CSA Group Guideline for design of fish impingement and entrainment programs at nuclear facilities

Preface This is the first edition of CSA N288.9, Guideline for design of fish impingement and entrainment programs at nuclear facilities. The purpose of this Guideline is to provide guidance for the design and implementation of fish impingement and entrainment (I&E) monitoring and assessment programs in accordance with best practices in Canada and internationally. This Guideline will assist facilities in assessing effects of water use on fisheries. This Guideline is part of the CSA N288 Suite of standards on Environmental Management and provides more detailed guidance on the I&E monitoring requirements set out in the Suite. The CSA N-Series Standards provide an interlinked set of requirements and guidance for the management of nuclear facilities and activities. The CSA N286 Standard provides overall direction to management to develop and implement sound management practices and controls, while the other CSA nuclear Standards provide specific technical requirements and guidance that support the management system. This Guideline works in harmony with the CSA N286 Suite and does not duplicate the generic requirements and guidance of CSA N286; however, it might provide more specific direction for meeting those requirements and guidance. Users of this Guideline are reminded that additional and site-specific requirements and guidance might be specified by federal, provincial/territorial, or municipal authorities. This Guideline should not be considered a replacement for the requirements contained in any a) applicable federal/territorial, or provincial statute; or b) regulation, licence, or permit issued pursuant to an applicable statute. Scope 1.1 Facilities 1.1.1 Types of facilities This Guideline addresses the I&E monitoring and assessment programs for Class I nuclear facilities. Notes: 1) In this Guideline, any type of Class I nuclear facility is included in the term "nuclear facilities." 2) I&E monitoring and assessment programs might not be appropriate for all Class I nuclear facilities. This Guideline is intended primarily for high-water users and facilities where species at risk might be present, and the applicability of this Guideline would be determined by the user in conjunction with the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). 3) Class I facilities include cooling and process types of facilities. The technique to be used for I&E can vary among these types of facilities. Figure 1 illustrates how a potential user might determine the applicability of this Guideline, depending on whether the facility has a cooling water intake structure (CWIS) or process water intake structure (PWIS). 4) AHJ direction on application for I&E can vary and might depend on the facility’s type of cooling, the presence of species at risk, and the type of mitigation in place at the screen. 5) Drinking water intake structures are commonly beyond the scope of this Guideline. 6) This Guideline might not apply to temporary intake structures; applicability can be determined with the AHJ. 7) For facilities with extraction rates less than 125 L/s, I&E monitoring might not be needed if mitigation measures are employed that are consistent with the DFO Freshwater Intake End-of-Pipe Fish Screen Guideline. Further detail is provided in Figure 1. 1.1.2 Facility lifecycle 1.1.2.1 The I&E program is intended to be used during the operating stage and can function in other stages, as applicable. 1.1.2.2 Consideration of this Guideline, or components of this Guideline as applicable, can be included during the following phases of a facility lifecycle: a) construction; b) commissioning and other pre-operational tasks; c) operations (including outages and refurbishment); and d) decommissioning (including storage with surveillance). Notes: 1) The details of an I&E monitoring program might change over the lifecycle of the facility. 2) Because there are likely no fish impingement or entrainment issues during post-decommissioning, this Guideline is not applicable during post-decommissioning. 1.2 Operating conditions This Guideline is applicable during normal operations of a nuclear facility. Notes: 1) This Guideline is not applicable during accident or emergency scenarios, although some parts of this Guideline might be useful. In these cases, the user determines the applicability of the guidance. 2) Documentation of changes in operational conditions (e.g., outage or refurbishment periods when there is substantially less or no water intake) will help explain changes in I&E observed. 1.3 Methods of data analysis This Guideline provides guidance on methods of collecting and analyzing data relevant to I&E of fish. It does not provide guidance on the acceptability of the effects or on the mitigation of the effects. Notes: 1) Establishing how the data could be used in assessing significance of effects and what mitigation options might be available or already in place will improve the usefulness of the output of the I&E program. 2) The user of this Guideline is responsible for determining what data analysis and interpretation is necessary to confirm compliance with all statutes, regulations, licences, or permits that govern the operation of the nuclear facility. 1.4 Terminology In this Guideline, "should" is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and "may" is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of this Guideline. This document provides guidance only and there are no requirements indicated within the document.