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Mitigating for Cooling Water Intakes – Is the Estuary Enhancement Program of DE Bay Working?
Carpenter Environmental Associates, Inc. Ralph E. Huddleston, Jr. Greg Fleischer
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Salem Nuclear Generating Station
Delaware River Estuary (RM 50) Two Nuclear-Powered Units Once Through Cooling Systems Once Through Cooling Systems
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Once-Through Cooling System
12 Intake Bays Permit to Withdraw– Billion GPD ≈ 1,050,000 GPM or 1% of Tidal Flow Fish & Aquatic Organisms Entrained Impinged Over 3 Billion Fish Killed Per Year
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Table 3-1 1998 PSE&G Loss Estimates Impingement * Entrainment ** Total
Impingement * Entrainment ** Total Alewife 8,037 14,480,142 14,488,179 American Shad 2,214 Atlantic Croaker 2,370,135 132,129,651 134,499,786 Bay Anchovy 1,104,126 2,003,681,602 2,004,785,728 Blueback herring 57,267 59,282,494 59,339,761 Spot 2,654 20,054 22,708 Striped Bass 10,660 448,563,394 448,574,054 Weakfish 1,572,811 76,343,394 77,916,205 White perch 124,351 412,839,168 412,963,519 TOTAL 5,252,255 3,147,339,899 3,152,592,154 *Source: Permit Renewal application NJPDES Permit No. NJ , Public Service Electric & Gas Company Salem Generating Station, March 4, 1999, Appendix L, Tab 8 ** Source: Permit Renewal application NJPDES Permit No. NJ , Public Service Electric & Gas Company Salem Generating Station, March 4, 1999, Appendix L, Tab 9
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Table 3-2
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2001 NJPDES Permit- Special Conditions
Wetland Restoration & Enhancement Program for Delaware Estuary Installation of Fish Ladders Baywide Biological Monitoring Program
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Purpose of Special Conditions
Enhance the Production of Fish in the Delaware Estuary Offset Losses of Fish Associated with Entrainment & Impingement at Cooling Water Intake Structure Presumptions Marsh Restoration Phragmites Removal Reduce Fish Migration Impediments
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Instituting Special Conditions
20,500 Acres of Land Purchased Wetlands = 12,459 Acres Diked Salt Hay Farms = 4,398 Acres Phragmites-dominated Wetlands 3,723 Acres - NJ 4,338 Acres - DE Upland Buffer = 2,649 Acres
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Marsh Restoration Methods
Lower Bay Salt Hay Farms Tidal Inundation Restore Natural Flows & Vegetative Conditions Upper Bay Phragmites-dominated Marsh Herbicide Application Prescribed Burning Mowing GOALS: 95% Phragmites Eradication Establishment of Mixed Desirable Vegetation
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Wetlands & Fish Ladder Locations
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Review & Evaluation of Restoration Project in Increasing Fish Production
Evaluations Based Upon: PSE&G Documentation of Restoration Efforts Scientific Literature Salt Marsh Restoration Fish Ladders Visual Observation (Summer)
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Review & Evaluation of Restoration Project in Increasing Fish Production
Effectiveness of Wetlands Restoration Methods Success of Established Plant Community Plant Densities Invasion by Phragmites Fish Utilization
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Review & Evaluation of Restoration Project in Increasing Fish Production
Effectiveness of Fish Ladders on River Herring Population Adult Herring Spawning Juvenile Herring Development & Emigration
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Marsh Restoration Goals
PSEG 12 Year Goals (2008) 76% Spartina Coverage (Desirable Vegetation) 4% Phragmites Coverage PSEG Interim Goal (2003) 45% Spartina Coverage (Desirable Vegetation)
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Lower Bay Marsh Restoration Sites (Salt Hay Farms)
Moores Beach - Reference Site Commercial Township Dennis Township Maurice River Township
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Lower Bay Marsh Restoration Sites (Salt Hay Farms)
