ML20212B729

NPDES Noncompliance Notification:On 990811,two Seals Were Recovered.State of Decomposition Indicates That Seals Were Entrapped Prior to Installation of Seal Barriers.Results of Seal Necropsy Performed by New England Aquarium,Encl

ML20212B729
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	09/10/1999
From:	Hart J NORTH ATLANTIC ENERGY SERVICE CORP. (NAESCO)
To:	Lamontagne G MASSACHUSETTS, COMMONWEALTH OF
References
AR#99011952, LIC-990347, NUDOCS 9909200225
Download: ML20212B729 (7)

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North ,

North Atlantic Energy Service Corporation P.O. Box 300 I

df}811f10 Seabrook, NH 03874 (603) 474-9521 The Northeast Utilities System i September 10,1999 LIC-990347 l

AR # 99011952 l Mr. Gregg LaMontagne National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Region One Blackburn Drive Gloucester, MA 02173 ,

Seabrook Station j Seal Entrapments-August i1,1999  ;

l North Atlantic Energy Service Corporation (North Atlantic) hereby submits the enclosed report of two )

harbor seal entrapments at Seabrook Station on August 11,1999. This report is submitted in accordance j l with Paragraph 6(i) of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Letter of Authorizatiod to take a small number of seals incidental to intake cooling water system operations at Seabrook Station. The results  ;

of the seal necropsy performed by the New England Aquarium are also enclosed. l The two seals were recovered on August 11,1999. The state of decomposition indicates that the seals were )

entrapped prior to installation of the seal barriers. North Atlantic notified the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of these entrapments pursuant to Paragraph 6(f) of the NMFS Letter of Authorization. The Environmental Protection Agency was also notified per their request'.

If you have additional questions, please contact me at (603) 773-7762.

Very truly yours, NORTH ATL NTIC NERGY SERVICE CORP.

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hn B. Hart h nager-Environmental Compliance f an i Industry Relations

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1 NMFS Letter of Authorization dated July 2,1999, from H. Diaz-Soltero (NMFS) to T. Feigenbaum (North l Atlantic) 9 2

Notifications of seal entrapments, telecon by R. Sher (North Atlantic) to S. Sandorf(NMFS) and J. Palmer ,h (EPA)on August 11,1999 EPA letter dated June 17,1999, " Offshore Intake Seal Deterrent Barrier Design," from L. Murphy (EPA) to J. Hart (North Atlantic) ,

9909200225 990910 PDR ADOCK 05000443~

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Nitional Marine Fisheries Services LIC,-99347 / Page 2 l cc (with Enclosure) l i

TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Mr. Jeffrey Andrews AGENCY: 5 NH Dept. of Environmental Services ML Joy Palm 6i e re NPDES Permit Compliance Section Concord,NH 03302 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1 Congress Street, Suite 1100 Mr. Robert Estabrook Boston, MA 02203 NH Dept. of Environmental Services "I*' "

SEABROOK ECOLOGICAL ADVISORY Cn rd, 11 03302 COMMITTEE:

Mr. John Nelson Dr. John Tietjen, Chairman NH Fish and Game Department 134 Palisade Avenue 225 Main Street Leonia, NJ 07605 Durham,NH 03824 Dr. W. Huntting Howell Ms. Clare McBane, Ph.D. 12 James Farm l NH Fish and Game Department Lee,NH 03824 225 Main Street Durham, NH 03824 Dr. Saul Saila 317 Switch Road Mr. Frederick Gay Hope Valley, RI 02832 I U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Dr. Bernard J. McAlice 1 Congress Street, Suite 1100 270 Foster Road i

Boston, MA 02203 Round Pond, ME 04564 Mr. Damien Houlihan

. Dr. Robert Wilce U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Department of Biology 1 Congress Street, Suite 1100 g ;g g ; ,

Boston, MA 02114-2023 .

Um.versity of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003 Mr. Jack Paar Environmental Protection Agency NORMANDEAU ASSOCIATES 60 Westview Street Lexington,MA 02173 Mr. Paul Geoghegan Normandeau Associates, Inc.

Mr. Eric Hutchins 25 Nashua Road National Marine Fisheries Service Bedford, NH 03110 Northeast Region ou ter h A 1 30 AW AWAMM Mr. Greg Early New England Aquarium Resource and Rehabilitation Central Wharf Boston, MA 02910 ,

N1tional Marine Fisheries Services

. LIQ-99347 / Page 3 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY l COMMISSION )

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Document Control Desk Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 )

Mr. J. T. Harrison -

Senior Project Manager Division of Reactor Projects U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 Mr. H. J. Miller  !

Regional Administrator, Region 1 )

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 NRC Senior Resident inspector NAESCO PO Box 300 Seabrook,NH 03874

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ENCLOSURE TO LIC-99347 l

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+- SEABROOK STATION SEAL ENTRAPMENT INCIDENT REPORT s .

