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Power facilities and others relying on water as a means of cooling may be facing the need to make significant changes to their intake system to be compliant with the pending 316(b) ruling. This ruling is promoting safer fish handling, among other environmental aspects, and the EPA is planning to identify the Best Technology Available (BTA), which may be a variety of solutions, cooling towers or closed loop systems at the top. Solutions Some groups propose that closed loop cooling systems are the best solution for 316(b) compliance and ultimately the most environmental friendly. While this may seem like a sustainable solution, for the plant it can require major construction to retrofit the facility to accommodate a closed loop system. This construction can be costly and require the plant to stop production for some time, or worse, close the plant down. Many of these facilities are facing very tight budgets and making the most economical decision is important. The decision must be made carefully, considering the risk of costing the community jobs, impacting the local economy and ecology. A large portion of the market affected by the most up to date 316(b) rulings are currently utilizing Once Through Cooling rather than Closed Loop Systems. If given the chance to implement alternative water screening and handling technology, power generators and others using cooling water must evaluate more effective and affordable solutions while still meeting the core requirements of 316(b). There are solutions that may satisfy the demands of environmentalist, the EPA, and power plants. During this discussion, a fair comparison on these alternative technologies will be presented, along with our best available EPA 316(b) ruling update.
Revision Date: 5/12/2011
Tags: 221112 - Fossil Fuel 化石燃料, Superior Water Screen, Wastewater Treatment System, Wastewater, USA