larger than the summer historical baseline of 1835 m8 observed in June 1990. The asymmetrical distribution of the denuded zone arourd the transect line, with more area denuded of Chondria nonh than south of the line during most surveys for the past six years, was not evident and was possibly obscured by the heavy mussel coverage. At its furthest, the denuded 7one extended out to the 130-m mark on the CTL but laterally only reached to 17 m from the transect line at the 90-m mark to the southeast, in addition to extending 15 m on both sides of the line at the 70 and 80-m mmks. The area occupied by sparsely distributed and stur,ted Chondrus plants (1467 m') was more than " three times as large (241%) than the sparse Chondrus area seen in hiarch 1997 (430 m') but was no more than 14% larger than the conservative measurement recorded for June 1996 (>l279 m'). There was a pronounced asymmetry in the distribution of the totally affected area, mostly due to a large area of stunted Chondria which extended nonhwest out to 40 and 45 m from the CTL between the 60-m and 80-m marks 2 The total affected atea (3972 m ) was the largest ever measured,90% largn than in hiarch 1997 and more than 86% larger than the historical summer baseline of 2135 m2 measured in June 1990, but as with the denuded and sparse and stunted zones was not more than 14% larger than the conservative area (>3473 m') recorded for June 1996. 7 l
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1 The algae Gracilaria spp. and Enteromorpha spp. were common along th; 40-m transect line. Some l Ulva lactuca was seen near the 70 m markt neither the ,ockweed, Fucia, nor the Leip, Laminaria spp. were noted. Dense patches (about 50/m 8) of the starfish. 4steriasforbesti, a mussel predator, were seen. Fish seen l included: winter flounder (Pleuronccics amcricanus) seen near tne distal end of the transst, striped bass (Morone satatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrit), and cunner (Tautogolabrus adspers. 3). Inyertebrates j observed included: rock crabs (Canccr sp.), green crabs (Carcinta macnas), and northern lobster (Humaria americanus). 4.0 DISCUSSION The configuration of the Chondria crhpra denuded zone that may extend more than 100 m beyond the discharge canal is readily apparent to SCUB A divers and is easily mapped for the qualitative transect survey. The stunted and sparse renes are somewhat less obvious but in March and June 199, were readily delineated. The areal dimensions of the Chondrus denuded and totally affected zones for the 1997 spring I survey were the second largest, aller those measured in the spring 1996 survey, that had been observed in earlier spring surveys when the power plant was in full or nearly full operation; however, only the area of I the denuded zone exceeded the historical baseline set in March 1991 by more than 15% The sizes of the Chondrus denuded and totally afTected zones for the 1997 June survey were the largest ever observed in any previous survey when the power plant was in full or nearly full operation; all measurements exceeded the historical June baselines by more thvi 15%. As has often been observed in previous summer surveys (e.g., every year since 1990 except for 1991), a dense mussel mat was present in jnne 1997; the juveniles settled after h1 arch 28 but by June 22 had reached 3 to 20 mm in length and covered most of the totally affected Chondrus zone. 5.0 LITERATURE CITED Boston Edison Co.1983, hiarine ecology studies related to the operation of Pilgrim Station. Semi Annual Repon No. 22. Boston, MA. Boston Edison Co 1986, hiarine ecology studies related to the ope:ation of Pilgrim Station. Semi Annual Report No. 27. Boston, MA. Boston Edison Co.1997, Marine ecology studies related to the operation of pilgrim Station. Semi Annual Report No. 49. Boston, MA. Taxon.1982. Benthic studies in the vicinity of Pilgrim Station. In: Marine Ecology Studies Related to Operation of Pilgrim Station. Semi Annual Report No.19. 9 w
L .. (. ICHTHYOPLANKTON ENTRAINMENT MONITORING AT PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION JANUARY - JUNE 1997 (. (- Submitted-to (- Boston Edison Company Boston, Massachusetts ( by Marine Research, Inc. (l Falmouth, Massachusetts October 1, 1997 { { (;
TABLE OF CONTEN'l-S SECTION P) Ctg ( I
SUMMARY
1 II INTRODUCTION 3 III METHODS AND MATERIALS Monitoring 4 [ Notification Procedures 7 Mesh Extrusion. 10 { IV RESULTS 14 (_ V LITERATURE CITED 20 APPENDIX A* Densities of fish eggs and larvas per 100 m8 of water recorded in the PNPS discharge canal by species and date, January-June 1997. APPENDIX B* Mean monthly densities and range per 100 a s of water for the dominant species of fish eggs and larvas entrained at PNPS, January-June 1982-1997.
*Available upon request.
LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE {_ 1 Entrainment sampling station in PNPS discharge canal. 5 h [ i [ f
I LIST OF TABLES i 1 PNPS ichthyoplankton entrainment notification l levels for 1997 by species category and month. l See text for details. 12 l 2 Species of fish eggs (E) and larvae (L) i obtained in ichthyoplankton collections I from the Pilgrin Nuclear Power Station discharge canal, January-June 1997. 21 3 Ichthyoplankton densities (number per 100 m8 of water) for each sampling occasion during months when notably high densities were recorded, January-June 1997. 23 I I I I I I I I I I 11 I I
SECTION I
SUMMARY
Entrainment sampling at PNPS during the first half of 1997 was completed on six occasions per month during January and February, scheduled for three times per week from March through June. Standard notting was 0.333-mm mesh except during the larval flounder season when 0.202 met.h was used. Sampling was not possible from mid-February through the first half of March as the station did not circulate condenser seawater during a portion of a refueling outhge. On four dates in late June-early July 0.333/ 0.202-mm mesh comparison samples were taken to study extrusion of cunner eggs and larvae. (Dual-mesh data will be presented in the annual report covering through the month of December.) A total of 30 species was represented in the January-June 1997 samples. Winter-early spring collections (January-April) were dominated by yellowtail flounder, fourbeard rockling, winter flounder, and American plaice among the eggs and rock gunnel, sand lance, and sculpin among the larvae. Collections completed in May and June, which combined with July compose the late spring-summer spawning season, were dominated by eggs of Atlantic mackerel and the tautog/ cunner group. At that time winter flounder, mackerel, and fourbeard rockling contributed the majority of larvae. Comparison of January-June 1997 egg and larval densities with those recorded from 1982 through 1996 suggested that fourbeard rockling and yellowtail flounder egga were relatively abundant in 1
I April 1997 as were Atlantic menhaden eggs in June 1997. Larval collections of rockling in May and winter flounder in May and June also showed high densitieu at that time. For menhaden 10 of 12 samples taken in June were considered unusually high relative to past years and three of those collections exceeded all previous June values. No larval lobsters were encountered through the month of June, a total of five having acen taken through that month dating back to 1974. I I I I I I I I 2 I I
SECTION II INTROPUCTION l This progress report briefly summarizes results of ichthyo-plankton entrainment sampling conducted at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (PNPS) from January through June 1997 by Marine Research, Inc. (MRI) for - Boston Edison Company (BEco) under l Purchase order No. LSP007550. As a result of studies completed in 1994, conversion from 0.333 to 0.202-mm mesh was initiated from late-March through late May 1997 to improve retention of early-stage larval winter flounder. Extrusion of young larval cunner was also a concern at PNPS based on -data gathcred from 1994 through 1996. Additional 0.333 and 0.222-mm mest. samples were therefore taken in June and July 1997 to improve that data base. A more detailed annual report covering all 1997 data will be prepared following the July-December collection periods. 3
SECTION III METHODS AND MATERIALS Monitoring Entrainment sampling at PNPS had historically been completed twice per month during January and February, weekly during March through June. Following a PNPS fisheries monitoring review workshop in early 1994, the sampling regime was modified beginning April 1994. In January and February during two alternate weeks each month single samples were taken on three separate occasions. Beginning with March single samples were taken three times every week. To minimize costs, sampling was linked to the impingement schedule so that collections were made Monday morning, Wednesday afternoon, and Friday night regardless of tido. All sampling was completed with a 60-cm diameter plankton net streamed from rigging mounted approximately 30 meters from the headwall of the discharge canal (Figure 1). Standatd mesh was 0.333-mm except from late March through late May when 0.202-mm mesh was employed to improve retention of early-stage larval winter flounder (Pleuronectos americanus). Sampling time in each case vbried from 8 to 30 minutes depending on tide, higher tide requiring a longer interval due to lower discharge stream velocities. In most cases, a minimum quantity of 100 m* of water was sampled although at astronomical high tides it proved difficult to collect this amount even with long sampling intervals since the not would not inflate in the low velocity near high tide. Exact filtration volumes were calculated using a General Oceanics Model 2030R digital flowmeter mounted in 4 I
