Comprehensive cooling water study annual report. Volume VII: fish communities, Savannah River Plant

Technical Report · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:6381153

Gladden, J B; Lower, M W; Mackey, H E; Specht, W L; Wilde, E W

Adult fishes representing a total of 66 species were collected at transects in the Savannah River, intake canals, and the mouths of Upper Three Runs Creek, Steel Creek, Four Mile Creek, Beaver Dam Creek, and Lower Three Runs Creek. Densities and seasonal trends of adult fish in the mouths of the ambient temperature creeks were similar to those in the river, with very low densities in January and higher densities in the other months. In contrast, relative density in thermally influenced Four Mile Creek peaked during January at levels greater than the other transects, indicating a wintertime aggregation of fishes in its heated waters which were up to 7/sup 0/C warmer than ambient temperatures. Fish avoided Four Mile Creek during May, August, and October when excessively high water temperatures occurred. Ichthyoplankton densities were highest downstream of the SRP during February, March, and April, highest near the SRP during May, and highest upstream of the SRP during June and July. Studies of nonthermal, thermal, and post-thermal areas in SRP stream and swamp systems indicate that the thermal streams have markedly reduced species richness and abundance relative to ambient temperature areas. An average of 37 fish were impinged daily on the SRP pumphouse intake screens. Entrainment of larval fish and eggs at the SRP pumphouses during the 1983 spawning season totaled 37.2 x 10/sup 6/ ichthyoplankters which was 9.3% of the ichthyoplankton that passed by the intake canals and structures. 69 refs., 33 figs., 61 tabs.

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-76SR00001
• OSTI ID: 6381153
• Report Number(s): DP-1697-7; ON: DE86003109
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
FISHES
ABUNDANCE
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENTRAINMENT
ICHTHYOPLANKTON
IMPINGEMENT
REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
COOLING SYSTEMS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PLANKTON
REACTOR COMPONENTS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VERTEBRATES
520400* - Environment
Aquatic- Thermal Effluents Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)