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Home My WebLink AboutNC0003433_Application Update_20160524 DUKEHarry K Sldeds P ENERGY® entSenior,Health PresidentSafety Environmental,Health&Safety 526 S. Church Street Mail Code:EC3XP Charlotte, NC 28202 (704)382-4303 RECEIVEDINCDEWWR May 17, 2016 MAY 2 3 2016 Water duality Mr. Jeffrey Poupart, Section Chief Permitting section NC Division of Water Resources 1617 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1617 Subject: Duke Energy Progress, Inc. Cape Fear Steam Electric Plant NPDES Permit NC0003433 NPDES Application Update Dear Mr. Poupart: Duke Energy Progress, Inc. (Duke Energy) hereby provides this update to the NPDES permit application renewal package submitted on July 31, 2014. This update transmits the required fish tissue monitoring near ash pond discharge report required by NPDES permit NC0003433, Part I A.13. The report was finalized at the end of April 2016. If there are any questions regarding this report, Mr. Steve Cahoon via phone at (919) 546-7457 or via email at steve.cahoon@duke-energy.com. I certify, under penalty of law, that this document and all attachments were prepared under my direction or supervision in accordance with a system designed to assure that qualified personnel properly gather and evaluate the information submitted. Based on my inquiry of the person or persons who manage the system, or those persons directly responsible for gathering the information, the information submitted is, to the best of nhy knowledge and belief, true, accurate, and complete. 1 am aware that there are significant penalties for.submitting false information, including the possibility offnes and imprisonment for knowing violations. Sincerel C arry K. Sideris Senior Vice President Environmental, Health and Safety 4 cc: Steve Cahoon — NC 15 Mike Graham — HE Lee Johnathan Stamas —Cape Fear Plant Cape Fear Steam Station NPDES Permit No. NC0003433 Arsenic, Selenium, and Mercury Monitoring in Fish Muscle Tissue from the Upper Cape Fear River, NC Duke Energy April 2016 Table of Contents Page 1.0 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Study Site Description and Sampling Locations............................................................... I 3.0 Target Species................................................................................................................... 1 4.0 Field Sampling Methods................................................................................................... 1 5.0 Laboratory Processing and Selenium Analysis................................................................. 2 6.0 Data Analysis and Reporting............................................................................................ 2 7.0 References......................................................................................................................... 2 List of Tables Page Table 1 Arsenic, selenium, and mercury concentrations in axial muscle offish from the upper Cape Fear River during May 2014.......................................................................... 3 List of Figures Page Figure I Upper Cape Fear River arsenic, selenium, and mercury monitoring locations................. 4 1.0 Introduction Duke Energy owns and operates the Cape Fear Steam Station (CFSS) located on the upper Cape Fear River near Moncure in Chatham County, NC. The CFSS National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System(NPDES) Permit(No.NC003433 Section A 13)requires monitoring of trace elements(arsenic, selenium, and mercury) in fish tissues near the discharge once per permit cycle. Fish samples were collected according to the approved study plan(approval letter dated January 6, 2014) and the resulting data are submitted in this report. 2.0 Study Site Description and Sampling Locations Fish were collected from three locations on the upper Cape Fear River(Figure 1). These locations were adjacent to the CFSS discharge (Station DI), 10 kilometers upstream (Station UP), and 0.4 kilometers downstream of the discharge (Station DN). 3.0 Target Species The target species of fish were largemouth bass, spotted bass, bluegill, and redear sunfish. As recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an attempt was made to limit the smallest fish to 75% of the largest fish total length by species depending on availability (US EPA 2000). 4.0 Field Sampling Methods Fish were collected using electrofishing procedures as specified in the DEP Biology Program Procedures Manual (Procedure NR-00080, Rev. 1). DEP holds North Carolina Biological Laboratory Certification 4 006 from the North Carolina Division of Water Resources for its lab located at New Hill, NC. Only live fish that showed little or no signs of deterioration were retained for analysis. Retained fish were identified to species, measured for total length (mm), weighted (g), individually tagged (Floy tags), placed on ice and transferred to a freezer within 24 hours of collection. Surface water quality parameters consisting of temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance and turbidity were recorded during each sampling, at each sampling location. Other noteworthy environmental conditions including river flow conditions and weather conditions were recorded and are available upon request. 