ML20314A046
| ML20314A046 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Columbia  |
| Issue date: | 11/09/2020 |
| From: | Briana Grange NRC/NMSS/DREFS/ELRB |
| To: | |
| Briana Grange 301-787-4665 | |
| References | |
| Download: ML20314A046 (2) | |
Text
Meeting with the National Marine Fisheries Service and Energy Northwest Regarding Columbia Generating Station Fish Entrainment Characterization Study November 9, 2020 TELECONFERENCE DATE November 4, 2020 PARTICIPANTS U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Briana Grange, Conservation Biologist & ESA Consultation Coordinator National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
Lynne Krasnow, Fish Biologist Jeffrey Brown, Hydraulic Engineer Energy Northwest Kip Whitehead, Environmental & Regulatory Programs Brad Barfuss, Environmental & Regulatory Programs Manager BACKGROUND On March 10, 2017, the NMFS issued a final biological opinion related to continued operation of Columbia Generating Station (Columbia) under renewed license no. NPF-21.1 The biological opinion contains an incidental take statement (ITS) that allows for the incidental take of Upper Columbia River steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Upper Columbia River spring-run Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) at levels specified in the ITS and subject to compliance with Reasonable and Prudent Measures and Terms and Conditions (T&Cs).
Several T&Cs concern the conduct of entrainment studies, as follows.
o T&C 2(a): Pursuant to NPDES [National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System]
Permit No. WA002515-1 (EFSEC 2016), Energy Northwest must prepare and conduct an entrainment study consistent with the content requirements in 40 CFR 122.21(r)(9).
o T&C 2(b): Pursuant to NPDES Permit No. WA002515-1 (EFSEC 2016), if the final entrainment study report, or any other monitoring, indicates significant entrainment of listed species, Energy Northwest must prepare an engineering analysis, including costs and benefits associated with replacement of the intake structure consistent with approvable design criteria.
1 Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML17072A036.
NMFS and Energy Northwest were provided an opportunity to review and comment on this teleconference summary prior to its finalization.
o T&C 2(d): Energy Northwest and NRC shall meet with NMFS within 12 months of finalizing the report for each study to discuss the findings and any potential recommendations for the next NPDES permit, if needed.
Pursuant to these T&Cs, Energy Northwest commissioned Anchor QEA, LLC to perform an entrainment characterization study. Researchers performed two seasons of fish entrainment monitoring from mid-March to mid-September in 2018 and 2019.
On February 26, 2020, Energy Northwest submitted a final entrainment characterization study report to the State of Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, NMFS, and NRC.2 Energy Northwest intended this report to satisfy T&C 2(a) of the ITS.
MEETING NOTES Mr. Whitehead presented the methods, materials, and results of the entrainment characterization study to the NRC and NMFS.
During the two-year study (754 hours0.00873 days <br />0.209 hours <br />0.00125 weeks <br />2.86897e-4 months <br /> of monitoring), four fish were entrained:
o 2 salmon spp., presumed to be fall-run Chinook salmon (one in 2018 and one in 2019) o 1 torrent sculpin (Cottus rhotheus) (2019) o 1 pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) (2018)
For Chinook salmon fry, total seasonal entrainment was estimated to be 12 fish per season (90% confidence interval (CI90) = 0 to 150).
No steelhead were entrained, indicating a very low risk of entrainment for Upper Columbia River steelhead.
Because the study did not indicate significant entrainment of listed species, Energy Northwest was not required to prepare an engineering analysis pursuant to Columbias NPDES permit or T&C 2(b) of the ITS.
NMFS and NRC agreed that the meeting fulfilled the requirements of T&C 2(d).
FOLLOW UP ACTIONS None3 ATTACHMENTS Meeting Slides Docket No.: 50-397 ADAMS Accession No. ML20314A046 2 ADAMS Accession No. ML20059K319.
3 See also NMFSs November 6, 2020, email to Energy Northwest confirming no follow up actions (ADAMS Accession No. ML20314A045).