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I the mouth of the net. Near times of high water a 2030 E2 rotor was employed to improve sensitivity at low velocities. Entrainment sampling was not possible from mid-February through the first half of March since both circulating water pumps were out of service during a refueling outage. Sampling from mid-March through mid-April was completed with one of two circulating seawater pumps.out of service as the outage continued. Sampling also sas not possible on April 2, April 18, and June 2 due to stormy seas. Sampling under such conditions results in such heavy detrital loads that processing the samples is all but impossible. (In the past when storm samples have been processed, ichthyoplank-ton has been uncommon.) During January and February when only six samples were scheduled, stormy and high-water periods were avoided to allow the best possible samples to be taken. As a result, three samples were not always taken during the same alternate week. All samples were preserved in 10% Formalin-reawater solutions and returned to the laboratory for microscopic examination. A detailed description of the analytical procedures appears in MRI (1988). As in past years, larval winter flounder were enumerated in four developmental stages as follows: Stage 1 - from hatching until the yolk sac is fully absorbed (2.3-2.8 mm TL). Stage 2 - from the end of stage 1 until a loop or coil forms e in the gut (2.6-4 mm TL). g Stage 3 - from the end of stage 2 until the left eye migrates past the midline of the head during transformation E (3.5-8 mm TL). E Stage 4 - from the end of stage 3 onward ( 7. 3-8. 2 mm TL) . 6 I I
Similarly larval cunner (T1utogolabrus adsporsus) were enumerated in three developmental stages: l Stage 1 - from hat:hing until the folk sac is fully absorbed (1. 6-2. 6 mm TL) . I Stage 2 - from the end of stage 1 until dorsal fin rays become visible (1.8-6.0 mm TL) . Stage 3 - from the end of stage 2 onward (6.5-14.0 mm TL) . Samplee; were examined in their entiriety for larval American lobster (Homarus americanus) . When collected these were staged following Herrick (1911). Notification Provisions When the Cape Cod Bay ichthyoplankton study was coupleted in 1976, provisions were added to the entrainment monitoring program to identify unusually high densities of fish eggs and larvae. Once identified and, if requested by regulatory personnel, additional sampling could be conducted to monitor the temporal and/or spatial extent of the unusual occurrence. An offshore array of stations was established which could be used to determine whether circum-stances in the vicinity of Rocky Point, attributable to PNPS operation, were causing an abnormally large percentage of ichthyo-plankton populations there to be entrained or, alternatively, whether high entrainment levels simply were a reflection of unusually high population levels in Cape Cod Bay. The impact attributable to any large entrainment event would clearly be greater if ichthyoplankton densities were particularly high only - close to the PNPS shorelins In past years when high densities were identified, additional entrainment sampling was requested by 7
Il I, regulatory personnel and the unusual der.sity in most cases was l found to be of short duration (<2 days). With the change in 1994 to Monday, Wednesday, Friday sampling the temporal extent of any unusual density can be more clearly discerned without additional , sampling effort. Until 1994 " unusually abundant" was defined as any mean density, calculated over three replicates, which was found to be 50% greater than the highest mean density observed during the same month from 1975 through to the current year. Restricting compari-sons to monthly periods damped the large seasor.al variation so readily apparent with ichthyoplankton, Starting with 1994 " unusually abundant" was redefined. On a month-by-month basis for each of the numerically dominant specier all previous mean densities over three replicates (1974-1993; to be updated each year) were examined and tested for normality following logarithmic transformation. Single sample densities obtained from 1994-1996 were added to the pool within each month. Where data sets (for example, mackerel eggs taken in June) fit the lognormal distribu-tion, then " unusually large" was defined by the overall log mean density plus 2 or 2.58 standard deviations.' Log densities were back-transformed to make them easier to interpret thus providing geometric means. In cases where data sets did not fit the
%rmal distribution curve theory states that 2.5% of the measurements in a normally distributed population exceed the mean plus 1.96 standard deviations
(- s, we rounded to 2 for simplicity), 2.5% lie below the mean minus 1.96 standard deviations. Stated another way 95% of the population lies within that range and 97.5% lies below the mean plus 1.96s. Likewise 0.5% of measurements excecd the mean plus 2.58s, 99% lie within the range of the mean i 2.58s, 99.5% 3 lie above the mean + 2.58s. g 8
lognormal distribution (generally months when a species was' frequently but_not always absent, i.e., many zeros occurred),.the
-mean and Standard. deviation was computed using the delta-distribu-tion -(see for example Pennington 1983). .The same mean plus standard deviation guideline was applied.
The decision to roly on 2 standard deviations or 2.58 standard deviations was based on the relative importance of each species. The more critical criterion was applied to species of commercial, recreational, or biological interest, the less critical t.o the 1 remaining species (i.e., relatively greater densities were i necessary to trigger notification). Species of comercial, recreational, or -biological interest include Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), Atlantic herring (Clupea harengua), Atlantic cod -(Gadus morhua), tautog and cunner (the labrids; Tautoga onitis/Tautogolabrus adspersus), sand 1ance (Ammodytt.s sp. ) , Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), windowpane (Scophthal-mus aquosus), American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides), and winter flounder. Table 1 provides summary data for each species of egg and larva by month within these two categories showing the 1997
-notification level.
A scan of Table 1 will indicate that, in cases where the long-term mean amounts to 1 or 2 eggs or larvae per 100 m* , the critical level is also quite small. This situation occurred during months when a given species-was obviously uncommon and many zeros were present in the data set with an inherent small standard deviation. The external- reference distribution methodology of Box et al. 9
s I I s (1975) was also employed. This procedure relies on a dotplot of all previous densities for a species within month to produce a reference distribution. Densities exceeding either 97.5 or 99.5% of the reference set values were considered unusually high with this procedure. Mesh Extrusion To potentially improve enumeration of cunner eggs and larvae in PNPS entrainment samples, preliminary sampling was conducted in 1994 to see if eggs and young larvae are extruded through the standard 0.333-mm mesh netting. The smallest stage 1 larvae were not, present in 1994 and slightly larger stage 2 larvae were uncommon. Additional paired sampling was therefore completed in June 1995 and June and July 1996. The sarapling in 1994 and 1995 . was completed by alternating nets on the sample rig while modifica-tion of the rig in 1996 allowed dual-mesh samples to be taken simultaneously. These mesh comparison studies indicated that, cunner eggs were retained at significantly higher densities in 0.202-mm mesh samples compared with 0.333 mesh. No statistically significant difference was detected for stage 1 or 2 cunner larvae although respective mean ratios of 1.10:1 and 1.28:1 were recorded. Dual-mesh samples were taken on four occasions in June and July 1997 to provide a second year of simultaneously streamed nets. On each occasion three pairs were taken for a total of 24 samples. As in previous years, dates were' selected based on previous samples and historical data to correspond to the likely period of occur-rence of small, early-stage larval cunner. All samples were taken 10 I I
near low water when velocity and . potential _ extrusion would be
. greatest, each collection eight to twelve minutes in duration.
