ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
    September 21, 1978
    IN THE MATTER OF:
    )
    PROPOSED DETERMINATION OF
    )
    PCB 78-72,
    -73
    NO SIGNIFICANT ECOLOGICAL
    )
    Consolidated
    DAMAGE FOR THE ZION AND WAUKEGAN
    )
    GENERATING STATIONS
    )
    ROBERT H. WHEELER, ISHAM, LINCOLN
    AND
    BEALE, APPEARED ON BEHALF
    OF PETITIONER;
    RUSSELL R. EGGERT, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, APPEARED ON BEHALF
    OF THE AGENCY.
    OPINION
    AND
    ORDER OF THE BOARD
    (by Mr. Dumelle):
    These petitions come before the Board for a determination, as
    required by Rule 203(i) (5)
    of Chapter 3: Water Regulations, that
    thermal discharges from Commonwealth Edison’s
    (Edison’s) Waukegan
    and Zion Generating Stations have not caused and cannot be reasonably
    expected to cause significant ecological damage to the receiving
    waters of Lake Michigan.
    Edison filed petitions for each station
    on March 14,
    1978, and pursuant to Procedural Rule 604(d) (4),
    ~
    Edison requested that the record from PCB 77-82, an earlier 410(c)
    ~J
    determination decided August
    3, 1978, involving the same two stations,
    (
    be incorporated into the records of the 203(i) (5) determinations.
    The Board, on its own motion,
    hereby consolidates these 203(i) (5)
    proceedings,
    since experts testifying in PCB 77-82 often made general
    statements about ecological effects from thermal discharges without
    making specific references to either station.
    Mandatory hearings
    were held, and John R. Hughes, Edison’s Director of Water Quality,
    was the only witness to testify at either proceeding.
    Mr. Hughes
    testified that no significant ecological damage occurred to Lake
    Michigan as a result of the operations of the Waukegan and Zion
    stations since the close of the record in PCB 77—82
    (R.
    5 of PCB 78-72
    and R.
    5 of PCB 78-73).
    The Waukegan Generating Station has eight
    (8)
    fossil
    (coal)’
    fired steam generating units, five of which have been retired.
    Unit 5 was just retired in February of 1978, subsequent to hearings
    in PCB 77-82.
    Cooling water is withdrawn from Lake Michigan and
    flows through the condensers at a rate of 0.758 x 106 gpm, resulting
    in a temperature rise of approximately 13°F. Occasionally, the
    3°Fisotherm of the Waukegan plume exceeds
    72 acres, but it is
    impossible to delineate the extent of this occurrence because:
    a)
    there is no dependable~.~ay
    of determining ambient temperatures;
    and,
    b)
    it is difficult td identify temperature contoui
    distribution
    between measured sampling points.
    The predicted area of the plume
    is 126 acres for the 3°Fisotherm with no cross—current in the lake
    for the discharge structure.
    A cross—current of 0.35 ft.
    sec. yields
    33-1 ~7
    —2—
    a calculated area of 867 acres.
    Both calculations are based on the
    ‘~
    full operation of four
    (4)
    units, not three
    (3).
    The Zion Generating Station consists of two 1,100
    MWe
    (gross)
    nuclear generating units.
    Lake water is used for condenser cooling
    at a rate of 1945 cfs per unit when the station is operating at full
    capacity, resulting in a mean temperature rise of approximately
    18.2°F. Actual and theoretical plume studies, conducted by Hydro-
    con, Inc., indicate that the 3°Fplume ranged from 0.8 acres for
    summer
    (best case)
    to 583 acres for spring
    —
    fall
    (worst case).
    Lake currents parallel with the shore rapidly bend the plume either
    north or south.
    Expert opinions, relied upon in PCB 77-82 and based on data
    compiled by Hydrocon, Inc.
    and Nalco Environmental Sciences,
    indicated that virtually no damage was being done to the Lake
    Michigan environment as a result of heated discharges from the
    Zion and Waukegan stations.
    While some changes in the Lake Michigan
    biota were noted,
    these changes were attributed to factors other
    than heated discharges.
    See, Proposed Determination of Thermal
    Standards for Zion and Waukegan Generating Stations, PCB 77-82;
    August
    3,
    1978.
    The Board considered the evidence presented by
    Edison in PCB 77-82 to be persuasive and found that environmental
    damage to Lake Michigan was minimal.
    Upon review of the evidence submitted in PCB 77-82 and the
    proceedings before us now, the Board finds that Edison has provided
    3
    the information required by Procedural Rule 602.
    The Board notes
    that the Agency did not file a Recommendation in either proceeding,
    (
    but did not contest Edison’s showing of no significant ecological
    damage.
    It is the Opinion of the Board that Edison’s Waukegan and
    Zion Generating Stations have not caused and cannot be reasonably
    expected to cause significant ecological damage to receiving waters.
    Edison has, therefore, satisfied the requirements of Rule 203(i) (5)
    of Chapter
    3 of the Board’s Regulations.
    This Opinion constitutes the Board’s findings of fact and
    conclusions of law in this matter.
    33-128
    —3—
    Order
    It is the Order of the Pollution Control Board that the
    Petitioner has complied with Rule 203(i) (5) of Chapter
    3 of the
    Board’s Regulations by demonstrating that its thermal discharges
    from the Waukegan and Zion Generating Stations have not caused
    and cannot be reasonably expected to cause significant ecological
    damage to receiving waters.
    I, Christan L. Moffett,
    Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
    Board, here1y certify the above Opinion and Order were adopted on
    the
    ‘
    day of
    ______________,
    l97~’
    by a vote of
    o~4L
    Christan L. Moff~, Clerk
    Illinois Pollution Control Board
    ‘3
    33-129

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