Power Plant Intakes Kill Fish
The killing of fish in power plant intakes has been ruled illegal.
Two nuclear power plants and three coal-fired power plants stand on the shores of the far-western Lake Erie basin.
The two nuclear, Enrico Fermi and Davis Besse, have cooling towers.
However, about three billion gallons of water are used daily by the coal-fired power plants for cooling.
These water intakes kill millions of small fish in an act known as impingement. Likewise, billions of fish larvae and eggs are killed. This is known as entrainment.
These fish come from the warmest, shallowest, and most biologically productive waters of the Great Lakes.
Bayshore Power Plant, Oregon, Ohio
Ohio EPA public March 3, 2009 meeting presentations:
USEPA Tetra Tech report click here
Bayshore Consultant Thermal Mixing Zone Report 2003 click here;
Bayshore detailed Kenetrics Report click here
Bayshore OEPA Overview of Process click here
Bayshore OEPA options to address impingement, entrainment, thermal click here
FirstEnergy's Toledo Edison's Bayshore Power Plant in Oregon, Ohio, just down the road from the WLEWA, pulls in 650 million gallons of cooling water a day from the Maumee River/Maumee Bay.
Additionally, the emission of heated water from the plant has a negative impact on the fish of Western Lake Erie. For an Ohio EPA report from November 2004 on this plant's thermal discharge, click here.
For the December 2008 benthic/thermal report click here.
Monroe Power Plant, Monroe, Michigan
Detroit Edison's Monroe Power Plant in Monroe, Michigan, draws in about 1.9 billion gallons a day from the River Raisin and Lake Erie.
This plant, the third largest in the United States with a 3,300 megawatts output, heats the water 5-8 degrees Fahrenheit. This thermal discharge is deadly to fish.
Fish kill permit expires October 2009
From the Notice:
"Person desiring information regarding the draft permit, or procedures for commenting, should contact: Asad Quraishi, Permits Section, Water Bureau, Department of Environmental Quality, P.O. Box 30273, Lansing, Michigan 48909, telephone: 517-335-4119, e-mail: quraishia@michigan.gov."
This Bureau is online here.
J. R. Whiting Plant, Jackson, Michigan
Additionally, Consumers Energy's J. R. Whiting Plant in Jackson, Michigan, brings in 332 million gallons a day from Erie Marsh/Maumee Bay.
The fish kills problem could be fixed by simply retrofitting the plants with closed-cycle cooling systems. The Clean Water Act requires in such matters the use of the best, current technology available.
Whiting fish kill permit up in 2010
Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association
Western Lake Erie: The Warmest, Shallowest, "Fishiest" Area of the Great Lakes
To learn more about the Waterkeeper Alliance, click here.
For Clean Coal Dirty Lies click here
First Energy's Bayshore Power Plant in Oregon, Ohio
~ Currents ~
Detroit Edison's Monroe Power Plant in Monroe, Michigan
Photo courtesy of the Monroe Evening News