-since flow rates-in the canal visibly vary across its width, the
. position of the nets was reversed between replicates to compensate for sampling position. Methodology followed that described for the routine sampling. Results of the mesh comparison work will be presented in the 1997 annual report.
l-f y-11 Q
I Table 1. PNPS ichthyoplankton entrainment notification levels for 1997 by species category and month. See text for details. Densities per Long-term Mean + Mean + 100 m3 of water: Mean8 2 std.dev. 2.58 std.dev. January LARVAE Atlantic herring2 0.2 1 Sculpin Rock gunnel 0.8 1.4 Sand lance 2 5 11 Febru m LARVAE Atlantic herring 2 0.1 0.8 Sculpin 2 65 Rock gunnel 3 99 Sand lance 2 16 29 March EGGS American plaice2 2 3 LARVAE Atlantic herring2 0.9 1.3 Sculpin 17 608 Seasnails 0.6 1 Rock gunnel 10.7 723 Sand lance2 7 164 g Winter flounder 2 0.4 0.7 g April EGGS American plaice 2 3 32 LARVAE Atlantic herring2 1 2 Sculpin 15 391 Seasnails 6 10 Radiated shanny 3 6 Rock gunnel 4 142 Sar.d lance 2 21 998 Winter flcur. der? 7 12 um EGGS I Labrids2 36 3514 Atlantic mackerel 2 18 4031 Windowpane 2 9 147 American plaice2 2 15 I 12 I l I
Table 1 (continued). ([ Densities per Long-term Mean + Mean +
~100-m*--of water: Mean'= 2 std.dev. 2.58 std.dev.
y -- __ LARVAE Atlantic herring. 0.7 .1.1 Fourbeard rockling 2 5 Sculpin 3 4 Radiated shanny 7 236 Sand lance 2 37 (' Winter flounder: 9 _59 123-Seasnails 7 208 J.ullt 4 EGGS !
-Atlantic menhaden 2 4 6
( Searobins 3 4 Labrids2 -958 21599 Atlantic mackeral: 63 3515 Windowpane2 27 261 {=, American plaice 2 1 2 LARVAE Atlantic menhaden 2- 6 10 Fourbeard rockling 9 634
.-Cunner 2 6 265 Radiated shanny 1 15 Atlantic mackerel 91 155
{.- Winter flounder 2 2 29-( 3 Geometric or= Delta Mean. 2 Species of commercial, recreational, or biological [ ' interest'for which a more-critical notification level will be used. ( L f '- -13 (L p .
1 i I SECTION IV RESULTS 1 Population densities per 100 m* of water for each r:pecies listed by date, station, and replicate are presented for January-June 1997 in Appendix A (available upon request). The occurrence of eggs and larvae of each species by month appears in Table 2. Ichthyoplankton entrained during January through April I generally represent winter-carly spring spawning fishes. Many of these species employ a reproductive strategy relying on demersal, adhesive eg g which are not normally entrained. As a result, more species are typically represented by larvae than by eggs. Over both life ss number of species represented in the catch increased . . 6 in January to 20 in April. Considering the season as a whole, 9 species were represented by eggs, yellowtail flounder (Pleuronectes ierrugineus), fourbeard rockling (Enchelyopus cimbrius), winter flcunder, and American plaice being numerically dominant. Yellowtail eggs did not appear in the collections until April at which time they represented 28% of the month's total with a geometric mean density of 5 per 100 m5 of water. Rockling eggs were taken in March and April, accounting for 6% and 21% of those respective totals with monthly geometric mean densities of 0.2 and 4 per 100 m8 of water. Winter flounder eggs were found in February, March, and April at respective geometric mean monthly densities of 0.2, 0.9, and 0.7 per 100 m' of water, densities which accounted for 23, 94, and 6% of those monthly egg totals. American plaice eggs 14 I I'
appeared in April when a geometric mean density of 5 per 100 m i accounted for 18% of the month's total. ( Winter flounder eggs, although among the winter-early spring dominants in 1997, are demersal and adhesive and not often entrained by water intake systems. Their densities in PNPS samples are therefore not considered representative of numbers present in the surrounding area. Those entrained were probably dislodged from the bottom by currents and perhaps the activities of other fish and { benthic invertebrates. f Larval collections during the winter-early spring season contained 20 species of fish. Numerical dominants included rock gunnel (Pholis gunnellus), sand lance, and sculpin (Myoxocephalus spp.). All three types of larvae were present in the collections throughout the season. Rock gunnel accounted for 27% of the ~~ January total with a geometric mean density of 1 per 100 m', 20% of the February total with a geometric mean of 5 per 100 m , 44*. of the i ( March total with a geometric mean of 52 per 100 m , and 7% of the 3 April total with a geometric mean of 5 per 100 m. 3 Larval sand lance actmunted for 36, 25, 24, and 51% of the four respective monthly totals with geometric mean densities of 1, 7, 43, and 52 per 100 m 3. Sculpin, a group actually consisting of three species, ( represented 36% of the January catch, 52% of the February catch, 30% of the March catch, dropping to 18% in April. Respective monthly geometric mean densities amounted to 1, 17, 14, and 17 per 100 m' of water. Among the three species of larval sculpirt the grubby (M. aenaeus) was most abundant over the season as a whole 15 L
l I! l 1 l accounting for 90% of the group total. The shorthorn sculpin (M. scorplus) followed at 7% and the longhorn sculpin (M. octodecem- 1 spinosus) at 3%. May and June collections (along with July) represent the late spring-summer ichthyoplankton seasonal period. Egg and larval densities, particularly among species with pelagic oggs, typically increase with expanding day length and rising water temperature. Considering both eggs and larvae, 14 species were represented in May, increasing to 20 species in June. Atlantic mackerel egge contributed most to the egg collections in May with a geometric mean density 21 per 100 m3 which accounted for 63% of the month's total. They ranked cocond in June, contributing 10% to that month's total with a geometric mean density of 14 per 100 m3 of water. Tautog/ cunner eggs ranked second in May, first in June. They contributed 26% to the May total with a geometric mean density of 20 per 100 m3 and 82% of the June egg catch with a geometric mean 3 density of 1,105 per 100 m. Larval collections during May and June as a whole were dominated by winter flounder, mackerel, and fourbeard rockling. Larval flounder accounted for 44% of the May total with a monthly geometric mean of 45 per 100 m) and 14% of the June total with a 3 geometric mean of 5 per 100 m. Atlantic mackerel contributed an additional 2% to the May catch, increasing to 36% in June; monthly geometric mean densities amounted to 1 and 16 per 100 m , respec-3 tively. Rockling densities showed geometric mean densities of 5 in May and 12 per 100 m3 in June, values which accounted for 11 and 16% 16 I I'
[ of those respective months' totals. Larval sand lance were also relatively abundant in May when a geometric mean density of 16 per 100 m' accounted for 18% of the month's- total. They declined sharply during the last week of May and contributed little to the June catch. As sand lance densities declined, larval cunner densities increased to the point where they accounted for 14% of the June total with a geometric mean densitiy of 10 per 100 m 3, Appendix B (available upon request) lists geometric mean { monthly densities along with 95% confidence limits for each of the numerical dominants collected over the January-June period dating back to 1982. Geometric means are reported because they more accurately reflect the true population mean when the distribution of sample values are skewed to the right as is commonly the case with plankton data. Generally low values obtained for both eggs and larvae during April-June 1984 and 1987 were shaded because low { through-plant water volumes during those months probably affected densities of ichthyoplankton (MRI 1994); shaded values were omitted from the following discussion. Entrainment data collected from 1975-1981 remain in an outdated computer format requiring conver-sion before geometric mean densities can be generated. These years were therefore-excluded from comparison. Because densities of each ichthyoplankton species rise from and fall to zero over the course , cf each respective season, inter-year comparisons are most conveniently made within monthly periods. A general review of the data through the first six months of 1997 suggests that most egg and larval densities were within the range of values observed over 17 1 I
the previou= 16 years. The following exceptions were noted; in each case densities were relatively high:
- Fourbeard rockling eggs were noted to be relatively abundant in April, their larvae relatively abundant in May. For rockling eggs the April 1997 geometric mean of 3.9 per 100 m3 was the highest yet observed, exciteding the previoun high of 2.1 per 100 m3 recorded in 1986. Similarly the geometric mean density of larval rockling in May 1997 (5.0 per 100 m) 3 exceeded all previous May values, the previous high being 2.4 per 100 m3 recorded in 1995.
