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Title: Methodology for predicting cooling water effects on fish

Journal Article · · Journal of Environmental Engineering
 [1];  [2]
  1. Turkish Electricity Generation and Transmission Corp., Ankara (Turkey)
  2. Middle East Tech. Univ., Ankara (Turkey). Environmental Engineering Dept.

The mathematical model presented here predicts the long-term effects of once-through cooling water systems on local fish populations. The fish life cycle model simulates different life stages of fish by using appropriate expressions representing growth and mortality rates. The heart of the developed modeling approach is the prediction of plant-caused reduction in total fish population by estimating recruitment to adult population with and without entrainment of ichthyoplankton and impingement of small fish. The model was applied to a local fish species, gilthead (Aparus aurata), for the case of a proposed power plant in the Aegean region of Turkey. The simulations indicate that entrainment and impingement may lead to a population reduction of about 2% to 8% in the long run. In many cases, an impact of this size can be considered rather unimportant. In the case of sensitive and ecologically values species facing extinction, however, necessary precautions should be taken to minimize or totally avoid such an impact.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
642350
Journal Information:
Journal of Environmental Engineering, Vol. 124, Issue 7; Other Information: PBD: Jul 1998
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English