Kalt, Jennifer

English

Digital Commons@Humboldt State University (HSU)

Cal Poly Humboldt Digital Commons @ Cal Poly Humboldt Local Reports and Publications Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) 2-10-2014 Humboldt Bay power plant canal remediation Jennifer Kalt Humboldt Baykeeper Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/isfsi_local Recommended Citation Kalt, Jennifer, "Humboldt Bay power plant canal remediation" (2014). Local Reports and Publications. 16. https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/isfsi_local/16 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) at Digital Commons @ Cal Poly Humboldt. It has been accepted for inclusion in Local Reports and Publications by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Cal Poly Humboldt. For more information, please contact kyle.morgan@humboldt.edu. !!February!10,!2014!!Mr.!Thomas!Luster!California!Coastal!Commission!45!Fremont,!Suite!2000!San!Francisco,!CA!94105A2219!!Re:!Humboldt!Bay!Power!Plant!Canal!Remediation,!Application!No.!9A13A0621!!Dear!Mr.!Luster,!!On!behalf!of!the!board,!staff!and!supporting!members!of!Humboldt!Baykeeper,!these!comments!are!submitted!for!the!Coastal!Commission’s!consideration!on!the!Coastal!Development!Permit!for!PG&E’s!Humboldt!Bay!Power!Plant!Canal!Remediation,!agenda!item!W10a!for!the!Feb.!12,!2014!Commission!hearing.!!Humboldt!Baykeeper!was!launched!in!October!2004!to!safeguard!our!coastal!resources!for!the!health,!enjoyment,!and!economic!strength!of!the!Humboldt!Bay!community!through!education,!scientific!research,!and!enforcement!of!laws!to!fight!pollution.!!We!are!pleased!that!the!remediation!of!the!intake!and!discharge!canals!is!moving!forward.!The!Humboldt!Bay!Power!Plant!(HBPP)!included!the!first!commerciallyAlicensed!nuclear!power!plant!in!the!U.S.!which!has!not!operated!since!going!offline!over!30!years!ago.!Its!proximity!to!Humboldt!Bay!and!the!communities!of!King!Salmon!and!the!greater!Eureka!areas!has!been!of!great!concern!as!the!reactor,!spent!fuel!pool,!etc.!sat!awaiting!decommissioning!for!decades.!It!is!a!great!relief!to!be!nearing!the!end!of!the!long!decommissioning!process.!!!Humboldt!Baykeeper's!primary!concern!with!the!proposed!project!is!regarding!the!wetland!mitigation!proposed!at!and!adjacent!to!the!intake!to!the!power!plant,!which!was!revealed!to!have!the!secondAhighest!level!of!CesiumA137!in!the!sampling!results!presented!in!the!response!to!our!comments!on!the!Initial!Study!and!Mitigated!Negative!Declaration!(attached).!We!understand!that!federal!preAemption!precludes!the!Commission!from!analyzing!remediation!plans!for!the!site,!but!we!urge!the!Commission!to!take!a!close!look!at!the!sampling!results!in!the!attached!response!to!our!comments!