In 2012, Alden developed a report providing an updated review of the state of knowledge on fish protection technologies for use at power plant cooling water intake structures (CWISs) to meet requirements of §316(b) of the Clean Water Act (CWA). In general, power generating facilities have some flexibility in selecting fish protection technologies. The information provided in the report can be used by power generators, resource managers, and permitting agencies to determine the potential for different fish protection technologies to reduce impingement and/or entrainment losses at CWISs. Fish protection technologies are generally grouped into five functional categories—physical barriers, collection systems, diversion systems, behavioral guidance devices, and flow reduction. The performance, operational and maintenance issues, and documented installations of each technology in each functional category were described in the report. The results of the review indicated the importance of site-specific factors to the biological effectiveness and engineering practicality of a technology.

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