1 5.0 Laboratory Processing and Arsenic, Selenium and Mercury Analysis All fish samples were processed in the New Hill Trace Element Laboratory according to procedure NR-00107 (Rev. 4) Trace Element Monitoring Laboratory Procedure. The processed I samples (lyophilized left axial m6scle; right muscle occasionally included when needed) were analyzed for arsenic, selenium, and mercury by x-ray spectrophotometry in accordance with the approved study plan. Quality control was achieved by use of replicates and certified reference materials. The remaining fish carcasses were archived and will be kept for at least two years in the event that re-analysis is needed. 6.0 Data Analysis and Reporting Arsenic, selenium, and mercury concentrations (converted to µg/g fresh weight) in the fish muscle tissue collected during 2014 are shown in Table 1. In addition to the length and weight of each fish, the dry-to-fresh weight ratios are presented to convert the arsenic, selenium, and mercury concentrations fresh weight values back to dry weight values as desired. The arsenic, mercury, and selenium concentrations in fish tissues were very low and showed no indication of bioaccumulation from legacy operations of the CFSS. In addition, all fish collected during 2014 were well below the US EPA Screening Values for Recreational Fishermen of 1.2 pg/g (fresh weight) for arsenic (US EPA 2000), and below the NC human consumption advisory level of 10 gg/g(fresh weight) for selenium. Three largemouth bass at Station UP and one largemouth bass at Station DI had mercury concentrations slightly above (range 0.4— 0.68) the North Carolina Health Directors Action Advisory Level of 0.4 pg/g fresh weight(NCDHHS 2006). 7.0 References NCDHHS. 2006. Health effects of methylmercury and North Carolina's advice on eating fish. North Carolina Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch. Raleigh,NC. U.S. EPA. 2000. Guidance for assessing chemical contaminant data for use in fish advisories. Vol. 1. Fish sampling and analysis. Third edition. EPA 823-B-00-007. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington,DC. 2 Table 1. Arsenic, selenium, and mercury concentrations (fresh weight) in axial muscle of fish from the upper Cape Fear River during May 2014. Length Weight As Se Hg Dry-to-Fresh* Fish species Location Month (mm) (g) (pg/g) (µg/g) (pg/g) Weight Ratio Largemouth bass UP Mav 381 683 <0.04 0.34 0.40 0.20 Largemouth bass UP Mav 470 1560 <0.04 0.41 0.37 0.21 Largemouth bass UP May 404 838 <004 0.36 0.28 0.20 Largemouth bass UP May 470 1200 <0.04 0.35 0.37 0.20 Largemouth bass UP May 465 1425 <0.04 0.31 0.50 0.19 Largemouth bass UP May 478 2000 <0.04 0.39 0.52 0.21 Bluegill UP May 170 115 <0.04 0.47 0.10 0.21 Bluegill UP May 168 97 <0.03 0.34 <0.04 0.16 Bluegill UP May 160 75 <0.04 0.38 <0.05 0.18 Bluegill UP May 159 62 <0.04 0.36 0.07 0.18 Bluegill UP May 182 105 <0.04 0.53 <0.05 0.18 Bluegill UP May 187 125 0.04 0.26 0.09 0.19 Largemouth bass DI May 448 1050 <0.04 0.42 0.68 0.19 Largemouth bass DI May 432 1225 <0.04 0.68 0.17 0.21 Largemouth bass DI May 429 1050 <0.04 0.35 0.29 0.21 Largemouth bass DI May 378 675 <0.04 0.55 0.06 0.20 Largemouth bass DI May 370 738 0.04 0.29 0.20 0.20 Largemouth bass DI May 363 638 <0.04 0.41 0.23 0.21 Bluegill DI May 179 145 0.04 0.40 0.10 0.19 Bluegill DI May 177 128 0.04 0.57 <005 0.18 Bluegill DI May 182 112 <0.04 0.42 <0.05 0.18 Bluegill DI May 173 108 <0.04 0.78 <0.05 0.19 Bluegill DI May 170 118 0.06 0.45 <0.05 0.20 Bluegill DI May 171 99 <0.04 0.64 <0.05 0.18 Largemouth bass DN May 418 1175 0.06 0.46 0.08 0.20 Largemouth bass DN May 479 1750 <0.04 0.44 0.12 0.20 Spotted Bass DN May 390 812 <0.04 0.44 0.08 0.21 Spotted Bass DN May 367 664 <0.04 0.39 0.15 0.19 Largemouth bass DN May 452 1450 <0.04 0.44 0.20 0.20 Largemouth bass DN May 404 1150 <0.04 0.48 0.22 0.20 Bluegill DN May 178 134 <0.04 0.37 <0.05 0.19 Bluegill DN May l45 62 <0.04 044 <0.05 0.20 Redear sunfish DN Mav 197 134 <0.04 0.71 <0.05 0.18 Bluegill DN May 202 154 <0.04 0.44 <0.05 0.18 Redearsunfish DN May 227 240 <0.04 0.46 <0.05 0.20 Redear sunfish DN May 250 312 0.15 0.53 <0.05 0.19 •To convert to a dry weight,divide the fresh weight concentrations by the dry-to-fresh weight ratio. 3 rYT`�1'4 .'+t.a^�e} rl�..' eYVk..A✓. .�� iJt 1'.: � � 1 r h - .. l t Y rµA.•' _i. .1 .. l.. 1" t` ;,' 9 �i� t,�.l.J . '�tatloA-�•yj •� ti; t � ��y f l . . `)y�,(1 �. 1 b Yid t >•.v E r �"� y ` I _ ti � '';.,� .•Y8 Dovmstieam(`D`N�, Imigery GPIs Wr...015 I f'I33131�� 1901393>'eler .1011 � Eyeiu�H'Sa611•! UpperFigure 1. 1 ' FearRiver arsenic,selenium,and mercury monitoringlocations.