- Eggs of the yellowtail flounder were also relatively abundant in April 1997. The geometric mean density for that month was 4.6 per 100 m3 , exceeding the previous high of 1.8 per 100 m 3 noted in 1983. Densities over the remaining 12 years (exclud-
- ing 1984 and 1987) ranged from 0 (1993, 1996) to 1.8 (1983) 3 per 100 n.
- The last notable densicy among eggs involved Atlantic menhaden which were relatively abundant in June 1997. A geometric mean of 20.3 per 100 m was recorded which exceeded all 3
previous values except that noted in 1989 (21.1 per 100 m )3 . Over the remaining 12 years values ranged from 0.3 (1992) to 3 3.2 (1996) per 100 m. The abundance of menhaden eggs was reflected in the notification program; " unusually high" densities were recorded on 10 of 12 sampling occasions. On June 11 (228 per 100 m ),3 June 20 (4 2 5 per 100 m 3) , and June 27 Il (228 per 100 m3 ) densities exceeded all previou June values 18 I' I
I (Table. 3) . Although - the overall- monthly mean for larval ' menhaden in June was not high relative to previous years, on [ three occasions. densities exceeded the notification level for that life stage also. These occurred on June 16 (12.5 per 100
-m), June 18 (26.3 por 100 m') and June 27 (19.1 per 100 m of 3 3 I
water); the' notification ' level was 10 per 100 m 2.
- Larval winter flounder densities averaged relatively high in May and June 1997. With a geometric mean of 45.3 per 100 m' May's geometric mean density clearly exceeded all previous May
( values which ranged from 3.5 in 1992 to 17.3 per 100 m3 in 1995. June's geometric mean of 4.9 exceeded all previous June
. values with the exception of 1996 (6.5 per 100 m') . Among the remaining years densities ranged from 0.3 (1983, 1988) to 3.7 per 100 m' (1993) . Consistent with=the high mean densities,
(_ larval winter flounder densities ex eeded notification levels for that species on one occasion in March, one occasion in [. . L April, and three occasions in June (Table 3). The single
- observation in March (10 per 100 m3 of water) exceeded 100% of all previous March values. Relatively hiQ densities from-March into - June suggests that flounder had a relatively
{ protracted spawning season in 1997. Although their respective monthly geometric mean densities
=
were unremarkable, two collections of larval sand lance exceeded the notification level for those larvae in May (Table 3). These 19 I . . ..
l occurred on May 2 (124.6 por 100 m') and May 9 (80.3 per 100 m') and Il surpassed 93 and 92% of all previous values for the month of May. No larval lobster were found in tha 1997 samples through the end of June. This is not atypical as only five larvae have been taken through the month of June dating back to 1974. I LITERATURE CITED Herrick, F.H. 1911. Natural history of the American lobster. Bulletin of U.S. Bureau of Fisheries 29:149-408. MRI (Marine Research, Inc.). 1994. Ichthyoplankton Entrainment Monitoring at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Staticn January-December 1993. III.C.1. lu Marine Ecology Studies Related to Operation of Pilgrim Station. Seni-annual Report No. 43. Boston Edison Company. Pennington, M. 1983. Efficient estimators of abundance for fish I and plankton surveys. Biometrics 39:251-286. I I 20 I I,
~ ~K ' 'M ~ E E E E E E E M M Table 2. Species of fish eggs (E) and larvae (L) obtained in ichthyoplankton collections from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station discharge canal, January-June 19r.7.
Species Jan Feb Mar Apr 5av June American eel Anguilla rostrata L L tlantkc menVaden Brevoortia tyrannus EfL Atlantic herring Clupea harengus L L L L [ L 8 Rainbou smelt Osmerus mordax Fourbeard rockling Encholyopus cimbrius E E/L E/L E/L l Atlantic cod Gadus morhua E L E/L L L ! Silver hake Merlucclus bilinearls L E/L Atlantic tomcod Microgadus tomcod L L Pollock Pollachius virens E E Hake Urophycis spp. EjL Lophius americanus EjL o Goosefish Northern pipefish Syngnatilus fuscus L Prionotus spp. E Searobins Grubby Myoxocephalus aenaeus L L L L L e Longhorn sculpin M. octodecemspinosus L L L L Shorthorn sculpin M. scorplus L L L Seasnail Liparis atlanticus L L L L Gulf snailfish L. coheni L E E E l Wrasses Labridae Tautog Tautoga onitis L Cunner Tautogolabrus adspersus L Radiated shanny Ulvaria subbifurcata L L
Table 2 (continued). Species Jan Feb Mar AOr May June Rock gunnel Pholis gunnellus L L L L L L Hrymouth Cryptacani.hodes maculatus L Sand lance Ammodytes sp. L L L L L L Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus E E/L E/L Hindowpane Scophthalmus aquosus ElL ElL EjL Hitch flounder Glyptocephalus cynogloscus E ElL American plakce Hippoglossoides platessoides E/L ElL ElL Hinter flounder Pleuronectes americanus E E/L E/L E/L L Yellowtail flounder P.'ferrugineus E E/L E E/L Number of species 6 10 13 20 14 20 U sum aus uns uma uma sus amu num amm aus mum .- 3. - sums smus
{ Tablo-3. Ichthyoplankton densitloc (numb 3r par 100 m* of water) for each sampling occasion during months when notably high densities.were recorded, January-June 1997. Densi-ties marked by + were unusually high based on values in Table 1. Number in parentheses indicates percent of all orevious values durinr1 tha_t_mRnth a which were lover. Winter flognder-larvaq' Sand lance larvae March 14-(- 17 0 0 May 2 5 124.6 + (93) 40.1 19 0 7 53.2 21 1.6/1.0 9 80.3 + (92) [- 24 0 12 18.8 26 0 14 16.7 28 0 16 57.9 (-_ 31 16.2/10.0 + (100) 19 26.0 21 10.6 Previous high: 8 (1982) 23 24.3 [ Notice levels Note: no sampling prior to 14th due to plant outage 1 2G 28 30 1.9 0.6 2.0 [ April 2 4 storm 0
,revious high:
botice level: 639 (1996) 59 7 17.0/10.5 [ 9 110 21.8/13.5 + (91) 0 14 2.9/1.8 16 0 ( 18 21 8.2/5.1 storm 23 13.3/8.2 25 14.9/9.2 { 28 8.5/5.2 30 17.3/10.7 ( Previous high: Notice level: 198 (1974) 12 June 2 storm {- 4 3.9 684.3 + (98) p 9 46.1 + (98) L 11 9.6 13 103.6 + (98) 16 0.7 18 2.8 { '._ 20 8.9 23 0 25 1.7 27 0 29 0.7 { Previous high: 154 (1996) Notice level: 29
'O.202 mesh densities adjusted _to 0.333 mesh. Both are shown as follows:- 0.202/0.333.
