EN9 Water sources significantly affected by withdrawal of water

The withdrawal of water from an ecosystem can alter its ability to support important biological and chemical functions.  Such changes can affect the quality of the water or the aquatic habitat and have subsequent environmental, quality of life, or economic consequences.  Significant water withdrawals are those considered to have an effect on water resources and meet one or more of the following characteristics:

1. account for an average of 5 percent or more of the mean annual flow of a given water body,
2. are from water bodies that are recognized by professionals to be particularly sensitive due to their relative size, function, or status as a rare, threatened, or endangered system or due to their support of a particular endangered species of plant or animal, or
3. are from a nationally or internationally proclaimed conservation area, regardless of the rate of withdrawal.

Some water withdrawals at AEP facilities meet one or more of the above criteria and are considered to be significant (table below).  For example, five of the facilities (Conesville, Glen Lyn, Kanawha River, Muskingum River, and Picway) withdraw more than 5 percent of the mean annual flow of their source water bodies.  Seven other facilities have withdrawals from water bodies that have documented populations of threatened or endangered fish or shellfish, notably, freshwater mussels.  These facilities are typically hydroelectric projects that do not actually withdraw the water, but pass it through turbines as run-of-river facilities.  These facilities include the Byllesby/Buck, Claytor, Leesville, Niagara, and Smith Mountain Lake hydroelectric facilities (table below).  The Clinch River and Waterford facilities are not hydroelectric projects, but are steam-electric facilities that withdraw cooling water from streams that contain either endangered freshwater mussels (Waterford) or withdraw water from a unique habitat (Clinch River). 

The remaining category of significant water withdrawal is made by facilities located on waterbodies that are designated as salmonid or Outstanding State Resource waters (OSRW).  These include the Berrien Springs and Buchanan hydroelectric facilities (salmonid streams) and the Cook Nuclear Plant (OSRW)

Significant water withdrawals by AEP facilities.

Facility	Type	Water Sources	Reason for Significant Water Withdrawal Designation
Berrien Springs	Hydro	St. Joseph River	Salmonid stream
Buchanan	Hydro	St. Joseph River	Salmonid stream
Byllesby/ Buck	Hydro	New River	Green floater mussel (federally threatened)  found in New River drainage.
Claytor	Hydro	New River	Green floater mussel (federally threatened) found in New River drainage; Fringed mountain snail (federally endangered) found in the near vicinity of the Claytor Project boundary.
Clinch River	Coal	Clinch River	Multiple federally endangered mussels within the Clinch River.
Conesville	Coal	Muskingum River	>5% of mean flow; Superior High Quality Water designation by Ohio due to high biodiversity and presence of numerous threatened and endangered mussels.
Cook	Nuclear	Lake Michigan	Outstanding State Resource Water
Glen Lyn	Coal	New River	>5% of mean flow; Green floater mussel (federally threatened) found in New River drainage.
Kanawha River	Coal	Kanawha River	>5% of mean flow; possible threatened or endangered freshwater mussels.
Leesville	Hydro	Roanoke River	Roanoke logperch (federally endangered fish) found in the Roanoke River drainage; the Pigg River has a relatively good population of Roanoke logperch and the river’s confluence is in Leesville Lake, between Leesville and Smith Mountain Dams.
Muskingum River	Coal	Muskingum River	>5% of mean flow; Superior High Quality Water designation by Ohio due to high biodiversity and presence of numerous threatened and endangered mussels.
Niagara	Hydro	Roanoke River	Roanoke logperch (federally endangered fish) found in the Roanoke River drainage.
Picway	Coal	Scioto River	>5% of mean flow
Smith Mountain	Hydro	Roanoke River	Roanoke logperch (federally endangered fish) found in the Roanoke River drainage; the Pigg River has a relatively good population of Roanoke logperch and the river’s confluence is in Leesville Lake, between Leesville and Smith Mountain Dams.
Waterford	Gas	Muskingum River	Presence of threatened and endangered mussels.

 
Given that AEP’s power plants withdraw large amounts of water, there is a concern with the effects that the plants may have on the resident populations of fish and other organisms.  As an example of AEP’s concern for the local ecosystems, the company has been the lead organizer, sponsor, and participant of a long-term study of fish populations in the Ohio River.  These field studies have provided a 35-year database demonstrating the lack of significant impacts from power plants and showing some improvements to the overall fish community.  Several clean-water fish species have recovered over the years while pollution-tolerant species have declined.  This is in response to the improved water quality of the river. 

AEP is also participating in a unique collaborative program in which the Ohio River studies information is being used to comply with U.S. EPA regulations promulgated under Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act governing the impacts of cooling water intake structures to resident fish and shellfish communities.  These structures can impact fish through entrainment and impingement.  Entrainment occurs when organisms pass through power plant intakes and into the plant, where they may suffer injury or death.  Impingement occurs when organisms are drawn against the intake screens by the force of the incoming water current.  Injury and asphyxiation may occur from striking or being caught on the intake screen surfaces.  Twelve companies, representing 17 facilities along the Ohio River, are participating in this unprecedented study, which covers almost 1000 river miles from Pittsburgh to the Mississippi River.  Under the management of the Electric Power Research Institute, modeling studies performed using data collected during the AEP and industry-sponsored Ohio River studies have indicated that the fish populations in the river are not significantly affected by the cooling water intake systems.

Night fish sampling at the AEP Tanners Creek Plant on the Ohio River.