NC0004979_Assessment of Balanced & Indigneous Populations_20100113

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NCDENR
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Division of Water Quality'
Beverly Eaves Perdue Coleen H. Sullins WJ>Ie 3oanos wiod Freeman
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Governor Director -- Se retary
January 13, 2010 Ot0Z 6 I Nbr
Allen Stowe
Water Management, Duke Energy
EC13K.
PO Box 1006
Charlotte, NC 28201-1006
Subject: Review of Duke Energy Carolinas, N.PDES--Permit_N00004979, "Assessment of Balanced and
Indigenous Populations in Lake Wylie near Allen Steam Station", November 2009.
Environmental Sciences Section staff have reviewed the subject document which was received on December 03, 2009.
Eric Fleek, Debra Owen, and Bryn H. Tracy reviewed the sections; on macroinvertebrates, water quality monitoring, and
fish, respectively. The power plant operates under an DWQ- and EPA -approved Clean Water Act §316(a) thermal
variance. By agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), Duke Energy conducts
annual monitoring of Lake Wylie in the vicinity of the Allen Steam Station to support NPDES Permit NC0004979:
1. Part A. (1) Effluent Limitations and Monitoring Requirements (outfall 001) -- "The Regional Administrator has
determined pursuant to Section 316(a) of the Act that the thermal component of the discharge assures the
protection and propagation of a balanced, indigenous population of shellfish, fish, and wildlife in and on the
receiving body of water, and
2. Part A. (12) Section 316 (b) of the CWA (Clean Water Act) — "The permittee shall comply with the Cooling Water
Intake Structure Rule per 40 CFR 125.95'.
,The report fulfills the permit obligations for reporting the results of the biological monitoring. Based on a review of the
current data, it is our opinion that the Allen Steam Station is unlikely in having an impact to the fish community in Lake
Wylie and that the fish community currently qualifies as a balanced and indigenous. Despite the fact that the fish
assemblage in this multi-purpose reservoir is comprised of indigenous and nonindigenous species (Tables 5-1 and 5-2 on
pages 5-6 and 5-7 of the report), the Clean Water Act §316(a) does allow for balanced and indigenous communities to ". .
. include historically non-native species introduced in connection with a program of wildlife management and species
whose presence or abundance results from substantial, irreversible environmental modification" (40CFR 125.71(c)).
We do have one concern regarding the benthic macroinvertebrate community and would appreciate receiving a written
response to this concern, before an determination can be made as to whether or not the power plant is having an impact
on the benthic community and if the benthic community is balanced and indigenous. We also have one comment and
three analysis requests for future reports.
Concern
There appears to be a very large discrepancy in the mean and total abundance of the burrowing mayfly Hexagenia spp.
between Station A (upstream of Allen Steam Station), Station B (at Allen Steam Station), and Station C (below Allen
Steam Station) (Figure 1). Indeed, Hexagenia spp. were collected at every sampling effort from 2000-2008 at Station A,
but only collected twice (2000 and 2006) at Station B, and on four occasions (2001, 2004, 2005, and 2007) at Station C.
Hexagenia spp. have been reliably demonstrated to be sensitive to low -dissolved oxygen (Britt 1955, Beeton 1961,
Beeton 1969, Verduin 1964, Carr and Hiltunen 1965, Krieger et al. 1996, Edsall et al. 1999, Edsall 2001, Edsall and
Phillips 2006), sensitive to metals and petroleum products (Edsall et al. 1991 and Schloesser et al. 1991) and have long
been recognized as pollution intolerant organisms and.reliable indicators of overall healthy aquatic conditions (Bertram
and Statler-Salt 1998, Edsall 2001). Therefore, the discrepancy in the densities of these organism between stations is
concerning and requires additional explanation since it appears that these discrepancies are not the result of seasonal,
depth, or substrate differences among sites.
1621 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1621
Location: 4401 Reedy Creek Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone] Customer Service: 1-877-623-6748
Internet: htto:Hh2o.enr.state.nc.us/esb/
An Equal Opportunity 1 Affirmative Action Employer
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Allen Stowe
January 136, 2010
Page 2
Figure 1. Annual, mean and total Hexagenia spp. density
by station, Lake Wylie near Allen Steam Station.
Comment
Page 3-2, paragraph 1 fine 4: The State of North Carolina does not currently have either a water quality action level or
standard for nutrients. In addition, Dutchmans Creek, South Fork Catawba River, Withers Cove, and Crowders Creek are
not considered by DWQ to be "nutrient impaired" -streams (i.e. on the §303 (d) list of impaired waters for nutrients).
Perhaps there is an alternative choice of word here to describe the nutrient status of these waters that may be clearer.
This term was also used in the conclusions on page 3-4.
Analysis Requests
For the 2014 report, it would also be advantageous if you could provide additional information to aid in our interpretation of
the data:
1. In addition to Tables 4-1 through 4-4, please include a taxonomic table comparing taxa occurrences for the
current sampling year for each station so that a direct side-by-side comparison can be more easily conducted.
Please see Table 1 as an example.
2. In addition to Figures 4-1 through 4-5, please include the following graphs for each station and year (in the
same format as currently presented) for the following groups: Non-Chironomid Diptera, Ephemeroptera,
Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Coleoptera, Odonata, Megaloptera, Crustacea, and Mollusca. Again, this will allow
for a more direct side-by-side comparison for each station and each taxonomic group.