23 F - u
I' Table 3 (continued). I Atlantic menhaden g EGGS . LARVAE g June 2 stora 4 24.9 + (94) 0 6 27.3 + (94) 0 9 17.3 + (91) 0.8 11 227.8 + (100) 3.8 13 33.0 + (96) 1.6 16 13.9 + (90) 12.5 + (88) 18 2.8 26.3 + (92) 20 425.2 + (100) 4.4 23 19.2 + (91) 1.7 25 8.4 + (88) 0 27 227.6 + (100) 19.1 + (90) 30 0.7 6.4 Previous high: 116 (1994) 496 (1981) Notice level: 8 10 I 24 I
b:' [i c [.- [T ' [1 [: [ g APPENDIX A*. -Densities'of fish eggs and larvae per 100 28 of water recorded in the PNPS discharge canal by species-and date, January-June 1997. [. [
*Available upon request.
B [L D [i {-. [: [: [.. .
e L b E [ [ APPENDIX B*. Geometric mean monthly densities and 95% confidence { limits per 100 m* of water f ar the dominant species of fish eggs and larvae entrained at PNPS, January-December 1982-1997. Note the-following:
- When extra sampling series were required under the contingsncy sampling regime, results were included in calculating monthly mean densities.
Shaded columns for certain months in 1987 delineate periods when. sampling was conducted with only salt 1 (-_ service water pumps in operation. Densities recorded. at those times -were probobly biased low due to low through-plant water flow (MRI 1994). ($
*Available.upon request.
{. . [ E [i [ [ f
I B IMPINGEMENT OF ORGANISMS AT PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION (January - June 1997) I I I Prepared 'oy{/ , Robert D. Anderson Principtl Marine Biologist I I I I Regulatory Affairs Department Boston Edison Company I October 1997 I I I I 1 .. -
i a I' l I. I Herring I ? . Alewife smen i l l _ cunner I E55 sitversua . . cotntn nly I
- Y tmpinged species l
I I I I i I i l I 4
o TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 il
- Section Title Pace i
1
SUMMARY
1 2 INTRODUCTION 2 i i 3 METHODS AND MATERIALS S 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 7 4.1 Fishes 7
- 4.2 Invertebrates 7 4.3 Fish Survival 11 5 CONCLUSIONS 13
{ 6 LITERATURE CITED 14 l lI lI s is 1 1 ii
LIST OF FIGURES i i l Fiaure Paae I 1 Location of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station 3 2 Cross-Section of Intake Structure of Pilgrim 4 Nuclear Power Station i I I I I I I I I I
7 LIST OF TABLES Table Pace 1 Monthly Impingement for All Fis' Collected From Pilgrim Station 8 Intake Screens, January Jurie ,,,s/
-2 Species, Number, Total Length (mm), Weight (gms) and Percentage for 9 All Fishes Collected From Pilgrim Station impingement Sampling,
-January June 1997 -
-3 Monthly Impingement for All Invertebrates Collected From Pilgrim Station 10 Intake Screens, January June 1997
[ 4 Survival Summary for Fishes Collected During Pilgrim Station 12 Impingement Sampling, January-June 1997. Initial Survival Numbers { are Shown Under Static (8-Hour) and Continuous Wash Cycles [ E [ E E iv e
~
SECTION I
SUMMARY
Fish impingement rate averaged 0.85 fish / hour during the period January-June 1997. Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia), winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus), grubby (Myoxocephalus aenaeus), and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) accounted for 86% of the fishes collected. Initial impingement survival for all fishes from static screen wash collections was approximately 37% and from continuous screen washes 72% The coIIection rate (noihr.) for all invertebrates captured from January-June 1997 was 0.55. Sevenspine bay shrimp (Cranoon septemspinosa), common starfish (Astetias f.o_rbesi) and green crabs (Carcinus maenus) accounted for 59",o of the invertebrates innpinged. Mixed species of algae collected on intake screens amounted to 1,009 poundr,. The relatively high fish impingement rates from January June 1993 (2.58), 1994 (3.34), 1995 (4.36),1996 (3.32) and 1997 (0.85; not as high because of extended outage) reflect circulating water pumps operating regularly during most of these periods, and high numbers of silversides impinged in early spring of each year. The invertebrate impingement was not as reflective of increased intake flow. The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station capacity factor was 59% from January June 1997. SECTION 2 INTRODUCTION Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (lat. 41'56' N, long. 70'34' W) is located on the ne thwestern shore of Cape Cod Bay (Figure 1) with a licensed capacity of 670 MWe. The unit has two circulating water pumps with a capacity of approximately 345 cfs each and five service water pumps with a combined capacity of 23 cfs. Water is drawn under a sliimmer wall, through vertical bar racks spaced approximately 3 inches on center, and finally through vertical traveling water screens of 3/8 inch wire mesh (Figure 2). There are two traveling water screens for each circulating water pump. This document is a report pursuant to operational environmental monitoring and reporting I requirements of NPDES Permit No. 0003557 (USEPA) and No. 359 (Mass. DEP) for Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1. The repcrt describes impingement of organisms and survival of fishes carried onto the vertical traveling water screens at Unit 1. It presents analysis of the "elationships among impingement, environmental factors, and plant operational variables. This report is based on data collected from screen wash samples during January June 1997. I I I I I I 2 I
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Figure 2: Cross-section of Antake structure of Pilgrim Nuclear Power I Station. I I I I 4-I
SfFQllON 3 METHODS AND MAIERIALS Three screen washings each week were performed from January June 1997 to provide data ( for evaluating the magnitude of marine biota impingement. The total weekly collection time ( was 24 hours (three separate 8-hour periods: moming, afternoon and night). Two collections represented dark period sampling and one represented light period sampling. At the beginning I of each collection period, all four traveling screens were washed. Eight hours later, the screens were again washed (minimum of 30 minutes each) and all organisms collected. When screens were being washed continuously, one hour collections were made at the end of the { regular sampling periods, and they represented two light periods and one dark period on a weekly basis. Water nozzles directed at the screens washed impinged organisms and debris into a sluiceway that flowed into a trap. The trap wr.s made of galvanized screen (3/8-inch mesh) attached to a removable steel frame and it collected impinged blota, in the screenhouse, shortly after being washed off the screens. Initial fish survival was determined for static (8 hour) and continuous screenwash cycles. Variables recorded for organisms were total numbers, and individual total lengths (mm) and weights (gms) for up to 20 specimens of each species. A random sample of 20 fish or invertebrates was taken whenever the total number for a species exceeded 20; if the total collection for a species was less than 20, all were measured and weighed. Field work was conducted by Marine Research, Inc.
