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The federal Clean Water Act requires that "the location, design, construction, and capacity of cooling water intake structures shall reflect the best technology available for minimizing adverse environmental impact." . Nationally, steam generating plants withdraw more than
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The federal Clean Water Act requires that "the location, design, construction, and capacity of cooling water intake structures shall reflect the best technology available for minimizing adverse environmental impact."
Nationally, steam generating plants withdraw more than 200 billion gallons of water per day, killing more than 500,000,000 fish per year. Karl Rabago, “What Comes Out Must Go In,” Harvard Environmental Law Review, 1992
During periods of peak demand, Hudson River power plants withdraw 5 billion gallons per day of cooling water, 69 trillion gallons annually, twice the volume of water in the entire 154 mile estuary. The conditional entrainment mortality rate (CEMR), the percent reduction in year class strength of Hudson River fish as a result of power-plants related entrain- ment mortality, is estimated at 20-30% for most species. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Entrainment is the most severe impact of the Hudson River’s cooling water withdrawals. Injury and death can result from the following: - physical impacts from pump and condenser tubing, - pressure changes caused by diversion of cooling water, - thermal shock experienced in condenser and discharge tunnels, - and chemical toxemia induced by the addition of anti-fouling agents such as chlorine. US Environmental Protection Agency
Section 316 (b) of the federal Clean Water Act requires that "the location, design, construction, and capacity of cooling water intake structures shall reflect the best technology available for minimizing adverse environmental impact."
Making the invisible Hudson visible. • Reforming gray literature • Technological development informing • management and policy. • Management and policy needs informing • technology • Monitoring opportunities through permitees • Beyond regulation