NC0024406_Meeting 4/25/86_19860428

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DIVISION,OF ENVIRONMENTAL..MANAGEMENT
April 28, 1986
MEMORANDUM
TO: Steve Tedder
THROUGH: Meg Kerr 1„V
FROM: Trevor Clements`
SUBJECT: 4/25/86 Meeting with Duke Power re Belews Lake
Sherry Badin,of the Winston-Salem Regional Office, Vince Schneider,
and I met.with representatives of -Duke Power on 4/25/86 to hear an update
on water quality in Belews Lake and the Dan River. Bill Horton of Duke
Power presented a summary of the 1984,Belews Lake water quality data
which -showed that ambient levels of selenium in the water column were
not substantially reduced even though loadings from the ashpond were
significantly lower due to changes in the fly -ash handling operations.
'B ' ill went on to show, however, that water column selenium concentrations
he decrea-sed substantially since discharge from the ashpond was blocked
in May of 1985. Selenium concentrations at the spillway (sta. 416.0)
were averaging around 2.0 ug/l in the first quarter of 1986.
Pete Cumbie presented the results of a sediment study which he has
- been conducting for the past couple of years. He has concluded that Se
concentrations vary roughly 20 to 30 percent at a single site. Sediment
selenium concentrations have averaged about 27 ppm, although levels
appear to increase,at the deeper main lake stations. However, Se concen-
trations in the surficial sediments (mixed zone) remained high regardless
of depth. From his study, Cumbie is hypothesizing that ultimate burial
of the selenium will occur in the deeper regions of the lake and.that
mixing mechanisms in the near shore areas may purge the selenium from
those regions more rapidly..
.Studies of fish populations in Belews Lake showed that estimates of
the overall standing stock in 1984 and 1985 remained about the same as
observed in 1983. However; the stock continued to increase substantially
in the most remote upstream region (sta. 405.0). Duke biologists hypothesize
...that.fish reproduction in this area is helping to repopulate the rest of the
lake.'
Main lake areas continued to be dominated by very tolerant species
although there was a general increase in diversity.

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Steve Tedder
April 28, 1986
- Page 2 -
Bill Horton briefly summarized the results of Duke Power's baseline
study for their direct discharge to the Dan River. He stated that, in
general, there did not appear to be any significant findings. Arsenic
concentrations appeared to increase during one of the summer months and
may be correlated to agricultural practices. Of possible concern were
some fairly high mercury levels in a very small number of the fish that
they performed tissue analyses on. A final report on the Dan River is
due in April of 1987.
One issue was brought up at the meeting which Duke Power would like
DEM to help address. Apparently, Duke Power has received quite a bit of
press coverage recently regarding the .fishery situation at Belews Lake
(example attached). They are being asked whether fish caught from the
lake should be eaten. Officials from Duke Power do not want to make a
public statement without proper guidance.from the State. They would
appreciate it if DEM would provide some answers for them or put them in
contact with someone who can.
If you have further questions regarding this meeting, please let me
know.
JTC/gh
cc: Vince Schneider

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UNITED STA S ENVIRONMENTAL PRG; ECTIO1NAG NCY
ft.4 n�o`t�4� REGION IV
3,15 COURTLAND STREET
ATLANTA, GEORGIA 3C355
APR 2 2 1986
REF: 11%1 -FP
Ms. Alice B. Fa.l_lenstein % )
1307 Liberty Drive
Thomasville, PSC 27360
RE: Selenium in Belews Lake
Dear Ms. Fallenstein:
I have been requested to reply to your _letter of P.pril 8, 1986, in which yuu
brought an April 1 newspaper article to our attention. The facts in the
article are generally correct as they are presented. I fully share your
environmental concerns with the situation at Belews Lake where selenium from
the coal burned by Duke Power Ccmpany (Duke) caused severe decline in the
fishery in the lake. We, in EPA, have been aware of the problem since soon
after it was first found. R,, have also been acme of the actions taken by
.Duke and State of North Carolina personnel in attempting to find a solution
to the problem.
In your letter, you questioned why .Duke is not being pressed to correct the
problem. In answer, I feel that Duke has taken appropriate steps and has
corrected the problem. Duke has installed a dry fly ash handling system
which precludes further discharges of selenium to the lake. It is my under-
standing that selenium _levels are decreasing in the lake and that there is a
continuing improvement in the lake fishery. It is hoped that historical
numbers of fish will be reestablished. This solution did require additional
costs for equipment and operation. The question of whether these costs should
be borne by rate payers or by shareholders of Duke stock, is not one for
which I have an answer_, but it will be answered by the North Carolina Public
Utilities Comission. Finally, I do not think that the problem is beirg
overlooked, nor was it overlooked, by either Duke or the regulatory ,ercics.
In my opinion, Duke has prcgressed in an cnvirormentally conscious T.inner.
while considerable time elapsed :--:-�t•:ieen the
observed and the time final corrective action was instituted, the problem was
complex and the potential solutions were costly.
As you may be aware, Duke constructed Belews Lake by damming Belews Creek
primarily to serve (1) as a system for cooling the condensers at the Belews
Creek Power Plant, (2) as a source of water for other plant uses, and (3) as
a receiving water_ body for other_ plant wastes after treatment. However,
since the lake is "waters of the State of North Carolina," the Duke design
and planning included development and maintenance of a viable fishery resource
as- well. Environmental studies and assess; i,,tz: nts wore made and Duke e valuated
the Probable impact of discharging the waste heat to the lake. Results
i ndicate,cl khat -i r_casonahle sport Fi show could coexist with the thermal
discharge from the plant. Thc ?tato cr.ncurt.- d with the assessor;'?n!= and. issued
a permit allorwinrj Duke to discharge 1JJ ant t,f eluents into the lake.

