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Environmental Impact Statement - radioactive monticello

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<strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Impact</strong>s of Alternatives<br />

Table 8-3. (contd)<br />

<strong>Impact</strong> Category <strong>Impact</strong> Comment<br />

Historic and SMALL Any potential impacts can likely be effectively managed.<br />

Archaeological<br />

Resources<br />

<strong>Environmental</strong> SMALL to <strong>Impact</strong>s vary depending on population distribution and makeup at<br />

Justice MODERATE the alternate site.<br />

* Ecology<br />

Potential impacts on ecological resources from construction and operation of the representative<br />

natural gas-fired plant are highly site specific. Development of the representative natural<br />

gas-fired plant at a greenfield site in southern Minnesota would likely result in the loss of<br />

approximately 25 ac of terrestrial habitat for onsite plant facilities and modification of<br />

approximately 110 ac of existing offsite terrestrial habitat for a new natural gas supply pipeline<br />

and transmission line corridor. Development of the transmission line would limit changes in<br />

future land uses in the transmission corridor to those that are compatible with the line, but most<br />

agricultural practices and other currently compatible uses could continue. Depending on route<br />

specifics, clearing of forest and shrubland, some of which may qualify as wetlands, would also<br />

likely be required. However, hydrologic regimes of wetlands would not be appreciably affected<br />

and the conversion of transmission corridor areas currently in forest and woodland habitats<br />

could be advantageous to species with affinities for remnant prairie habitats.<br />

The most significant potential impacts to aquatic communities relate to the operation of the<br />

cooling water system, but regulatory controls would be expected to ensure appropriate<br />

protection of aquatic communities from thermal discharges and the location and operation of<br />

cooling water intakes. In addition, because the plant is assumed to use closed-cycle cooling,<br />

the cooling water intake and discharge flows would be much lower than that of Monticello, the<br />

impact from which is considered to be SMALL.<br />

Given this information, the staff concludes that development of the representative natural<br />

gas-fired plant at a greenfield site would have a SMALL to MODERATE impact on ecological<br />

communities.<br />

Water Use and Quality-Surface Water<br />

Each of the natural gas-fired units would include a heat-recovery boiler, using a portion of the<br />

waste heat from the combustion turbines to make steam. The steam would then turn an<br />

electric generator. The net result would be an overall reduction in the amount of waste heat<br />

rejected from the plant, with an associated reduction in the amount of cooling water required by<br />

the plant. Thus, the cooling water requirements for the natural gas-fired combined-cycle units<br />

would be much less than for conventional steam-electric generators, including the existing<br />

nuclear unit. Plant discharge would consist mostly of cooling tower blowdown, with the<br />

August 2006 8-21 NUREG-1 437, Supplement 26 1

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