lifespan ofthe plant. No immediate effects would be observed atthe time of commissioning the power station. The potential for long term impacts would depend on the manner in wh 2 ‘heavy metals accumulate within each prt ofthe ecosystem, and the rate at which they beco > incorporated into sediment. Damage assessment would require a great deal of site specific data and a series of detailed models and has not been attempted. 13.5.2 Impacts caused by abstraction and discharges from cooling systems Impingement and entrainment of fish at the intake of power station cooling systems 1} frequently been cited as a serious impact. Some companies in the US compensate for t 5 effect by restocking rivers with at least an equivalent number of fish of the same species, produced in fish farms. The extent to which fish are Killed can be controlled by reducing the velocity of water entering the cooling water intake. For West Burton 'B' the speed of | > intake would be 0.3 ms. Any fish longer than a few centimetres should be able to sw faster than this and so be able to escape (Baxter, 1969). Some loss of smaller organisms ‘would occur. Effects will be site specific and s0 a generalised modelling approach is r~t suitable. ‘Water discharged from the cooling system will be at a higher temperature than that in the river, Provided that the temperature difference is not more than a few degrees, and 1 : dilution is rapid, any effect is likely to be negligible. In the case of West Burton ' | discharged water would be no more thn 4°C warmer than river water. After complete ‘mixing, warming should be no more than about 0.2°C. ‘The major chemical emission from the cooling system would be the chlorine used periodicalzy to prevent bio-fouling. Deailed information regarding chlorine emissions after such extent Saree ‘though levels would need to be agreed between the utilit ‘rune "a evden Unt pusage Uivogh the cooling seat neat decompostion res of onan mater, reducing bclogie! oxygen demand, ths improvilg ‘ater quality. Levels of numerous chemical species inthe cooling water would ie as walsh is lost by evaporation. NE” levels would fall slightly through volatilisation of NH. 13.5.3 Impacts of non-heavy metal discharges from FGD plants Like other emissions to water, non-heavy metal discharges would require consent from t | regulatory body. It is thus unlikely that short term effects would be recorded. The species we {interest ae chloride from HCI present in the flu gas) calcium and sulphate. CEGB (1988) estimated that the West Burton FGD plant would emit 8,000 tonnes of Ca, 13,000 tonnes of >) and 300 tonnes of nitrate into the River Trent each year. Estimated increases in riv | concentration were 5% for Ca, 3% for nitrate and 18% for Cl. Given that there are already’ high levels of nitrate inthe river, further increase may contribute to eutrophication. Increased levels of Ci and sulphate would probebly cause most concem. As in the other cases giv above, effects ofthese emissions could only be calculated using detailed data and models f the aquatic environment around the reference system and so has been omitted. Attention ‘needs to be paid to this problem to allow the benefits of reducing sulphur emissions to be ‘weighed against the damage associated with FGD technology. 324