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II. STATEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

A wide range of factors was considered in this environmental review. Because the station is essentially completed, the major environmental impacts of concern are those due to the operation of the once-through condenser cooling system and the radioactive effluents. Thus, the entrainment effects from condenser operation, and the thermal, chemical, and radioactive discharges are the major points of this consideration for limited operation of each unit at 20 percent (502 MWt), of rated power pending completion of the full NEPA review on June 1, 1972. The discussion that follows includes a description of the facility, the impact of its effluents, alternatives to the proposed action, and the effects of delay in facility operation upon the public interest, in accordance with the Commission's regulations in Section D.2 of Appendix D to 10 CFR Part 50.

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The Quad-Cities Station is located in Rock Island County on the east bank of the Mississippi River, about 3 miles north of Cordova, Illinois, and about 20 miles northeast of the Quad CitiesBettendorf area. The Quad Cities are Davenport, Iowa; Rock Island, Moline and East Moline, Illinois. Bettendorf, Iowa, is an adjacent city to the northeast of the Quad Cities.

The 404-acre site is flat, with a grade level about 9 feet above the maximum recorded flood stage. Surrounding land areas are largely in agricultural use, with an industrial park directly north of the station. There are industrial concentrations in the city of Clinton, Iowa, 7 miles northeast of the station, and in the Quad Cities-Bettendorf area.

The geographical location of the station with respect to the upper Mississippi River system is shown on Fig. 1. Moline, Illinois, is located on the map, and the station location is indicated south of Clinton, Iowa, on the Illinois side of the river. The location of the site with respect to the locks and dams of the Mississippi River is shown in Fig. 2. Sections of river between dams are referred to as "pools" which are numbered consecutively southward from St. Anthony Falls, Minnesota. Distances along the river are designated as "river miles" measured northward from the confluence of the Ohio River. The station is located about midway in Pool 14 at river mile 506.5, and at standard river elevation 572.0 feet. Pool 14 is approximately 25 miles long and 0.5 to 1.5 miles wide.

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FIGURE 2. Upper Mississippi River Profiles; Main Stem and Major Tributaries

No.25 No.26

Des Moines

ELEVATION IN FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL

700

600

500

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300

Keokuk

200

500

400

300

200

2. The Near-Site Aquatic Environment

Mississippi River flow is controlled below flood stage throughout its length by a series of locks and dams so that its channels are available for transportation. The river water in Pool 14 is a source of municipal and industrial water and is also used for commercial and sport fishing. River shore development within a 25-mile radius of the station consists of residences, industrial plants, a wildlife refuge and recreational sites.

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Mississippi River flows by month in Pool 14 are presented in Table 1. High flows result in the spring from melted snow in the Mississippi headwaters. Maximum flow usually occurs in April, the record being 307,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) on April 28, 1965. The lowest flows are observed in winter, usually in December or January. The record low was 6,500 cfs during December 25 to 27, 1933.

Monthly maximum, average maximum and average water temperatures, during the period 1962-70, at the Davenport, Iowa, water plant are shown in Table 2. Similar temperature data for Pool 14 are not available. However, the temperatures in Pool 15 at Davenport, Iowa, 22 miles downstream from the station, are believed to be representative of those in Pool 14. Measurements (5,6) in Pool 14 have indicated temperatures up to 88°F in shallow backwater areas.

b. Water Quality

Bio

Although municipal and industrial waste discharge from the Clinton, Iowa area have occasionally resulted in excessive slime growths in the slough areas in the vicinity of the station, Pool 14 is a relatively unpolluted environment. Limited water quality analyses conducted by the applicants' consultant, Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories, Inc. (Bio-Test) (5,6), indicates evidence of nutrient enrichment primarily from agricultural runoff, but no large-scale pollution. Test studies during 1968-70 indicate that temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO) and ammonia nitrogen values in Pool 14 are less than the maximum limits established by the Illinois Sanitary Water Board. As discussed infra, additional water quality data, including specific element analysis performed and evaluated by Bio-Test, suggest that sufficient baseline information is available to determine any future water quality degradation.

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Only the record since 1938, for the present system of locks and dams, is considered here. These flows are measured at Clinton, Iowa. Actual flows at the plant are about 1 percent higher, due to confluence of the Waps Ipinicon River.

"The one-day low flow which is exceeded 90 percent of the time for the

period since 1938.

The lowest daily flow since 1938 was approximately 11,000 cfs.

The low flow for a period of 7 consecutive days, the lowest such value expected on a frequency of once in 10 years; statistic for the period since 1938.

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