Oyster Creek nuke plant closing early

[46er]

1 year early, this October.

http://www.exeloncorp.com/newsroom/oyster-creek-retirement-2018

http://www.powermag.com/exelon-will-close-oyster-creek-nuclear-plant-earlier-than-anticipated/

 

[Toothy Critter]

Ut Oh.... No more early Striped Bass ??

 

[46er]

You mean year round, pre-cooked striped bass There were quite a few guys fishing on the bridge this afternoon.

 

[ecampbell]

Best place to get early blue claw crabs.

 

[Toothy Critter]

You mean year round, pre-cooked striped bass There were quite a few guys fishing on the bridge this afternoon.

pre cooked Yeah, will be interesting to see what the stripers that winter over there do next year. What this will do to the fishery in the short term

 

[46er]

Yeah, will be interesting to see what the stripers that winter over there do next year. What this will do to the fishery in the short term

All depends on the water temps; if it gets too cold for there liking they'll be gone, just like before the plant was built. Should see a decrease in the snot grass.

 

[46er]

The rest of the story;

https://www.app.com/story/insider/e...-meltdown-what-plants-closure-means/96212588/

 

[Toothy Critter]

All depends on the water temps; if it gets too cold for there liking they'll be gone, just like before the plant was built. Should see a decrease in the snot grass.

Obviously in the long term. But what about short term? Plant shuts operation in Oct. but the fuel rods will still need cooling. But for how long? Months, a year? Just hope winter stripers don't get stuck there in Jan. if pumps are shut down. Early spring was best cause migrating stripers would sit where Oyster Creek dumped into the bay. May kill that hot spot.

 

[46er]

Plant shuts operation in Oct. but the fuel rods will still need cooling. But for how long? Months, a year?

Spent fuel rods may be there for generations, but they do not require cooling once they are stored, usually after about 5 years in the cooling pool. They are still highly radioactive. Excelon has 60 years to clear all the infrastructure out, nothing has been said about the stored rods since there is no place to take them.

 

[h2ochild]

I really hope some documentation of the impact of the return to normal is done. Consider that 662 million gallons per day is used to cool, and 748 million more used to dilute that heated water ...approximately 2.5% of the bays volume... This would help provide data for the uncertain (and disputed) impacts of thermal effluents, and perhaps help document whether or not cooling towers are necessary or cost effective. So much baseline data exists for Barnegat Bay with the plant in operation. Comparisons could be made.

 

[46er]

To do that, the volume that ebbs and flows with the tide, and that temperature, would have to be determined. No easy task.

 

[h2ochild]

To do that, the volume that ebbs and flows with the tide, and that temperature, would have to be determined. No easy task.

I was thinking more in terms of biota, like less "snot grass" you aforementioned.

 

[46er]

I was thinking more in terms of biota, like less "snot grass" you aforementioned.

A close friend, now departed, did the first study of Barnegat Bay on eel and widgeon grass in the northern part of the bay, think it was back in the 50's. He later returned to document that their decline was primarily due to the poor water quality in the bay, perhaps temperature is part of that. Rutgers has continued with that study and found the decline has spread south. Biggest issue in the bay is nutrients which increases the snot grass, which then suffocates the eel and widgeon grasses; warmer water probably compounds the problem.

One of the grass studies;

https://www.barnegatbaypartnership....mport/files/2011 Northern seagrass survey.pdf