(pdf!page!5!of!9).!The!Radiological!Characterization!Report!developed!for!HBPP!by!Enercon!states!that!“The!results!of!the!samples!indicate!an!increase!in!sediment!contamination!in!the!first!half!of!the!canal!over!the!last!:Ddecade.”!(p.!22,!Radiological!Characterization!Report,!HBPPARPTA001,!November!21,!2008).!!We!are!concerned!that!review!of!the!proposed!wetland!mitigation!identified!as!the!Alpha&Road&Parking&Mitigation&Area!(Exhibit!5)!has!been!done!without!considering!the!CesiumA137!detection!of!22.39!pCI/g.!We!bring!this!to!the!Commission’s!attention!so!as!to!avoid!segmentation!of!review!by!the!various!agencies!with!different!authority!over!the!project,!which!includes!the!Nuclear!Regulatory!Commission,!Department!of!Toxic!Substances!Control,!Regional!Water!Quality!Control!Board,!etc.!as!well!as!the!Coastal!Commission.!The!Alpha!Road!Parking!Mitigation!Area!may!be!wellAsuited!to!restoration!of!bay!habitat!such!as!salt!marsh,!mudflats,!and!eelgrass!beds,!but!our!hope!is!that!this!determination!will!not!be!made!in!absence!of!information!on!the!extent!of!contamination!and!proposed!remediation!prior!to!restoration!efforts.!!!We!are!also!concerned!with!potential!radionuclide!contamination!of!bay!sediments!and!the!methodology!used!to!delineate!the!area!to!be!remediated,!particularly!offAsite!at!the!point!of!discharge!from!the!discharge!canal.!We!are!concerned!that!radionuclides!may!be!present!within!bay!sediments!from!effluent!discharges!over!the!years,!and!would!like!to!know!how!PG&E!and!its!consultants!determined!the!extent!of!contamination.!Sediment!sampling!results!have!not!been!presented!that!support!the!extent!of!remediation!being!proposed!at!the!discharge.!!We!look!forward!to!the!next!phase!of!decommissioning,!which!will!entail!restoration!of!the!entire!site.!We!appreciate!the!diligence!of!the!numerous!agencies!that!endeavor!to!ensure!the!longAterm!health!and!safety!of!Humboldt!Bay!residents,!particularly!those!who!gather!and!eat!mussels!and!other!bivalves,!as!well!as!the!wildlife!that!relies!on!mollusks!and!other!invertebrates.!!!Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this matter.   Sincerely,   _________/s/_____________  Jennifer Kalt, Policy Director Humboldt Baykeeper 1385 Eighth Street, Suite 228 Arcata, CA 95521 (707) 499-3678  jkalt@humboldtbaykeeper.org  !Attached:!!!Excerpt!the!Humboldt!Bay!Harbor,!Recreation,!and!Conservation!District’s!Jan.!23,!2014!Mitigated!Negative!Declaration!hearing:!PG&E_canal_MND_response_to_comments_Baykeeper_Section1A22A14.!pdf!

