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HydroAnalysis

Thermal Discharge Analysis, Sumbawa, Indonesia

 

HydroAnalysis completed analyses of a proposed thermal discharge to Benete Bay on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia. The discharge is proposed as part of a larger project to develop a gold and copper mine on Sumbawa. HydroAnalysis predicted the discharge plume and overall temperature rise in the bay as the result of the discharge, evaluating two alternative discharge locations. Client: Mining company through subcontract with AATA International.

 

Hydrothermal Analysis and Field Study Plan Preparation, Hartford, Connecticut

 

HydroAnalysis provided an analysis of potential hydrothermal impacts from the discharge of once-through cooling water from the South Meadow Power Station on the Connecticut River, developed a scope of work for field studies of the plume, and assisted in planning and conducting the field study. Client: Northeast Utilities through subcontracts with Environmental Research and Consulting, Inc. and RMC Environmental Services.

 

NPDES Permitting for Steel Mill Wastewater Discharge, Ohio River, West Virginia

 

HydroAnalysis assisted client in agency negotiations concerning an application for a 301(g) exemption under the Clean Water Act. We provided technical expertise related to modeling the potential water-quality impacts of phenolics and ammonia. Client: Steel manufacturer through consulting agreement with environmental consulting firm.

 

Technical Review Panel for Water- quality Assessment Methodology

 

HydroAnalysis served on a three-member review team evaluating a proposed method of assessing the water-quality impacts of a particular industrial wastewater. Client: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development through consulting agreement with environmental consulting firm.

 

Water-quality Modeling for Effluent Discharge, Sakonnet River, Rhode Island

 

HydroAnalysis provided specialized consulting in applying the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency WASP water-quality model. The model was used to assess the potential water-quality impacts of a community domestic wastewater discharge to the Sakonnet River estuary. Client: Community association through subcontract with Environmental Resource Associates, Inc.

 

Water-quality Modeling of Bioprocessing Effluent Discharge

 

Modeled potential water-quality effects of effluent from a generic-design bioprocessing plant. The analysis considered a variety of esoteric effluent constituents including DNA, RNA, plasmids, and proteins. Modeling was performed with the U.S. EPA WASP model under subcontract to Battelle.

 

OCEAN STATE POWER PLANT BURRILLVILLE, RHODE ISLAND

 

HydroAnalysis furnished consulting services to Ocean State Power regarding cooling-tower makeup water alternatives for the Ocean State Power Plant in Rhode Island. The 500-megawatt combined-cycle generating plant commenced operation in 1990. Issues addressed by HydroAnalysis include withdrawal of makeup water supply from the Blackstone River, Blackstone River water-quality impacts, alternative sources of makeup water, impacts of water withdrawals on neighboring hazardous waste contamination sites, and water-quality field studies.

Technical assistance was provided to Ocean State Power in several areas. We provided assistance in obtaining water-related permits for the facility including negotiations with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, planning and participation in Blackstone River water-quality field studies, and oversight and assistance in dissolved oxygen modeling. In many of these assignments, HydroAnalysis worked with other consultants and engineers contracted to Ocean State Power. In this role, we provided oversight on behalf of OSP and provided consultation to both OSP and its contractors.

HydroAnalysis provided assessments of water supply sources that could serve as alternatives to the Blackstone River during periods of low flow. These alternatives involved ground- or surface-water supplies located near known hazardous waste sites. HydroAnalysis developed ground-water models and conducted other analyses to determine the potential for these water supplies to affect adversely the nearby waste sites and unintentionally cause OSP to become a party to those sites. With regard to alternative ground-water supplies, HydroAnalysis provided expert testimony before the Rhode Island Energy Facilities Siting Board.

 

THERMAL AND WATER-QUALITY MODELING, CENTRAL ARTERY/TUNNEL PROJECT, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

 

HydroAnalysis completed analyses of potential changes in water temperature and water quality in Fort Point Channel as a result of the proposed construction of a section of the Seaport Access Highway in a tunnel through the bottom of the channel. Fort Point Channel is a tidal tributary to Boston Harbor.

