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Oyster Creek's Environmental Record: A Checkered History 2004-02-17 Oyster_Creek.pdf

Executive Summary

As the new home of NJPIRG's environmental work, Environment New Jersey can be contacted regarding this report.

Plant’s Fish Kill History and Feasible Solutions

The plant has had a history of problems since it was opened in 1969, in large part because the 1960s once-through cooling design called for the plant to be cooled by intaking and then discharging water on a daily basis. The plant intakes water to cool the reactor from the Forked River and then discharges the thermal pollution into Oyster Creek. Using pumps, the plant dilutes the thermal discharges to ensure that the temperatures do not exceed its permit limit. Fish are attracted to the discharges because of their warmer waters, and then during planned or emergency shut-downs, they become sitting targets as they are killed off as the water temperature becomes scalding or drops precipitously. In an attempt to amend for its record, the plant entered into a settlement agreement with the state in the 1980s to build an artificial reef to attempt to offset precious fisheries.