ML20081D367

NPDES Noncompliance Notification:On 830919,reactor & Turbine Manually Tripped Due to Fish Kill in Intake Embayment Which Clogged Travelling Screens.Caused by Upwelling of Low Dissolved Oxygen Waters.Task Force Established

ML20081D367
Person / Time
Site:	Calvert Cliffs
Issue date:	09/30/1983
From:	Bauereis E BALTIMORE GAS & ELECTRIC CO.
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
References
NUDOCS 8311010156
Download: ML20081D367 (6)

Text

• BALTIMORE GAS AND ELECTRIC CHARLES CENTER . P.O. BOX 1475 BALTIMORE. MARYLAND 21203 ELECTRIC ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT September 30, 1983 Region 1 USNRC 631 Park Avenue King of Prussia, PA 19406

Dear Sirs:

According to Appendix B-Part II to Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-53 and DPR-69 Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, the Environ-mental Protection Plan Section 4.1 unusual fish kills are to be reported.

Also according to Regulatory Guide 10.1 Appendix A. No.181 Nonroutine Environmental Operating Report requires notification within thirty days of the event.

On September 19, 1983 Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 reactor and turbine were manually tripped due to a large impingement episode which clogged travelling screens. A more detailed explanation is given in the attached report to Maryland Office of Environmental Programs.

If you have any questions regarding this report, please call me at 301/23h-6533 Sincerely, Eliz eth I. Bauereis, PhD Senior Biologist EIB/few Attachment ec: Document Control Desk L

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TO: Mr. John Veil \

Office of Environmental Programs -

FROM: Elizabeth I. Bauereis, PhD '

SUBJECT:

Impingement Episode at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, September 19, 1983 According to the NPDES permit (MD0002399) for Calvert Cliffs Nuclear

Power Plant under I. Special Conditions, H. Intake Monitoring, any impinge-ment episode sufficiently large to cause modification to plant operations is a reportable event. At 5:04 a.m. on September 19, 1983 CCNPP Unit 1 reactor and turbine were manually tripped due to a fish kill in the intake embayment which clogged the travelling screens. The fish involved were primarily Atlantic croaker, Micropogon undulatus. After shudown six (6) fifty-five -

gallon drums of fish were removed 4from Unit 1 vaterboxes and two (2) barrels of fish from Unit 2 vaterboxes. A f 1-Dissolved oxygen profiles performed at CCNPP on September 19, 2de-and 21 (see attached letters from Academy of Natural Sciences dated 9/21/83) m 7 showed dissolved oxygen values lyss than 3 0 ppm at 20 feet depth one mile t ~,(' s ('

off shore from CCNPP (indicative of stratification) and less-than 3 0 ppm - ~ ' ~

g at 10 feet depth at the plant) curtain vall. . The upwelling of low dissolygd oxygen waters when fish are in the intake embayment . is undoubtedly the source of the problem. The low rainfall and high temperatures also exacerbated the problem. .

TheElectricEngigeeringDepartmenthasestablished'ETaskForceto-investigate precise causes and possible ' cures for this fish impingement. It is considered a serious problem and timely steps are being taken to deal -o it.

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? THE ACADEMY OFNATURAL SCIENCES OFPHILADELPHIA

DENEDICT ESTUARINE RESEARCH LABORATORY 4/{W/g s esseoier, umana~o accia . Tateewome (son 274 3i34 September 21, 1983

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s Dr. Elizabeth Bauereis Baltimore Gas and Electric Company g P. O. Box 1475, Room 920 Baltimore, MD 21203 4

Dear Bette:

Dissolved oxygen profiles at Calvert Cliffs were constructed on 19, 20 '. and 21 September after, reports of dead fish on the rotating' screens. Below are listed the values obtained on these dates. In general the deep water was quite low in dis-solved oxygen, a condition similar to that which occurred on 31 8 August and 7 September. West or south-west winds move surface water (with its higher oxygen levels) offshore and deep, higher salinity anoxic water upwells and is drawn into the plant.

Fish which have moved into the embayment area in large numbers during times of good water quality and have been trapped are killed and impinged on the screens. Weather forecasts for colder windy conditions should help. reduce the possibility of such incidents. ,

c l'ncerely, gc/ L George be

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l DO Sal Temp 9/19/83 Intake (1-mi offshore)

Surface 4.6 mg/l 15.7 /oo 24.5*

5' 4.3 16.3 24.1 10' 4.4 16.2 24.0 15' 4.4 16.3 24.0 20' 2.7 16.6 24.0 25' 1.6 17.9 24.2 30' l.1 18.3 24.6 35' O.5 19.2 24.5 40' O.25 19.7 24.9 9/19/83 Intake (Curtain wall)

Surface 3.6 16.6 24.9 5' 3.2 16.9 24.7 10' 3.0 16.6 24.1 15' 3.0 16.6 24.2 20' 3.0 16.8 24.2 25' 2.9 16.7 24.2 30' l.7 17.9 24.3 35' O.75 18.1 24.6 40' O.20 19.8 24.6 9/20/83 Intake (1-mi offshore)

Surface 4.9 15.9 24.1 5' 4.9 16.0 23.8 10' 3.7 16.1 23.7 15' 2.9 16.5 23.8 20' 2.6 16.6 24.2 25' l.9 17.4 24.4 30' l.7 17.3 24.3 35' l.5 17.5 24.3 40' l.7 17.7 24.2 9/20/83 Intake (Curtain wall)

Surface 2.8 17.1 24.7 5' 2.8 16.8 24.7 10' 2.9 17.1 24.7 15' 3.1 16.5 24.5 20' 3.1 16.9 24.2 25' 3.0 16.9 24.5 30' 3.0 17.1 24.4 35' 3.0 16.7 24.6 40' 2.9 17.2 24.5 43' O.8 18.5 24.5

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, Curtain 2.5 16.5 24.4 5' 2.4 16.1 24.4 10' 2.4 15' 2.4 1

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W//' l THE ACADEMY OFNATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA DENEDICT ESTUARINE RESEARCH LABORATORY

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• TELEPHONE (301) 274 3134 September 21, 1983 MEMO TO: G. Fuhrman, E. Bauereis FROM: M. Hirshfield !/f [g

SUBJECT:

Large Impingements at Calvert Cliffs i

A special impingement sample was taken at Unit 1 between 11:30 and 12:00 noon on 19 August. Only 3 circulators were operating; approximately 75 dead croakers were recorded in the thirty-minute sample. This is a relatively small number, compared to some recent impingement samples. Regular impinge-ment sampling at midnight and 2:00 a.m. on 21 September yielded very few fish, and was in no way noteworthy.

It would appear that major fish kills or impingement events result after large numbers of fish move into the intake embayment, presumably during periods of reasonable water qual-ity. When water containing low dissolved oxygen levels moves into the embayment, following periods of offshore winds, the trapped fish are either killed or are impinged when attempting to escape the low-quality water. Note that further fish kills do not seem to occur until the next period of offshore winds, apparently because the fish do not return to the intake embay-ment until the dissolved oxygen levels improve.

RESEARCH/ MUSEUM / EDUCATION