316(b) Compliance

Our familiarity with 316b compliance stems from over 50 years of combined experience with fish protection at cooling water intakes. The strategies we develop for our clients rely on the integration of our core competencies in fisheries biology, fisheries engineering, hydraulic engineering, consulting, design, and research and development. Our engineers and scientists work closely together to ensure designs are biologically effective, feasible to construct, operate, and maintain, and are cost effective—all while meeting regulatory requirements.

Ongoing 316(b) Research and Development

Our team acknowledges the importance of weighing costs with minimizing the adverse environmental impact on aquatic life in the waterways around cooling water intakes—the basis for section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act. That’s why we’ve been actively involved with the 316(b) rulemaking process on behalf of the electric power industry via EPRI and Utility Water Act Group (UWAG). Not only have we compiled and presented the results of five comprehensive fish protection technology research studies to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we also provided technical comments on Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III 316(b) rules, the current existing facilities rule, and the associated Notice of Data Availability (NODA).

Our dedication to developing state-of-the-art fish protection systems and keeping abreast of all ongoing research efforts in 316(b) compliance means our clients benefit in areas like:

• Research and development, evaluation, and design of fish screening facilities at large water withdrawals 
• Optimization studies
• Impingement and entrainment sampling
• Engineering feasibility studies
• Biological modeling and assessment, including hydraulic model studies, laboratory, and field biological evaluations
• Compliance strategies
• Study design and planning
• Laboratory and in-situ pilot testing of fish protection technologies
• Alternative technology evaluations, such as research on the effectiveness of behavioral barriers for preventing fish impingement
• Cooling water intake systems (CWIS) alternative technology feasibility  and costs assessments under the § 316(b) Phase II Rule for over 170 power plants located throughout the U.S. and continue to satisfy § 122.21(r) requirements
• Information Management
• Agency Consultation
• Expert Testimony
• QA/QC Plans