3. In addition, please report EPT taxa richness and EPT for each station going forward. These metrics can be
reported in accordance with current graphical formats.
Table 1.
Waterbody
Licklog Branch
Sugarloaf Creek
Tao
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8/9/2007
8/9/2007
8/9/2007
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off SR 1708
off SR 1556
County
Jackson
Jackson
Jackson
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2DW 2DDI 2002 20D3 2004 2005 2008 2007 2008 WAN MIAL
DBSfIY MOTY
a Station A (Uplake of Allen Stream Station) ■ Station B (At Allen Steam Station) D Station C (Downlake of Allen Steam Station)
Figure 1. Annual, mean and total Hexagenia spp. density
by station, Lake Wylie near Allen Steam Station.
Comment
Page 3-2, paragraph 1 fine 4: The State of North Carolina does not currently have either a water quality action level or
standard for nutrients. In addition, Dutchmans Creek, South Fork Catawba River, Withers Cove, and Crowders Creek are
not considered by DWQ to be "nutrient impaired" -streams (i.e. on the §303 (d) list of impaired waters for nutrients).
Perhaps there is an alternative choice of word here to describe the nutrient status of these waters that may be clearer.
This term was also used in the conclusions on page 3-4.
Analysis Requests
For the 2014 report, it would also be advantageous if you could provide additional information to aid in our interpretation of
the data:
1. In addition to Tables 4-1 through 4-4, please include a taxonomic table comparing taxa occurrences for the
current sampling year for each station so that a direct side-by-side comparison can be more easily conducted.
Please see Table 1 as an example.
2. In addition to Figures 4-1 through 4-5, please include the following graphs for each station and year (in the
same format as currently presented) for the following groups: Non-Chironomid Diptera, Ephemeroptera,
Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Coleoptera, Odonata, Megaloptera, Crustacea, and Mollusca. Again, this will allow
for a more direct side-by-side comparison for each station and each taxonomic group.
3. In addition, please report EPT taxa richness and EPT for each station going forward. These metrics can be
reported in accordance with current graphical formats.
Table 1.
Waterbody
Licklog Branch
Sugarloaf Creek
Scott Creek
Date
8/9/2007
8/9/2007
8/9/2007
Location
SR 1706
off SR 1708
off SR 1556
County
Jackson
Jackson
Jackson
Taxon
Ephemeroptera
Acentrella spp
R
Plauditus dubius gp.
C
A
Baetis flavistriga
R
Pseudocloeon propinquum
R

Allen Stowe
January 13, 2010
Page 3
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff.
Yours truly,
/eterCaldwell for Jay Sauber
Acting Chief, Environmental Sciences Section
cc: Eric Fleek, Environmental Sciences Section
Rob Krebs, Mooresville Regional Office
Debra Owen, Environmental Sciences Section
Jeff Poupart, Surface Water Protection Section
Bryn H. Tracy, Environmental Sciences Section
Charles Weaver, Surface Water Protection Section
References Cited
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1969. Changes in the environment and biota.of the Great Lakes. In: Eutrophication: Causes, Consequences, and
Correctives. National Academy of Sciences. Washington, D.C., pp. 150-187.
Bertram, P. and N. Statler-Salt. 1998. Selection of indicators for Great Lakes basin ecosystem health. State of the Lakes
Ecosystem Conference 1998. Buffalo, New York. U.S. Environ. Protect. Agency, Chicago, III., and Environment
Canada, Burlington, Ont.
Britt, N.W. 1955. Stratification in western Lake Erie in summer 1953: effects on the Hexagenia (Ephemeroptera)
population. Ecology (36): 39-244.
Carr, J.F. and J.K. Hiltunen. 1965. Changes in the bottom fauna of western Lake Erie from 1950 to 1961. Limnol.
Oceanogr. (10): 551-569.
Edsall, T.A. 2001. Burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia) as indicators of ecosystem health. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and
Management (4): 283-292.
B.A. Manny, D.W. Schloesser, S. J. Nichols, and A. M. Frank. 1991. Production of Hexagenia limbata nymphs in
contaminated sediments in the Upper Great Lakes Connecting Channels. Hydrobiologia (219): 353-361.
Edsall, T.A., C.P. Madenjian, and B.A. Manny. 1999. Burrowing mayflies in Lake Erie—a review. In: M. Munawar, T.
Edsall, I.F. Munawar, (Eds), The State of Lake Erie: Past, Present, and Future, Ecovision World Monograph
Series, Backhuys Publishers, The Netherlands, pp. 219-231. -
Edsall, T.A. and W. E. Phillips. 2006. Burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia) as indicators of aquatic ecosystem health at
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan. Park Science Volume 23 (1).
Krieger, K.W., D.W. Schloesser, B.A. Manny, C.E. Trisler, S.E. Heady, J.H. Ciborowski, and K.M. Muth. 1996. Recovery
of burrowing mayflies (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae: Hexagenia) in western Lake Erie. J. Great Lakes Res. (22):
254-263.
Schloesser, D.W., T.A. Edsall, B.A. Manny, and S.J. Nichols. 1991. Distribution of Hexagenia nymphs and visible oil in
contaminated sediments in the Upper Great Lakes Connecting Channels. Hydrobiologia (219): 345-352.
Verduin, J. 1964. Changes in western Lake Erie during the period 1948-1962. Verhandl. Intern. Ver. Limnol. (15): 639-
644.