Responses of selected aquatic biota in Watts Bar Reservoir to thermal discharges from Kingston Steam-Electric Plant in 1978 and 1979

Technical Report · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983

OSTI ID:5178949

Craven, T M; Dycus, D L; Tomljanovich, D A

Results of the 1978 and 1979 investigations on the effects of the power plant on the biota of Watts Bar Reservoir are presented and compared to the results of the 1973 to 1975 studies. Water chemistry, phytoplankton, periphyton, zooplankton and benthic macroinvertebrate data were collected. Water quality parameter values in 1978 and 1979 were within expected ranges. Upstream/downstream differences in phytoplankton density in 1978 and 1979 were not attributed to thermal effects but to plant operation. Lower cell density and chlorophyll a concentrations in 1979 were attributed to increased turbidity accompanying higher flows. Low abundance of blue-green algae (Cyanophyta) at thermally affected stations suggested that differences in composition among stations were not due to thermal effect but to complex mixing patterns of several water masses. Thermal effluent was not shown to adversely affect the periphyton community downstream of the plant. Substantial differences in zooplankton density between upstream and downstream stations were indicative of some type of plant effect. No adverse effects were observed on the benthic macroinvertebrate community in either 1978 or 1979. 57 references, 17 figures, 23 tables. (MDF)

• Research Organization: Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville (USA). Office of Natural Resources
• OSTI ID: 5178949
• Report Number(s): TVA/ONR/WRF-83/14(a); ON: DE84900343
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520400* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Thermal Effluents Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560203 -- Thermal Effects-- Plants-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AUFWUCHS
BENTHOS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHEMISTRY
COPPER COMPOUNDS
DATA
DISSOLVED GASES
ELEMENTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION IV
FLUIDS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
GASES
HYDROLOGY
INFORMATION
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN
PH VALUE
PHYTOPLANKTON
PLANKTON
POPULATION DYNAMICS
POWER PLANTS
RESERVOIR TEMPERATURE
RIVERS
SEDIMENTS
SOLUTES
SPECIES DIVERSITY
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TENNESSEE
TENNESSEE RIVER
THERMAL EFFLUENTS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
USA
WATER CHEMISTRY
WATER RESERVOIRS
ZOOPLANKTON