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Case Study 5: L-Reactor Thermal Effluent

Case Study 5: L-Reactor Thermal Effluent. Meeting the CWA Challenge. The Clean Water Act (CWA) established a comprehensive Federal/State scheme for controlling the introduction of pollutants into the Nation’s water. Meeting the CWA Challenge.

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Case Study 5: L-Reactor Thermal Effluent

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  1. Case Study 5:L-Reactor Thermal Effluent Case S-5_L-Reactor

  2. Meeting the CWA Challenge • The Clean Water Act (CWA) established a comprehensive Federal/State scheme for controlling the introduction of pollutants into the Nation’s water. Case S-5_L-Reactor

  3. Meeting the CWA Challenge • A number of comprehensive acts were subsequently designed to control discharges into: • Surface water bodies and waterways • Publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) Case S-5_L-Reactor

  4. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • March 1981 -- the DOE initiated activities to renovate and upgrade L-Reactor • The SRS utilized water from the Savannah River for secondary cooling purposes (as it had in the past) • Water was discharged back to the Savannah River via Steel Creek • Discharge temperature (effluent canal and immediate vicinity) ranged from 170 to 180 0F Case S-5_L-Reactor

  5. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • Initial NPDES permit: • Issued by the EPA in 1976 • Contained a thermal variance statement • Onsite streams did not have to meet thermal standards until they reached the Savannah River (offsite) Case S-5_L-Reactor

  6. L-Reactor Case S-5_L-Reactor

  7. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • NPDES permit renewal: • The SRS submitted a renewal application to the State in June 1981 • NPDES authority for Federal facilities was transferred from the EPA to the State of South Carolina in 1980 • The State issued the SRS a draft permit that did not contain thermal variance language Case S-5_L-Reactor

  8. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • Discussion ensued between the SRS and the State • Each side reviewed and discussed the series of events relating to the thermal variance issue • The State eventually issued the SRS a NPDES permit that required thermal compliance at the point of discharge Case S-5_L-Reactor

  9. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • The SRS found the standards set in the permit impossible to meet through then current procedures • The SRS entered into a consent order to undertake thermal mitigation studies Case S-5_L-Reactor

  10. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • Possible solutions for compliance: • Construct off-stream cooling facilities • Obtain a thermal variance (through CWA Section 316(a) study) • Request that the State change the classification of the onsite streams Case S-5_L-Reactor

  11. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • The SRS explored thermal mitigative procedures: • Once-through cooling water systems • Recirculating cooling water systems Case S-5_L-Reactor

  12. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • Due to restart schedule pressure: • Lake construction was begun before the NPDES permit was finalized • Complete permit limitations and restrictions were yet to be spelled out in final form Case S-5_L-Reactor

  13. Graphic of L-Lake Case S-5_L-Reactor

  14. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • Once the permit was finalized: • The SRS discovered that the lake acreage planned as a cooling area was reduced (by the SCDHEC) by approximately 50 percent • The south end of the lake’s surface needed to be kept at 90 0F or less Case S-5_L-Reactor

  15. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • Lake size: • Could no longer support year-round reactor operation • Surface temperature of the lake would approach permissible limits during summer months • The SRS needed: • A larger lake, or • Additional cooling measures Case S-5_L-Reactor

  16. Savannah River Paddle-Wheel Sampler Case S-5_L-Reactor

  17. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • Impact on the lake’s aquatic life: • Reactor restart affected fish that resided in the lake • Massive fish kills were reported in 1986, 1987, and 1988 • The SRS entered into a resultant settlement agreement with the State that mandated fish-kill mitigation efforts Case S-5_L-Reactor

  18. Case Study 5: L-Reactor • Shutdown: • Reactor shut down was initiated in 1988 due to safety issues • During this time, the SRS was actively pursuing mitigative efforts to alleviate/ eliminate the fish-kill problem • Shut down was not related to the NPDES permit/thermal effluent issue Case S-5_L-Reactor

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