FINAL REPORT Evaluation of Seawater Desalination Projects ...

EVALUATION OF SEAWATER DESALINATION PROJECTS
PROPOSED FOR THE MONTEREY PENINSULA
completed some mitigation but the adequacy of previous actions to meet new requirements is
not known at this time.
The assumption in this report is that the MLPP has or will meet all of the new requirements
of EPA’s Phase II rules. It is also assumed that the new use occurring with the withdrawal of
water from the MLPP discharge for the Coastal Water Project and/or the Monterey Bay
Regional Seawater Desalination Project will not constitute a new use or change the MLPP’s
requirements for withdrawal for cooling related to power generation. Potential changes
resulting from Phase II rules or any other new regulations are speculative and not included
here. However, the potential application to the MLPP adds a measure of risk to co-located
projects. Assessment of potential impacts related to entrainment or impingement are only
assessed related to extant regulations and requirements for operation of the MLPP.
Resolution of the California State Lands Commission 52
On April 17, 2006, the California State Lands Commission (Commission) adopted a
resolution that expresses its intent not to approve any leases for new power plants using
once-through cooling (OTC) systems and imposing certain conditions on lease renewals and
extensions for existing facilities. The Commission resolved that intake of large volumes of
water for OTC has impacts on coastal organisms by entrainment and impingement. The
Commission defined impingement by the occurrence of marine organisms trapped against
components of the cooling water system, such as screens, where they die. Entrainment was
defined as the induction of smaller marine organisms into and through the cooling water
system where most, if not all, of the organisms are destroyed by mechanical damage,
temperature increases, or toxic stress. In addition, the Commission resolved that OTC results
in biological impacts through thermal discharge. They defined thermal discharge as the
release of cooling water at temperatures above ambient conditions resulting in elevation of
the temperature of marine waters in the immediate vicinity of the outfall. The Commission
found that these effects adversely impact coastal and ocean resources and uses that are within
its jurisdiction.
The Commission urged the California Energy Commission and the State Water Resources
Control Board to expeditiously develop and implement policies that eliminate the impacts of
OTC on the environment from all new and existing power plants in California.
The Commission stated it shall not approve leases for new power facilities that include OTC
technologies.
The Commission stated that it will not approve new leases for power facilities, or leases for
re-powering existing facilities, or extensions or amendments of existing leases for existing
52 The information about the California State Lands Commission’s resolution is reported at the Commission’s
“meeting and voting records” for April 17, 2006, on http://www.slc.ca.gov/.
Monterey Peninsula Water Management District 7-6