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The Effect of pH Neutralization of A Power Plant Effluent on The Clinch River JOHN S. CROSSMAN, Biologist Teledyne Brown Engineering Huntsville, Alabama 35807 JOHN CAIRNS, JR., Professor Biology Department and Center for Environmental Studies Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 INTRODUCTION The Appalachian Power Company operates a 700 megawatt steam power generating plant at Carbo, Virginia. During the past five years this plant has been responsible for two major industrial spills that have resulted in fish kills and other biological damage to the Clinch River. The first spill occurred in June 1967 when the dike surrounding a fly ash settling pond collapsed. This spill involved the release of an estimated 130 million gallons of fly ash waste which had a pH between 12.0 and 13.0 (1). Three years after the alkaline spill, June 1970, another accidental spill occurred when the pH controlling unit at one of the plant's cooling towers failed. This failure resulted in the release of an undetermined amount of sulfuric acid which killed fish and other biological organisms for a distance of approximately 13.0 miles (2). Preventative measures taken to avoid the occurrence of another fly ash pond spill were to remove the ash slurry return pipe from the dike, the rip-rap along the outer face of the dike wall was removed and a five foot wide filter zone of crushed rock was placed along the entire length of the dike to prevent erosion, and a three foot layer of rip-rap was replaced on the outside slope of the dike, up to approximately 14 feet, for flood protection (1). Action was also taken to prevent pH problems such as the one that occurred in June 1970. This preventative measure involved the installation of a new waste water treatment system designed to control the pH of all waters discharged from the power plant to the river. Besides controlling the pH the unit was designed to settle out grit and suspended solids, thereby eliminating another possible environmental problem. After the new waterwater treatment system became operational a one year instream biological monitoring program was undertaken to determine what effects its discharges were having upon the receiving stream's macroinvertebrate communities. Macroinvertebrates were studied because they are: 1) relatively sessile organisms that cannot quickly avoid environmental stresses as fish are often able to do; 2) they have rather long and complex life histories and their presence or absence reflects the history of the environment; 3) sampling techniques for bottom fauna are more reliable than techniques for fish; 4) in a lotic environment with a detrivore food chain this group becomes the single most important trophic level since all the other trophic levels depend upon them for food; and 5) this group of organisms had been extensively studied since 1969 by the senior author. MATERIALS AND METHODS When the instream biological monitoring system was set up, four stations were sampled on a monthly basis except when high stream discharges prevented it in January, February, and May. The four stations were divided into one upstream reference station. Station 4, and three downstream stations, stations 7, 8, and 10. These stations were located 2.0 km above the power plant and 1.1,4.7, and 18.8 km downstream of the power station, respectively. 425
Object Description
Purdue Identification Number | ETRIWC197337 |
Title | Effect of pH neutralization of a power plant effluent on the Clinch River |
Author |
Crossman, John S. Cairns, John |
Date of Original | 1973 |
Conference Title | Proceedings of the 28th Industrial Waste Conference |
Conference Front Matter (copy and paste) | http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/u?/engext,23197 |
Extent of Original | p. 425-437 |
Series | Engineering extension series no. 142 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Date Digitized | 2009-06-02 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
Description
Title | page 425 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Transcript | The Effect of pH Neutralization of A Power Plant Effluent on The Clinch River JOHN S. CROSSMAN, Biologist Teledyne Brown Engineering Huntsville, Alabama 35807 JOHN CAIRNS, JR., Professor Biology Department and Center for Environmental Studies Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 INTRODUCTION The Appalachian Power Company operates a 700 megawatt steam power generating plant at Carbo, Virginia. During the past five years this plant has been responsible for two major industrial spills that have resulted in fish kills and other biological damage to the Clinch River. The first spill occurred in June 1967 when the dike surrounding a fly ash settling pond collapsed. This spill involved the release of an estimated 130 million gallons of fly ash waste which had a pH between 12.0 and 13.0 (1). Three years after the alkaline spill, June 1970, another accidental spill occurred when the pH controlling unit at one of the plant's cooling towers failed. This failure resulted in the release of an undetermined amount of sulfuric acid which killed fish and other biological organisms for a distance of approximately 13.0 miles (2). Preventative measures taken to avoid the occurrence of another fly ash pond spill were to remove the ash slurry return pipe from the dike, the rip-rap along the outer face of the dike wall was removed and a five foot wide filter zone of crushed rock was placed along the entire length of the dike to prevent erosion, and a three foot layer of rip-rap was replaced on the outside slope of the dike, up to approximately 14 feet, for flood protection (1). Action was also taken to prevent pH problems such as the one that occurred in June 1970. This preventative measure involved the installation of a new waste water treatment system designed to control the pH of all waters discharged from the power plant to the river. Besides controlling the pH the unit was designed to settle out grit and suspended solids, thereby eliminating another possible environmental problem. After the new waterwater treatment system became operational a one year instream biological monitoring program was undertaken to determine what effects its discharges were having upon the receiving stream's macroinvertebrate communities. Macroinvertebrates were studied because they are: 1) relatively sessile organisms that cannot quickly avoid environmental stresses as fish are often able to do; 2) they have rather long and complex life histories and their presence or absence reflects the history of the environment; 3) sampling techniques for bottom fauna are more reliable than techniques for fish; 4) in a lotic environment with a detrivore food chain this group becomes the single most important trophic level since all the other trophic levels depend upon them for food; and 5) this group of organisms had been extensively studied since 1969 by the senior author. MATERIALS AND METHODS When the instream biological monitoring system was set up, four stations were sampled on a monthly basis except when high stream discharges prevented it in January, February, and May. The four stations were divided into one upstream reference station. Station 4, and three downstream stations, stations 7, 8, and 10. These stations were located 2.0 km above the power plant and 1.1,4.7, and 18.8 km downstream of the power station, respectively. 425 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
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