-2 -
The Belews Creek Plant design followed common practice for coal burning power
plants at the time of its inception. Water was used to sluice the ash residue
to a settling pond. At the vast majority of sites this sluicing of ash does
not cause environmental problems since the low levels of dissolved metals and
other pollutants remaining in the settled effluent are diluted by water in the
receiving stream. At Belews Lake, however., the water used to sluice ash is
withdrawn from the lake and then discharged back into the lake. Ultimately it
was determined that recycling of water from, and back to, the lake (which
receives little inflow to wash excess pollutants from the lake) resulted in
an unexpected concentration of selenium by the aquatic food chain organisms.
Levels of selenium accumulated in the fish over time and finally resulted in a
block to reproduction. To my knowledge, this was the first time that such a
situation had been observed and documented.
But neither the regulatory agencies nor the fishermen were the first to find
that a problem existed. nuke, as a -result of the biological monitoring
program which they continued after plant operation began, was the first to
become aware of a problem with the fishery and sought the cause(s). Much
time and effort was necessary to determine the cause of the problem. After
Duke had determined that selenium was the problem, several alternates for
reducing the level of selenium in the lake were investigated. These included
diverting all or part of the ash pond effluent to the Dan River, sealing the
the lake_bottan to prevent recycle of selenium into the lake water from the
mud, as well as, the much more costly dry fly ash handling system. This
process has been somewhat slow, but solution of the problem was complicated
by the number of unknowns that were involved.
Again, I want to assure you that we at EPA are concerned with our environment
in general and with- specific problem situations such as the selenium at
Belews Lake. Where a ccmpany is found to be recalcitrant in correcting an
environmental problem, we do not hesitate to take aggressive administrative
action or to suggest that the State do so. In the present situation, however,
I feel that Duke has acted in a reasonable manner in finding a problem, bring-
ing it to the attention of regulatory agencies and seeking their advise and
assistance, determining the cause of the problem, and taking appropriate
corrective actions.
I hope that my reply has given you some additional insight into the problem
and has answered sere of: your concern. Shouldl you n.-:ve any oth^r or
comments, do not hesitate to contact _;i_
number 404/347-3012.
Sincerely yours,
C94 Y.
Charles H. Ka)an, P.E.
National Expert Steam ElectricAlater.
cc: Mr. Arthur M. Mouberry, NCD�tiTPCD
�" • .James C. Teathers, DPC

V. High Point Enterprise, Monday, April 7, 1986
Action Line
Call 841-3212
(Or Write P.O. Box 1009)
An Apple A Day ...?
Q. At a restaurant near Boone
last spring, we noted an orchard
right outside the window that
was fenced off and had warning
signs: Poison — Stay Out Of
Area: We have been wondering
ever since why they would use
toxic products on apples, and
wonder how much of it gets, to
consumers. MC
A. Just enough, thinks the En.
vironmental Protection Agency,
not to prostrate consumers or
doom soil and water. What you
noted may have been pesticide
spray or Alar, a chemical growth
regulator which must have ad-
verse effects on health as the
EPA recently reduced by about
half the allowable amounts per
acre, and baby food processors
have been asked to -voluntarily
avoid using Alar -treated' apples.
EPA testing continues.
United Papas
Q. There was a recent letter to
the editor from someone in
Fathers United For Equal Rights
of the Triad. Could you give me
that address? Mama
A. P.O. Box 6417, High Point,
N.C. 27262
Trailers Graded Up
We all had a hard time trying
to call trailers mobile homes,
and about the time we suc.
ceeded, they changed to "manu-
factured homes." This is more
descriptive since they range
from 400 to 2,500 square feet and
almost never move off original
sites. As they cost an average of
$21,500 compared to about
$106,000 for a house constructed
on site, they represent one-third
of all new single-family homes
sold today.. If you have about
decided to go that route. send 50
cents for a 23 -page booklet, How
To Buy A Manufactured Home,
to Consumer Information Center,
Dept. 453P, Pueblo, Colo. 81009.
Duke & Selenium
Q. I think Duke Power Co.
should be heavily fined for con-
taminating Belews Lake and
should have to clean up the lake
and the area and restock the fish
to original numbers. Please give
me the addresses of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency and
my congressman, whoever he is.
TF
A. Your protests and opinions
may be addressed to Con-
gressman Howard Coble, 510
Ferndale Blvd.,. High Point
27260, and to the EPA, Region 4,
345 Courtland St., N.E., Atlanta,
Ga. 30308.
Sound Off
Let's make kindergarten man-
datory! It is unfair to children
whose parents choose not to send
them. How can they expect to
compete in first grade with stu-
dents who learned reading and
elementary math in kin-
dergarten? My child is doing
math and reading in kin-
dergarten, and I am proud of her,
but what of the children who
don't do as well and fail to pass
kindergarten and cannot enter
first grade at -the age when oth-
ers, who did not attend kin-
dergarten and Imow absolutely
nothing of reading and math, go
right into first grade as sched-
uled? I just don't understand how
a kindergar:cr. student is ex.
pected to know first grade work,
but- a six-year-0Id who has never
been to kindergarten may fail
first grade due to lack of skills
acquired by peers who did attend
kindergarten.
I understand the problem of
"readiness" but question wheth-
er a parent is the best judge,
Being in such a close, protective
relationship. If we are to have
kindergarten in public schools, it
should be required for all chil-
dren as preparation for first
grade. For Fairness In Educa.
tion
/Z&1« t- -,�W
Alice B. Fallenstein
1307 Liberty Drive
Thomasville, NC 27360