The water temperature study evaluated the potential impacts on an existing once-through cooling water system operated in the channel by a large manufacturing company. The study simulated tidal flow and water temperature in the channel under existing conditions and after partial restriction of the channel by the proposed tunnel. Components of the study included analysis of existing field data, prediction of the near-field thermal discharge plume, and development of a computer model of the temperature changes in the channel. For the latter task, HydroAnalysis developed a new version of the U.S. EPA WASP water-quality model for simulation of temperature. The model was used to compare existing water temperatures with temperatures that would occur during the tunnel construction, and after the tunnel was constructed. The model results showed that relocation of the cooling-water intake from its present location to a location downstream of the tunnel would result in cooler intake water temperatures under all conditions. The study results were submitted as a written report, sections of which were incorporated into the Environmental Impact Statement for the Central Artery/Tunnel Project.

The water-quality analysis evaluated the potential effects of tunnel construction on the transport and deposition of sediment and coliform bacteria in the channel. For this study, the U.S. EPA WASP model’s TOXIWASP subsystem was used. The study determined that there would not be a significant change in the channel’s water-quality dynamics as the result of tunnel construction and partial channel filling.

The thermal and water-quality modeling studies of Fort Point Channel were completed for the Massachusetts Department of Public Works, Central Artery/Tunnel Project through a subcontract with Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff.

 

EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT STRATEGIES FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

 

Peter Shanahan of HydroAnalysis served as a consultant to The World Bank in association with Dr. László Somlyódy of the Budapest Technical University, Budapest, Hungary and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria. The project, which also included participants from Hungary, Poland, The Czech Republic, The Slovak Republic, and Bulgaria, collected data on existing water supply, sewerage, and wastewater treatment capacity in the five countries. Other participants from the U.S., Norway, Denmark, and Hungary provided estimates of pollutant removal efficiencies and capital and operating costs for various treatment alternatives and various capacity ranges. The study combined the country-specific data with the treatment technology data to propose cost-effective approaches to improving municipal wastewater in the transition economies of Central and Eastern European countries.

Dr. Shanahan contributed expertise in computerized analysis and graphics to the study. He designed a methodology for organizing and analyzing the data and developing cost estimates for various levels and types of future treatment improvements. He also recommended and implemented commercial mapping software for presenting the study results graphically. Finally, he assisted in editing and writing the final report.

The study of municipal wastewater treatment for Central and Eastern Europe was completed for the Environmental Action Programme for Central and Eastern Europe at The World Bank in cooperation with Dr. L. Somlyódy.

 

THERMAL DISCHARGE ANALYSIS FOR INDUSTRIAL CONFIDENTIAL CLIENT

 

HydroAnalysis assessed the potential thermal effects of a paper mill discharge to a United States river. The analysis considered both the mixing zone and the river downstream. The analysis was performed as a part of the client’s application for an NPDES renewal.

The near-field analysis was completed using the U.S. EPA CORMIX model. The model was used to predict the near-field temperature distribution produced by the effluent. A submerged multi-port diffuser discharges the treated paper mill effluent, which is made buoyant by heat. Model results were also checked using the U.S. EPA PLUMES model. For the CORMIX application, the tabular data produced by CORMIX was post-processed using Microsoft Excel and Golden Software Surfer, and the resulting plume maps presented using CAD.

In addition to the near-field analysis, the U.S. EPA QUAL2E model was used to predict the downstream temperature after the effluent was mixed throughout the stream cross section. The model was used in steady-state mode to simulate low-flow conditions under both summer and winter average meteorological conditions. In addition, three-hourly meteorological data from a typical month of July were used to evaluate diurnal temperature variation and its influence on stream temperature using the model in quasi-transient mode. Other data for the model were drawn from prior studies of stream bathymetry. Low-flow conditions on an annual-average and monthly basis were evaluated from U.S. Geological Survey streamflow data using the USGS Annie and surface-water statistics programs.

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