EPA Rule 316b - Compliant Passive Intake System for Cooling Water Supply

摘要

Concern regarding potentially harmful impacts of cooling water intakes to the environment have long been voiced by regulatory agencies, conservation/preservation groups and citizens concerned with the protection of our environment. Workshops conducted in the mid to late 1970's by the USEPA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and others (including Johnson Division UOP 1976) focused on developing intake designs to minimize adverse environmental impacts associated with the withdrawal of surface water for cooling and process uses. Over the years, the design of the intake screening systems, and the construction methods used for constructing these intakes evolved to comply with the development of regulations such as EPA Rule 316b to simplify the permitting process and ensure increased protection of aquatic life. Other workshops, such as the 2003 USEPA Symposium on Technologies for Protecting Aquatic Organisms from Cooling Water Intake Structures, helped formulate the Rule 316b regulations that were finalized in 2006. A low-maintenance surface water intake system utilized for almost 50 years that minimizes disturbance during construction as well as being rule-compliant in operation will be described including siting, construction, conceptual design elements and operational criteria. This proven technology is being applied at site across the country for developing cooling water in a wide variety of physiographic and geologic settings.