TY - JOUR
T1 - Probabilistic assessment of aquatic species risk from thermoelectric power plant effluent
T2 - Incorporating biology into the energy-water nexus
AU - Logan, Lauren H.
AU - Stillwell, Ashlynn S.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank the following individuals and organizations: Zachary A. Barker (Graduate Research Assistant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) for his support with coding the probability space representation; Christopher M. Chini (Graduate Research Assistant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) for his assistance with GIS; D. Mike Taylor (Public Records Management — Open Records Section, Division of Environmental Program Support, Department for Environmental Protection, Kentucky) and Larry Sowder (Division of Water, Division of Environmental Program Support, Department for Environmental Protection) for assistance in obtaining the KYPDES permit information and documents; Dr. Robert Doneker for his insight concerning the mixing characteristics at the SFP; and staff at the U.S. Energy Information Administration for assistance with archived data. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust Fellowship.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2018/1/15
Y1 - 2018/1/15
N2 - As global populations grow, demand for generation of affordable and efficient electricity will likely increase, requiring tradeoffs between power generation and ecosystems sustainability, including water quality and species habitat. Once-through thermoelectric power plants, representing 30% of the electricity generation in the United States, withdraw and discharge large quantities of water for cooling purposes. This process can cause thermal pollution in waterways, adversely affecting aquatic communities. Incorporating biology into the energy-water nexus can aid decision-makers in identifying tradeoffs and more effectively assessing and managing aquatic ecosystems. To quantify thermal pollution and the risk posed to aquatic species, we created an adaptable, novel methodology that utilizes plume mixing and probability distribution analyses on temperature and flow data for both a power plant's discharge and the adjoining river. To assess risk, we developed a probability risk space that quantifies the probability of exceeding a given temperature. The Shawnee Fossil Plant on the Ohio River was selected to demonstrate the methodology, and three fish species with associated upper thermal avoidance limits were selected for comparison. Our results highlight that both the lateral and longitudinal location from the point of effluent mixing within the river affects the probability of thermal risk to aquatic species. A high degree of risk within a plume can reduce to a smaller total risk within the context of a large river cross-section. Our results emphasize the need for individualized risk assessment for Clean Water Act §316(a) requirements for power plant effluent temperature limits and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. These findings are applicable in policy-making, environmental mitigation, and power plant operations management.
AB - As global populations grow, demand for generation of affordable and efficient electricity will likely increase, requiring tradeoffs between power generation and ecosystems sustainability, including water quality and species habitat. Once-through thermoelectric power plants, representing 30% of the electricity generation in the United States, withdraw and discharge large quantities of water for cooling purposes. This process can cause thermal pollution in waterways, adversely affecting aquatic communities. Incorporating biology into the energy-water nexus can aid decision-makers in identifying tradeoffs and more effectively assessing and managing aquatic ecosystems. To quantify thermal pollution and the risk posed to aquatic species, we created an adaptable, novel methodology that utilizes plume mixing and probability distribution analyses on temperature and flow data for both a power plant's discharge and the adjoining river. To assess risk, we developed a probability risk space that quantifies the probability of exceeding a given temperature. The Shawnee Fossil Plant on the Ohio River was selected to demonstrate the methodology, and three fish species with associated upper thermal avoidance limits were selected for comparison. Our results highlight that both the lateral and longitudinal location from the point of effluent mixing within the river affects the probability of thermal risk to aquatic species. A high degree of risk within a plume can reduce to a smaller total risk within the context of a large river cross-section. Our results emphasize the need for individualized risk assessment for Clean Water Act §316(a) requirements for power plant effluent temperature limits and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. These findings are applicable in policy-making, environmental mitigation, and power plant operations management.
KW - Aquatic ecology
KW - Energy-water nexus
KW - Policy
KW - Thermal pollution
KW - Thermoelectric power
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U2 - 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.027
DO - 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.027
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85029569318
VL - 210
SP - 434
EP - 450
JO - Applied Energy
JF - Applied Energy
SN - 0306-2619
ER -