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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Ecosystem effects of phytoplankton and zooplankton entrainment

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6241922· OSTI ID:6241922
The literature on the effects of power plant entrainment on phytoplankton and zooplankton was reviewed to determine if a definitive documentation and assessment of the ecosystem effects of entrainment on these organism groups could be made. Few studies were found that attempted to address the ecosystem level directly, and many were designed only to meet regulatory requirements for assessment studies. Many shortcomings were found in these studies. While these studies cannot be said to provide a definitive assessment at the ecosystem level, they do provide a large, consistent data base to document that the effects of entrainment on phytoplankton and zooplankton are generally small and unlikely to cause ecosystem-wide impacts. Except where the percentage of available water withdrawn for cooling is large or other evidence sugggests a unique situation, there is no need to conduct field studies on entrainment effects on a routine basis.
Research Organization:
Lawler, Matusky and Skelly, Pearl River, NY (USA)
OSTI ID:
6241922
Report Number(s):
EPRI-EA-1038
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English