Development of 316(b)
Proposal for Information Collection
AES Thames, LLC
Uncasville, CT
AES Thames is an independent operator and owner of a co-generation coal-fired
plant located on the Thames River estuary, in Montville, Connecticut.
AES has contracted Kleinschmidt to develop the Proposal for Information
Collection
(PIC). Our goal in this project was to maximize the use of existing impingement and entrainment data
collected from the Montville Station adjacent to
the AES plant and existing fish protection measures to meet the requirements
of the Rule. The PIC has been submitted to the Connecticut Department
of Environmental Protection and
discussions are underway relative to the need for additional I&E data.
Development of the AES Thames PIC included the following required components under the rule:
- description of the proposed and/or implemented technology(ies) and/or restoration measures to be evaluated in the CDS;
- a list and description of any historical studies characterizing impingement and entrainment and/or the physical and biological conditions in the vicinity of the cooling water intake structures and their relevance to the proposed study
- a summary of any past, ongoing, or voluntary consultations with appropriate Federal, State, and Tribal fish and wildlife agencies that are relevant to this study;
- a sampling plan for any new field studies proposed.
In preparation of the PIC, Kleinschmidt relied on the following: 1) existing design, construction and operational specifications for the cooling water intake systems; 2) available ecological impact assessment data collected at or near AES Thames; 3) information describing the ecology of the lower Thames River; 4) available literature about fish protection alternatives; 5) generally accepted cost-benefit methodologies; and 6) specific guidance provided by EPA in its rule making.
As part of the PIC, Kleinschmidt included source water physical data and cooling water intake structure data.
For more information contact Chris Tomichek.