Intake seawater temperature, power level output, tidal stage, number of circulating water pumps in operation, time of day and date were recorded at the time of collections. The I collection rate (#/ hour) was calculated as number of organisms impinged per collecting period divided by the total number of hours in that collecting period. All common and scientific names in this report follow the American Fisheries Society (1988,1989,1991a and 1991b). I I I I I I I I I I I I I
+
I
SECTION 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Fishes in 262 collection hours,223 fishes of fifteen species (Table 1) were collected from Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station intake screens during January June 1997. The collection rate was l 0.85 fish / hour. Atlantic silverside (Menid.ia i menidia) was the most abundant species accounting for 55.2% of all fishes collected (Table 2). Winter flounder (Pleuronecies americanus), gurbby (Myoxocephalus aenaeus), and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) accounted for 15.7, 8.5 and 6.3% of the total number of fishes collected. Atlantic silverside were impinged in highest numbers dunng April. These were primarily adult fish that averaged 96 mm total length. Winter flounder and rainbow smelt were mostly impinged in April, and grubby impingement was greatest in January. The January June 1997 fish impingement rate was within the range from the same period in 1989-1996, when rates varies from 0.52 (1990) to 4.30 (1995). Rates increased the past nine years compared to the 1988 rate (0.30), and this is possibly attributable to greater circulating water pump operating capacity from 1989-1997 and higher silverside impingeme' . w mbers, in general, in the springtime period. 4.2. Invertebrates in 262 collection hours,145 invertebrates of 13 species (Table 3) were collected from Pilgrim Station intake screens between January June 1997. The collection rate was 0.55 invertebrates / hour. Sevenspine bay shrimp (Cranaoa septemspinosa), common starfish (Asterias forbesi) and green crabs (Carcinus maenus) accounted for 35.9%,11.7% snd 11.7%, respectively, of the total number of invertebrates enumerated. 7-
I Table 1 - Monthly Impingement for All Fishes Collected from Pilgrim Station intake Screens, January - June 1997 Speice . _ Jan. Feb. March Apnl May June Total Atlantic silverside 17 10 12 78 5 1 123 Winter flounder 3 1 2 29 35 Grubby 10 1 1 5 2 19 Ranbow smelt 3 10 1 14 Alewife 6 1 7 Blueback herring 4 1 5 Tautog 3 1 1 5 I Lumpfish 4 4 Windowpane 2 1 3 Little skate 1 1 2 White perch 2 2 Atlantic herring 1 1 Atlantic tomcod 1 1 Cunner 1 1 White hake 1 1 I Totals 43 13 16 137 12 2 223 Collection Time (hrs.) 44 27 54 54 47 36 262 Collecuon Rate (#hr.) 0.98 0.48 0.30 2.54 0.26 0.06 0.85 I I J-j1997. doc I
( Table 2 Species, Number, Total Length (mm), Weight (gms) and Percentage ( For All Fishes Collected From Pilgrim Station Impingement Sarnpling, January -June 1997 ( Length Mean Weight Mean Percent Of Spelcies Number Range Range Range Weight Total Fish f Atlantic silverside 123 68 125 96 18 4 55.2 Winter flounder 35 49-80 63 16 2 15.7 Grubby 19 51 93 69 1 10 5 8.5 Rainbow smelt 14 77 127 109 2 10 6 6.3 Alewife 7 81 272 127 - - 3.1 Blueback herring 5 90-169 111 3-29 10 2.2 Tautog 5 50-78 60 2-8 4 2.2 Lumpfish 4 42-62 56 3 10 7 1.8 Windowpane 3 70-94 81 49 6 1.3 Little skate 2 245-483 364 - - 0.9 White perch 2 101 101 11 11 0.9 Atlantic hernng 1 40 40 0.3 0.3 0.4 Atlantic tomcod 1 123 123 13 13 0.4 Cunner 1 102 102 - - 0.4 White hake 1 240 240 75 75 0.4 9 j ji997. doc
I Table 3 - Monthly Impingemerit for All Invertebrates Collected from Pilgrim Station I Intake Scree.1s, January - June i997 g Speicies Jan. Feb March Apnl May June Total Sevenspine bay shrimp 12 5 8 23 3 1 52 Common starfish 4 3 10 17 Green crab 4 1 4 2 0 17 Nudibranchia 12 1 13 Rock crab 4 1 1 2 4 12 American lobster 2 4 4 10 Nereis sp. 1 1 1 3 6 Horseshoe crab 3 2 5 Green sea urchin 3 1 4 Longfin squid 3 3 Blue mussel 2 2 Lady crab 1 1 2 Nemertea sp 2 2 ' i atals 30 22 12 36 13 32 145 Collection Time (hrs.) 44 27 54 54 47 36 262 Collection Rate (#hr.) 0.68 0.81 0.22 0.67 0.28 0.89 0.55 I I I j-ji997. doc I
The collections of sevenspine bay shrimp occurred primarily during April, starfish and green crabs in June. In 1989 from January June, blue musse's and mussel predators dominated impingement, possibly due to the lack of effective macrofouling controls that year. Only ten sp6cimens of the commercially important American lobster were captured which is much lower ( than in recent years, and even as far back as 1990 and 1991 when 10 and 21 were recorded, respectively, for the same time frame. Approximately 1,009 pounds of mixed algae species were recorded during impingement sampling, or 3.9 pounds / hour. Like the January June, 19891997 fish impingement rates, the algal impingement rates for these years were notably higher than reco ded for the same p3riod in 1988 when lower circulating water pump operation was evident. 4.3 Eish survival Fish survival data collected while impingement monitoring are shown in Table 4. Static screen wash collections provided high numbers of fishes and revealed good impingement survival rates for some species, including winter flounder. Continuous screen wash collections had relatively higher survival rates, although fewer fishes were sampled. [ [ f _
I Table 4 - Survival Summary for the Fishes Collected During Pilgrim Station lmpingement Sampling, January June 1997. Inlital Survival Numbers g are Shown Under Static (8-Hour) and Continuous Wash Cycles a Number Collected Number Survivina Total Lenath (mm) Static Cont. Speicles Washes Washes Static Cont. Mean Range Atlantic silverside 114 9 28 3 96 68 125 Winter flounder 19 16 18 16 63 49 80 Grubby 14 5 9 5 69 51 93 Rainbow smelt 9 5 0 3 109 77-127 Alewife 2 5 0 5 127 81 272 Blueback herring 5 0 1 - 111 90-169 I Tautog 3 2 3 0 60 50-78 Lumpfish 1 3 1 1 56 42-62 Windowpane 1 2 1 2 31 70-94 Little skate 1 1 1 1 364 245 483 White perch 0 2 - 0 101 101 Atlantic herring 1 0 0 - 40 40 Atlantic tomcod 1 0 1 - 123 123 Cunner 1 0 1 - 102 102 I White hake 1 0 0 - 240 240 All Speicies 173 50 64 36 Number (% Surviving) (36.9) (72.0) I 12-j-ji997, doc I
SECTION 5 CONCLUSIONS
- 1. - The average Pilgrim impingement rate for the period January-June 1997 was 0.85
{ fish / hour. The collection rate was notably lower in 1988 than in 1989 - 1997, possibly due to more circulating water pump capacity during the latter years.
- 2. Fifteen species of fish were recorded in 262 impingement collection hours,
- 3. The major species collected and their relative percentages of the total collections were Atlantic silverside, 55.2%; winter flounder,15.7%, grubby, 8.5%; and rainbow smelt,6.3%.
- 4. The hourly collection rate for invertebrates was 0.55 with sevenspine bay shrimp (35.9%),
common starfish (11.7%) and green crabs (11.7%) dominating the catch. Ten American lobsters were caught. Impingement rates for invertebrates were higher and nlgae lower for this period in 1988 (minimum circulating water pumps operating) than in 19891997.