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Weather: Partly Cloudy. L`elails Page 3A. � Daily 25C, Sunday 75¢
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102nd Year • High Point, N.C., Tuesday Afternoon, April 1, 1986 Tel. [phone]
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Selenium WiPes ®Ut C-�si ee s Laine M.2h; Tough Restrictions FoRo
(m,*%STOIC-SAL]t:%t
Selenium
`+,� IFROM PAGE 1AI
d
ty." he said.
IAP) — Duke time. I got more than one ?- million to blokes County's tax base borders Stokes, 'Forsyth, Hock-
Power Co. was just firing up the first pounder; ' Dudley said. "But within were killing the S,B00-acre lake,
A. Dennis'f emlq; a formerWake
katchewan th Saskatoon. "The stale
Officials frem Duke Power and
state agencies say it took years to
Ingham and Guilford counties, has
of its twin coal -burning power plants two years after they opened, it Ten years later, scientists say prompted North Carolina to adopt•
at Belews Lake in 1974 when W. wasn't worth going down there." Brleus Like is a national example
Forest University professor who has
done studies of Belews Lake, said
authorities described the fish prob,
lems, Duke Power described the
lea. what caused the fish kills and
even longer to develop and imple-
one of the nation's toughest di
Well Dudley tried his luck at bass in the summer of 1976 It ,became of the deadly efficiency with which charge limits On selenium — S
fishing th the
North Grollna ofpdalswereslawb
to the
chemical contamination, but there
Ment another way to dispose the
parts
crystal blue waters of clear W alarmed fishermen like the element selenium, washed out of per billion in lake nater.
the lake. Dudley that the same two massive the fly ash of burned coal, can wipe But,
"You
react problem.
'.That's what prompted me to gel
was no Immediate remedial action.
"The impact of Belews Creek has
500,000 tons of Ry ash produced by
the plants each year.
at the same time, scientists
could pull out enough bass power plants that lighted 750.000 out aquatic Ide•
involved In the first place," said
never been brought to the recog•
Yet, in 1970, one of Duke Power's
criticize the state's handling of the
back then to (ill up your coolers in no Piedmont Rouses and added $424 The problem at the lake, which Belews Lake
Lemly, now a Canadian research
biologist
onion of the nation or the communi-
oval scientists and a state wildlife
problem.
at the University of Sas-
(See SELENwM On 2A)
biologist identified the source of the
problem. the pond next to the lake,
into which Duke dumped the fly ash
It washed out of* its two 600 -foot
smokestacks.
Not until December 1984 did Duke
Power convert to a dry -ash system
that allowed the powdered waste to
be,used as an ingredient in concrete
or'buried in a landfill safely away
from the lake, rather than washed
down in a slurry.
Duke Power was never fined. Nor
was it assessed the cost of the state's
Investigation into the cause of the
fish kill or replacement costs.
For 10 years, the selenium Parti-
cles continuedto be pumped from
•
the holding pond hack into the lake
and into the sediment, were ab-
sorbed by small plants and fish and
ultimately by the lake's 20 species of
game fish.
The fish accumulated the heavy
metal in large amounts and conse-
quently stopped reproducing, Lemly
in a report published last
iwrote
year.
"T'here are legitimate questions
about Why it took so long• but some
of that delay may be that noWy
—
knew what to do to correct the
problem," said Robert B. Hazel.
director `of the state Division of
Environmental Management from
1976 to 1980. "The idea of selenium
being a problem was new, and no-
body knew what we had bumped
into."