AUGUST 11,1999

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Site of Entrapments and Date ofInitial ' Seal 1: Screen wash debris.

Obse:vation (Recovery Date):

Seal 2: Service Water Pumphouse Forebay Both seals observed and recovered on August 11,1999.

Species ide'ntification: Both harbor seals.

Description / Condition of Seal: Seal 1: Young-of-the-year female. Weight about 45 pounds.

' Carcass decomposed. Jaw bone recovered on 7/26/99 was from this seal.

Seal 2: Young-of-the-year. female. Weight of partially decomposed carcass about 30 pounds.

See more detail in the attached New England Aquarium necropsy reports.

Reporter: Ron Sher, Senior Scientist Last Seal Observation: A seal was recovered on July 26,1999. An incident report was submitted to the NMFS *.

Recent Fish Impingement: About 4,000 fish were impinged during the period Aug.1-11,

- 1999, including about -4,000 pollock (mostly 5-6 inches).

Seabrook Station Environmental Monitoring Contractor has also observed large numbers of similarly sized pollock in area waters. Stomach contents of one seal contained some remains

. of gadids (fish family including cod, pollock and haddock).

Cooling WaterIntake Temperature at 53*F i

' Approximate Time of Entrapment:

Plant Power Level at Time of Entrapment Seabrook Station was operating at 100 percent power. l

' Discovery: i

' ' ' North Atlantic letter LIC-99333, dated August 24,1999," Seal Entrapment-July 26,1999," J. Hart (North Atlantic) to

-- G. LaMontagne (NMFS) -

f SEABROOK STATION  !

SEAL ENTRAPMENT INCIDENT NECROPSY REPORT I

Accession Number: MH-99-671 Py (Revised report)

Site ofImpingement: Seabrook Station Screen Wash Trench '

Date Seal was identified and Recovered: 7/26/99 (skull bone recovered), 8/l 1/99 (carcass recovered)

Date Transported: 8/6/99,8/27/99 by: New England Aquarium truck Date Examined: 8/6/99 (bone identified), 8/30/99 (carcass examined) by: G.Early-New England Aquarium Species: liarbor seal BriefHistory: bone recovered from screen wash matched to skull of seal recovered 8/27/99 Circumstantial Information: recovered at same time (7/26) as (MH-99-670-Pv) and MH-99-680-Pv (8/l1)

Description / Condition: dry, clean bone and decomposed carcass Sex: F Weight: 45 lbs (aprox)

Standard Length: 81 cm (aprox) Ft. Flipper: 16 cm Blubber thickness: 1.5 cm Rear Flipper: damaged Axially Girth: 59 Gross

Description:

clean bone from very young (neonate?) and decomposed carcass (rear flippers and pans of skull missing)

Significant Gross Pathology or Trauma: none seen Stomach Contents: several small otoliths (gaddoid)

Samples Saved: otoliths Furtner Analysis: stomach content i.d.

l Comments: right maxilla from young (neonate?) harbor seal pup. No teeth present. As no other decomposed seals of this size hav

- been recovered recently, and bone does not match recently recovered bones, this appears to be a young seal that was not recovered until completely decomposed. If seal was quite young it is likely that it would sink and decompose rapidly.'"

(Revised report)

Recovered bone fit missing piece of skull of this animal, Seal appeared to be average condition young-of-the-year seal pup.

Although this seal was young, it was not as young as previously expected. Advanced decomposition limits analysis, however, no significant parasites or disease were noted.

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. SEABROOK STATION SEAL ENTRAPMENT INCIDENT NECROPSY REPORT Accession Number: MH-99-680-Pv Site ofImpingement: Seabrook Station Service Water Forebay Date Seal was identified and Recovered: 8/11/99 Date Transponed: 8/27/99 by: NEAq truck Date Examined: 8/30/99 by: G.Early-NEAq Species: liarbor seal BriefHistory: last seal recovered 8/l 1/99 (MH-99-671 Pv)

' Circumstantial !nformation: water temp 60*

Description / Condition: code 4. (advanced decomposition), frozen after recovery, partial carcass of young harbor seal Sex: F Weight: 30 lbs Standard Length: 85 cm (est) Ft. Flipper: damaged Blubber thickness: 1.Sem em (est) Rear Flipper: damaged Axially Ginh:- damaged Gross

Description:

Partial carcass (headless thorax, missing rear flippers and abdominal organs) no significant external lesions seen (decomposed).

Significant Gross Pathology or Trauma: decomposed Stomach Contents: none Samples Snved: none Further Analysis: none Comments: seal appeared to be a young-of-the-year harbor seal. Advanced decomposition limits further analysis. May have been dead a month or more prior to recovery.

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