- 5. Impinged fish survival was relatively low overall during static screen washes compared with continuous screen washes.-
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I SECTION 6 LITERATURE CITED American Fisheries Society.1991a. A list of common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. Spec. Pub. No. 20:180 pp. l 1991b. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States I and Cs'ada: cnidaria and ctenophora. Spec. Pub. No. 22: 75pp. l i 1989. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States I and Canada: decapod crustaceans. Spec. Pub. No.17:77 pp. 1998. Comnlon and scientific names 01 aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: mollusks. Spec. Pub. No.16:277 pp. l I l 1 I I I I I Radmisc/impgJ J l I I I A I JAe % mnaeca n/A .>.>a cA a.>e m s{;f &hp4 s 'lhhion <f . (farine .S>4viho l IMWJ wp
.me/ dhitakte C/rhr A.muel , ilc/ rw.m PHILIP G. CoATES 63 7 N OR Fax: 500 563 5482 I
MEMORANDUM To Membera of the Administrative-Technical Committee, Pilgrim Power Plant Investigations Erin Casey, Recording Secretary I FROM: SUBJ ECT: DATE: Pilutes from the 87th meeting of the A-T Committee July 2, 1997 I The 87th meeting of the Pilgrim A-T Committee was called to order by Gerald Saal at 9:43 A.M., on June 18, 1997. I. tiinutes of the 86th Meetina Jack Paar motionet to include subcommittee minutes in the semi-annual report. Bob Maletta seconded the motion which was I passed unanimously. Bob Maietta motioned to accept the minutes from the 85th A-T Committee meeting; Jack Paar seconded. The minutes were accepted unanimously with no changes. II. Comeetitive Biddina on Fisherief Monitorino Contract I The comnittee discussed competitive bidding of the fisheries contract for 1998. Bob Lawton pointed out that the sum of the contract money paid to the Division of Marine Fisheries is included I in the minutes of A-T Committee meetings, and competing contractors would know this. Bob discussed the need for the fisherles subcommittee to scope cut the werk to be done before beginning the bid process. Gerry Szal asked if the Fisheries Subcommittee had a I recommendation concerning competitive bidding. Carolyn Griswold stated that the subcommittee recommended going with the current contractor in order to maintain the high level of quality work. g Leigh Bridges asked for Boston Edison Company's position on W competitive bidding. Bob Anderson stated that the primary reason
; for sending the fisheries contract out to bid is that fisheries lm monitoring is the most expensive of the environmental programs, and ig
~ the company is looking to reduce costs. Jack Paar stated that the committee should review bids, scopes of work, and bidders' previous work done on a similar scale. He also mentioned a potential I conflict of interest with Bob Lawton on the fisheries subcommittee. Bob Anderson requested that the A-T Committee send a letter to the company detailing any recommendations. Leigh Bridges stated that II l
I l S the Division of Marine Fisheries has decided to bid on the contract E and can no longer participate in Fisheries Subcommittee discussions of the matter due to conflict of interest. Bob Andersor, stated g i that he would prepare the scope of work and bid specs to g potentially be sent out in early July. C)ntractors would then have 30 days to reply. Jack Paar motioned to forward ideas and requirements on scope of work from the A-T Committee to Boston Edison Company in a formal letter. The committee discussed developing scope work and the bid package. 3 Jack Paar motioned to have a subcommittee meeting without the g Division of Marine Fisheries present. The purpose of this meeting would be to develop a scope of work to be forwarded to Boston Edison Company. Bob Anderson clarified that the fisheries subcommittee wanted to be involved in develeping the secpe of work and reviewing the proposals. Leigh Bridges stated that if Mike Scherer was going to bid on the fisheries contract, he shouldn't 3 participate in the fisheries cubcarcittee meeting either. The 3 committee discussed further conflict of interest and the bidding process. Gerry Szal reviewed the motion for the oubcommittee to meet shortly to develop a scope of work. The motion passed unanimously. Bob Anderson stated that the fisheries subcommittee had to meet as soon as possible in order to mail out the scope of work in early July. Jack Paar recommended reviewing the response to the bid packages before the contract is awarded. Gerry Szal said that he would send a fax and a hard copy of the letter on 1998 marine fisheries bidding to H.V. Oheim. Gerry Szal reviewed the motion to send a letter to Boston Edison Company. Bob Lawton seconded it. Bob Maietta amended the motion to include in the letter that the A-T Committee is not in favor of putting the contract out to bid, g Jack Paar stated that the committee is not assuming authority over 3 competitive bidding, but they only have concerns about the quality of the product. Martha Mather seconded the amendment. Leigh a Bridges pointed out that this would mark a historical change in the functioning of the A-T Committee. The committee went on to discuns 5 the contents of the letter to be sent to Boston Edison Compan'/. Jack Paar stated that what is written in the letter should in no l way be construed that the committee is favoring or protecting the W Division of Marine Fisheries. Gerry Szal agreed to draft the letter and send it to several committee members for review. Gerry g called for a vote on sendina the lettr~ to Boston Edison Company. g Bob Anderson abstained. All other members were in favor, and the motion passed. Martha Mather, Carolyn Griswold, Jack Paar, Bob Maletta and Bob Anderson agreed to a Fisheries Subcommittee meeting on Monday, June 23 at 9:30 A.M. to develop a 1998 marine fisheries a scope of work and recommend monitoring efforts for 1998. I 2 I s I I
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- UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
$* National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
$,%c.... on ,/. NATCNAL t,uAlt.'E OEHEAlf.6 SE AVCE Northeast Fisheries Science Center Narragansett Laboratory 28 Tarzwell Drive Narragansett, RI 02882-1139 July 7, 1997 MEMORANDUM FOR: PNPS Tech al Advisory Committee FROM: D ru n Gri Caroly% . 'M6D old Chair, Fisheries subcommittee
SUBJECT:
1997 Pilgrim Station Program Fisberies Monitoring Marine Fisheries Proaram The Fisheries Subconn. . tee of the TAC met on 23 June 1997 at the Upper Blackstone Pellution Abatement District in Millbury, Massachusetts. Griswold (NOAA/NMFS), Bob Maietta Voting members present were R. Anderson (BECo), C. (liASS DEP), Martha Mather (UMASS), Jack Paar (USEPA) and Rick Zero ta (MASS CZM) . The Subcommittee developed a scope of work for the marine fisheries monitoring program. If the marine fisherica program is to be bid on, the scope Proposal in early will July. go out to selected contractors as a Request for The Subcommittee will rcconvene in mid-August 1998. to review the proposals and to recommend a contractor for Imoinaement and Entrainment The Impingement Program will remain the same as for 1997. Mike k Schererforwill net catches continue to evaluate the .333 and .202 mm mesh cunner. same as that for 1997. The Entrainnent Program will remain the Barrier Net;, { The barrier net will be left out again for the remainder of 1997 and 1998. l It is recommended that the MASS DMF make routine l estimates of any migratory fish left in the dischargo canal or plume 1997. after the natural fall migration period, i.e., December, { If there is a plant shutdown and a subsequent fish mortality attributed significance, to thermal it shock or any other PNPS-related mortality of This is another reason for the is possible thatplant BECo would be assessed a penalty. possible in April instead of winter. to schedule any outages, when I h enmea cn neenieo rarer N
I Q1her Fecemmendations As in the past, the Fisheries Subcommittee strongly recommends that the current project contractors (Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries and Marine Research, Inc.) be renewed on a sole source basis. The Subcommittee does not want to possibly compromise the environmental programs since the present long-term contractors have each provided hig.1 quality work during the life of the PNPS, l I' I I Il I I I I l I I l l I I I I l I \______ -
( III. Pilcrim Station 1996-1997 ODerationn1 Review Bob Anderson reported on the current Pilgrim 11uclear Powee Station (PNPS) operational status to the committee. The plant operated at approximately 90.5% capacity for 1996. This was the best production ever. There were no refueling outages and only one maintenance outage. In 1997, mid-February to mid-April there was a refueling outage. The outage was only supposed to be approximately forty days but the main transformer blew and had to be replaced, extending the shutdown. Bob also reviewed dredging status in the Intake. Dredging was not allowed from April 1 to Juna 15, as required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Jack Paar asked what testing was required. Bob reported that dredging has convened and vill occur 5 to 6 days a week until mid-July. Boston Edison company is licensed to dredge 68,000 yd*, but plan on removing 30,000 yd initially. 3 IV. Imoincement Monitorino Bob Anderson presented the impingement data. The overall impingement rate was about 3 fish per hour, with an estimated 27,000 total impinged fish. There were no significant individual impingement incidents in 1996. The Atlantic silverside was the [ most abundant species at 60%. Bob noted that the initial survival l rate for silversides was 72%. Bob Lawton asked about sufficient sample size used for survival estimates. V. Marine Fisheries Monitorina Bob Lawton presented the fisheries monitoring results. He mentioned that 1996 was a cooler year overall. Bob explained that egg trays were deployed into the Jones River to collect the demersal, adhesive smelt eggs. Unfortunately, very few adults came into the river to spawn. Resulting egg densities were very low on both the trays and natural bottom. Bob noted that his project had caught ripe smelt in Cape Cod Bay while trawling in April of this year. Bob also mentioned his involvement with the Jones River Watershed Association. He cesaribed water quality problems in the Jones piver and explained that this could result in low egg survival. Gerry Szal recommended looking into federal grants to receive funding for improving water quality. The committee discussed the role that the burgeoning striped bass population may play in the depletion of the local smelt population. Bob then presented the winter flounder work. His tagged winter flounder with Petersen disc tags to determ. project no the discreetness of the population. By the end of 1996, they had received 3% returns of fish tagged. They tagged 7,500 fich in 1997 within the study area defined by Eric Adams'(M.I.T.) report. Bob 3
1 1 explained that returns from the commercial sector may not be complete. Bob Maietta said that the fisheries subcommictee would discuss tag return incentives.
