316(b): One Year Later

摘要

We are rapidly ap- proaching the one year anni- versary of the publication of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new regulations under Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act for Existing Facilities and New Units at Existing Facilities. According to the EPA, the final rule affects 544 existing power generating facilities that withdraw more than 2 million gallons of water per day (MGD) from U.S. waters and use at least 25 percent of the water they withdraw for cooling purposes. The rule requires that the location, design, construction, and capacity of cooling water intake structures reflect the Best Technology Available (BTA) for minimizing negative environmental impacts.