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Upper Bay Marsh Restoration Sites (Phragmites Dominated Sites)
Mad Horse Creek – Reference Site Alloway Creek Watershed Mill Creek Cohansey River Watershed Silver Run Lang Tract Woodland Beach The Rocks Cedar Swamp
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Upper Bay Marsh Restoration Sites (Phragmites Dominated Sites)
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Marsh Restoration Conclusions
Salt Hay Farm Sites (3 Sites) Dennis & Maurice Townships Achieved 12-year Goals for Desired Plant and Phragmites Coverage Commercial Township Did Not Reach Interim Goal (45%) for Desired Plant Coverage
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Marsh Restoration Conclusions
Phragmites Dominated Sites (8 Sites) All Sites Reached Interim Goals (45%) X-Mill Creek Cohansey, Lang & Woodland Sites Achieved 12-year Goal for Spartina Coverage Lang Tract Achieved 12-year Goal for Phragmites Coverage Phragmites Reduction – Dependent on Annual Herbicide Treatment
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Fish Response at Upper & Lower Bay Restored Marshes
Biological Monitoring Began in 1996 Annual Reports – Fish Assemblages Abundance Size Species Richness Study Sites Uniform Consistent Sampling Protocols
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Fish Response at Lower Bay Salt Hay Farm Sites
Large Marsh Creeks – ( ) Assemblage & Species Richness Restored Sites Similar to Reference Sites Small Marsh Creeks – ( ) Fish Response Has Been Positive
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Fish Response at Treated Upper Bay Phragmites Marsh Sites
Large Marsh Creeks – ( ) Assemblage & Species Richness Restored Sites Similar to Reference Site Small Marsh Creeks – ( ) Assemblage Differed at all sites Species Richness
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Evaluation of Fish Ladders
Purpose Eliminate Impediments to Fish Migration Enable Fish to Gradually Climb Dams & Barriers River Herring Alewife Blueback Fish Ladder Installation – 8 Sites Sunset Lake Cooper River Silver Lake McGinnis Pond McColley Pond Coursey’s Pond Garrisons Lake Moores Lake
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Fish Ladder Locations
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Evaluation of Fish Ladders
Evidence of Spawning at all Eight Sites X-Garrisons Lake Sites with the Most Stocked Fish Show Limited Fish Ladder Use Four of the Eight Fish Ladders Large Numbers of Adult Fish with Limited Stocking Most Likely Pioneer Fish
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Table 6-1 Adult Passage Results Table 6-2 Number of Fish Stocked
Site 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Total Silver Lake 4 7 113 163 65 151 139 642 McGinnis Pond 1 2 25 48 33 99 774 982 McColley Pond 115 177 559 1122 1250 918 932 5073 Coursey Pond --- 30 459 1102 784 1399 1531 5305 Sunset Lake 10 60 32 195 366 663 Cooper River 3 11 21 Garrisons Lake 39 70 116 Moores Lake 95 78 670 682 1525 120 216 1169 2630 2316 3438 4438 14327 Table 6-2 Number of Fish Stocked Site 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Total Silver Lake 547 687 419 993 865 3511 McGinnis Pond 166 171 200 241 778 McColley Pond 7 11 18 Coursey Pond 154 Sunset Lake 1033 895 501 1337 1010 4776 Cooper River 2623 1069 964 1071 840 6567 Garrisons Lake 318 48 473 432 1271 Moores Lake 271 70 341 4530 3422 2202 4115 3147 17416
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Analysis of Baywide Fish Data
Number of Studies Conducted DNREC PSE&G NJDEP CEA Analysis DNREC –Juvenile Trawl Data ( ) Compared Data
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Analysis of Baywide Fish Data
Decreases in abundance Weakfish White Perch Spot Bay Anchovy Atlantic Silverside American Shad Increases in abundance Blueback Herring Striped Bass
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Report Summary Marsh Restoration Fish Ladders Baywide Fish Data
Lower Bay Upper bay Fish Ladders Stocking Efforts Spawning Runs Baywide Fish Data Overall – No Significant Change in Fish Populations
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