!Jo xt , Bob discussed his cunner work. To address P!JPS impact on cunner, DMT is continuing Paul !Jitschke's work on recruitment.
Mike Scherer described how he estimated impact on cunner. Bob pointed out that all three sample cignto were a magnitude lower in recruit densities than in 199L. Jack Paar introduced the idea of conditional mortality to estimate the impact of the plant. Mike Scherer also mentioned tracking year class strength with the help of Brian Xelly. The committee went on t.o discuss the availability of prey species. VI. Benthic Monitorina Isabelle Williams presented the results of the Benthic Monitoring Program. SCUBA surveys were donc quarterly to map the impacted bottom area. Isabelle explained that the Benthic subcommittee requested notification if the denuded zone was greater than 15% of past maxima. She developed a historical baseline ending with 1995 data. Isabelle explained that the greatest effect of the thermal plume was probably due to current. She summarized that the affected area was greater than they had soon in the past, and it coincided with greater plant production. The committee discussed the impact of current and temperature. Bob Anderson put forth a request on behalf of Boston Edison Company to acok at the frequency of sampling. Bob suggested reducing the sampling to twice a year. Jack Paar suggested that the Benthic Subcommittee E g discuss the purpose and long-term goals of the monitoring. Isabelle noted that the divers did not obrerve the alga Phyllonhora. Bob Maietta proposed that a goal of the 1998 benthic monitoring may be to determine if Phv11ochora is present in the area. I VII. Entrainment Monitorina Mike Scherer explained that they were still using the protocol they adopted in April of 1994. Sing.le samples were taken three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Samples were collected with a .333 mm mesh plankton net. However, f ro.n late March to late May, sampling was done using a .202 mm mesh to limit extrusion of winter flounder larvae. Mike mentioned that not clogging was a problem this year. Atlantic herring and mackerel eggs and larvae increased, as well as winter flounder larvae. The committee discussed the ef fects of a mild winter on larval abundance. Mike explained that the question that still remains is should the .202 mm mesh should be used for cunner. Jack Paar asked about the possibility of multigenerational assessment. Mike reported that there were no g lobster larvae found in 1996. He also explained the high 3 4 I I
7 entrainment notification program. If levels are greater than a I i pre-determined number of standard deviations f rom the longterm mean for a species, Bob Anderson is notified and he reports this ' information to Mass. DMP. Mike reviewed the adult equivalency estimates for winter flounder, cunner and mackerel. He passed out graphs of adult equivalents for the years when calculated as a measure of PNPS impact. ( VIII. Marine Fisheries and Benthic Subconnittees l The Benthic Subcomnittee agreed to hold a conference call ir July to recommend the 1998 monitoring effort. The fisheries subcommittee agreed to meet Monday, June 23 at 9:30 A.M. in Millbury to discuss a marine fisheries competitive bid scopo of work for 1998 and recommend monitoring activities. IX. The meeting adjourned at 2:35 P.M. ( k
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I P t A-T Committee Meeting Attendance June 18, 1997 - Gerald Stal, Chairman Mass. DEP, Grafton I Robert Anderson Boston Edison Company ' W.Leigh Bridges Mass. DMF, Boston 3 Carolyn Griswold NMFS, Narragansett Rtbert Lawt n Mass. DMF, Pocasset Robert Maiet'.a Mass. DEP. Grafton Martha Mather UMass, Amherst Jack Paar U.S. EPA, Lexington Michael Scherer MRI, Falmouth Isabelle Williams ENSR, Falmouth Erin Casey Boston Edison Company Recording Secretary 4 l I i I: ll . l g, I I I
PILORIM HUCLF.AR POWER PLANT ADHINISTRATIVE-TCCHN! CAL COMMITTEE MAY, 1997
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Robert D. Anderson Nicholas Prodany Doston Edison company U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Region 1, Industrial Permits Section 600 Rocky Hill Road JFK Federal Building Plymouth, HA 02360-5599 Boston, MA 02203 (508) 830-7935 (617) 565-3587 FAX (508) 830-8575 Rick teroka W. Leigh Bridges MA coastal gone Hanagement MA Division of Marine Fisheries 100 cambridge Street, Floor 20 State office Building Boston, MA 02202 100 cambridge Street (617) 727-9530 Boston, MA 02202 (617) 727-3194 Gerald Stal DEP-Division of Watershed Management Carolyn criswold 627 Main Street, 2nd Floor National Marine Fisheries Eervice Worcester, MA 01608 28 Tartvell Drive (508) 767-2789 Harragansett, RI 02882 (401) 782-3273 --------------------------------- John chisholm oTHER CONTACTS HA Division of Harine Fisheries 50A Portside Drive Dr. James Blake Pocasset, MA 02559 ENSR Consulting and Engineering (508) 563-1779 89 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02543 Robert Lawton (508) 457-7900 MA Divisionlof Marine Fisheries FAX (508) 457-7595 50A Portside, Drive Pocesset, MA 02559 Derek Mcdonald (508) 563-1779 x 118 Marine Biofouling control corp. Robert Haiotta DEP-Division of Watershed Hanagement Dr. Michael Scherer 627 Main Street, 2nd Floor Marine Research Inc. Worcester, MA 01608 141 Falmouth Heights Road (508) 767-3793 Falmouth, HA 02540 Dr. Hartha Mather Dr. Jan Praeger MA coop Fish & Wildlife Unit U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Holdsworth Hall Environmental Research Lab University of Hassachusetts 27 Tarzwell Drive Amherst, MA 01003 Narragansett, RI 02882 (413) 545-4e95 (401) 782-3090 Dr. 2*n Hiller Steve Halterman U.L. 55vironmental Protection Agency DEP-Division of Watershed Management En*Jironmental Research Lab 627 Hain Street, 2nd Floor 27 Tarewell Drive Worcester, MA 01608 Harragansett, RI 02882 (508) 849-4003 (401) 782-3090 Jack Paar U. S. Environmental Protection Agency New England Regional Lab Surveillance and Analysis 60 Westview Street Lexington, MA 02173 (617) 860-4604
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