Humboldt Bay power plant canal remediation

Galt, Jennifer

Cal Poly Humboldt Digital Commons @ Cal Poly Humboldt Local Reports and Publications Cal Poly Humboldt Sea Level Rise Initiative 2-10-2014 Humboldt Bay power plant canal remediation Jennifer Galt Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/hsuslri_local !!February!10,!2014!!Mr.!Thomas!Luster!California!Coastal!Commission!45!Fremont,!Suite!2000!San!Francisco,!CA!94105A2219!!Re:!Humboldt!Bay!Power!Plant!Canal!Remediation,!Application!No.!9A13A0621!!Dear!Mr.!Luster,!!On!behalf!of!the!board,!staff!and!supporting!members!of!Humboldt!Baykeeper,!these!comments!are!submitted!for!the!Coastal!Commission’s!consideration!on!the!Coastal!Development!Permit!for!PG&E’s!Humboldt!Bay!Power!Plant!Canal!Remediation,!agenda!item!W10a!for!the!Feb.!12,!2014!Commission!hearing.!!Humboldt!Baykeeper!was!launched!in!October!2004!to!safeguard!our!coastal!resources!for!the!health,!enjoyment,!and!economic!strength!of!the!Humboldt!Bay!community!through!education,!scientific!research,!and!enforcement!of!laws!to!fight!pollution.!!We!are!pleased!that!the!remediation!of!the!intake!and!discharge!canals!is!moving!forward.!The!Humboldt!Bay!Power!Plant!(HBPP)!included!the!first!commerciallyAlicensed!nuclear!power!plant!in!the!U.S.!which!has!not!operated!since!going!offline!over!30!years!ago.!Its!proximity!to!Humboldt!Bay!and!the!communities!of!King!Salmon!and!the!greater!Eureka!areas!has!been!of!great!concern!as!the!reactor,!spent!fuel!pool,!etc.!sat!awaiting!decommissioning!for!decades.!It!is!a!great!relief!to!be!nearing!the!end!of!the!long!decommissioning!process.!!!Humboldt!Baykeeper's!primary!concern!with!the!proposed!project!is!regarding!the!wetland!mitigation!proposed!at!and!adjacent!to!the!intake!to!the!power!plant,!which!was!revealed!to!have!the!secondAhighest!level!of!CesiumA137!in!the!sampling!results!presented!in!the!response!to!our!comments!on!the!Initial!Study!and!Mitigated!Negative!Declaration!(attached).!We!understand!that!federal!preAemption!precludes!the!Commission!from!analyzing!remediation!plans!for!the!site,!but!we!urge!the!Commission!to!take!a!close!look!at!the!sampling!results!in!the!attached!response!to!our!comments!(pdf!page!5!of!9).!The!Radiological!Characterization!Report!developed!for!HBPP!by!Enercon!states!that!“The!results!of!the!samples!indicate!an!increase!in!sediment!contamination!in!the!first!half!of!the!canal!over!the!last!:Ddecade.”!(p.!22,!Radiological!Characterization!Report,!HBPPARPTA001,!November!21,!2008).!!We!are!concerned!that!review!of!the!proposed!wetland!mitigation!identified!as!the!Alpha&Road&Parking&Mitigation&Area!(Exhibit!5)!has!been!done!without!considering!the!CesiumA137!detection!of!22.39!pCI/g.!We!bring!this!to!the!Commission’s!attention!so!as!to!avoid!segmentation!of!review!by!the!various!agencies!with!different!authority!over!the!project,!which!includes!the!Nuclear!Regulatory!Commission,!Department!of!Toxic!Substances!Control,!Regional!Water!Quality!Control!Board,!etc.!as!well!as!the!Coastal!Commission.!The!Alpha!Road!Parking!Mitigation!Area!may!be!wellAsuited!to!restoration!of!bay!habitat!such!as!salt!marsh,!mudflats,!and!eelgrass!beds,!but!our!hope!is!that!this!determination!will!not!be!made!in!absence!of!information!on!the!extent!of!contamination!and!proposed!remediation!prior!to!restoration!efforts.!!!We!are!also!concerned!with!potential!radionuclide!contamination!of!bay!sediments!and!the!methodology!used!to!delineate!the!area!to!be!remediated,!particularly!offAsite!at!the!point!of!discharge!from!the!discharge!canal.!We!are!concerned!that!radionuclides!may!be!present!within!bay!sediments!from!effluent!discharges!over!the!years,!and!would!like!to!know!how!PG&E!and!its!consultants!determined!the!extent!of!contamination.!Sediment!sampling!results!have!not!been!presented!that!support!the!extent!of!remediation!being!proposed!at!the!discharge.!!We!look!forward!to!the!next!phase!of!decommissioning,!which!will!entail!restoration!of!the!entire!site.!We!appreciate!the!diligence!of!the!numerous!agencies!that!endeavor!to!ensure!the!longAterm!health!and!safety!of!Humboldt!Bay!residents,!particularly!those!who!gather!and!eat!mussels!and!other!bivalves,!as!well!as!the!wildlife!that!relies!on!mollusks!and!other!invertebrates.!!!Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this matter.   Sincerely,   _________/s/_____________  Jennifer Kalt, Policy Director Humboldt Baykeeper 1385 Eighth Street, Suite 228 Arcata, CA 95521 (707) 499-3678  jkalt@humboldtbaykeeper.org  !Attached:!!!Excerpt!the!Humboldt!Bay!Harbor,!Recreation,!and!Conservation!District’s!Jan.!23,!2014!Mitigated!Negative!Declaration!hearing:!PG&E_canal_MND_response_to_comments_Baykeeper_Section1A22A14.!pdf!

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Humboldt Bay power plant canal remediation

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