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Aquatic life protection
Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act requires cooling water intake structures, like those at power plants, to minimize the adverse impacts to fish, shellfish and fish larvae from becoming stuck (impinged) on the intake screens or drawn (entrained) into the cooling system. At the Brunswick Nuclear Plant in Southport, N.C., which draws water from the lower Cape Fear River, a large fish-diversion fence located at the mouth of the intake canal resulted in an approximate 85 to 95 percent reduction in the number of fish impinged during 2008 compared to baseline numbers. In addition, the installation of fine-mesh traveling screens and a fish return system resulted in a 60 to 80 percent reduction in the number of fish larvae entrained into the cooling system in 2008.
Crystal River Mariculture Center
The Crystal River Mariculture Center is a multi-species marine hatchery established to offset the impacts of cooling water systems at our Crystal River Energy Complex in Citrus County, Fla. The center includes an 8,100-square-foot hatchery building and eight one-acre ponds that are used to culture marine species for release into the Gulf of Mexico.
The culture and release of these selected species benefits local marine fish and crustacean populations by boosting the numbers of these animals available to grow and reproduce, while also contributing to the local area spotted seatrout and red drum recreational fishing opportunities. Marine species are selected for culture based on their estimated level of impact from plant operations as well as their relative recreational and commercial importance. Red drum, spotted seatrout and pink shrimp are the primary species cultured. Forage fish such as pinfish and pigfish are also cultured, along with certain crustaceans such as stone crab and blue crab.
Approximately 100,000 finfish and crustacean juveniles are released into our local coastal areas each year. The Mariculture Center provides an innovative, cost-effective way for managing the environmental impacts of our operations. It also gives us the opportunity to partner with universities, the private sector and state and federal agencies on issues pertaining to aquaculture, stock enhancement and marine biology. Since opening in 1991, the center has released to the local waters more than 2.5 million spotted seatrout, red drum and shrimp juveniles.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium Turtle Bayou partnership
In 2008, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Progress Energy Florida continued their partnership in the sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation program. We provided a $35,000 grant to sponsor the aquarium’s primary sea turtle exhibit, Turtle Bayou, which provides care for the resident sea turtles. Clearwater Marine Aquarium has a renowned sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation program, in which injured and stranded sea turtles throughout the Southeast are brought to the aquarium for assistance. Many of the sea turtles are rehabilitated and released back into the wild, while those deemed unsuitable for release are maintained as permanent residents and cared for at the aquarium.
Robust Redhorse conservation
We are a long-time partner in the Robust Redhorse Conservation Committee (RRCC), a cooperative, voluntary conservation partnership formed to help recovery and conservation of the robust redhorse fish. The robust redhorse is a rare species of sucker fish native to large Atlantic slope rivers in the Carolinas and Georgia. The only known population of robust redhorse in North Carolina exists in the Pee Dee River below our Blewett hydroelectric plant.
We have participated in several conservation initiatives for the robust redhorse, including efforts to evaluate the species’ population status, research key habitat areas and develop conservation management strategies for the species. Using data collected from capturing and tracking radio-tagged fish, biologists have learned that some adult robust redhorse make spawning migrations from as far away as Cheraw, S.C., upstream to the vicinity of our Blewett Falls Dam in Anson and Richmond counties in North Carolina.
Under our new licensing agreement for the Blewett hydroelectric plant, we will release water from the Blewett Falls Dam even when the power plant is not operating, to provide habitat for spawning fish, including the robust redhorse. In late 2007, Progress Energy awarded a $20,000 grant to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to help fund a collaborative research project with NC State University to study how the new water releases affect robust redhorse spawning below the dam. This research will greatly aid further conservation efforts for the species in North Carolina.
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Wildlife and Industry Together (WAIT)
Our Asheville and Lee plants are certified as WAIT sites by the N.C. Wildlife Federation. WAIT is an environmental program that recognizes industry leadership and fosters public awareness in conservation, wildlife restoration and wildlife protection activities.
At the Asheville Plant, certified as a WAIT site in 2006, employees have been educated on how to turn their backyards into wildlife-friendly habitat, how to protect endangered species and how to partner with community organizations to educate others. Employees enhanced the plant site to improve wildlife habitats and provide recreational opportunities. Some of these projects include:
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Establishing a three-year mowing cycle along the transmission corridor, creating a valuable habitat for deer, quail and many other species;
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Bundling and sinking clean Christmas trees in Lake Julian to create reefs that enhance fishery habitats;
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Partnering with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to build a handicapped-accessible fishing pier on Lake Julian;
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Attracting predator bird species to help manage non-native bird species including pigeon, starling and English sparrow; and
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Planting fruit-producing trees and landscaping projects to attract birds, butterflies, hummingbirds and many other species.
The Lee Plant near Goldsboro, N.C., was named a WAIT site in 2004, converting 400 acres of the plant property into a habitat for a diversity of wildlife. In 2007, duck boxes were constructed and installed on a site next to the Neuse River as part of a Boy Scout service project.
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