For all aspects of water management at electric-generating facilities, we rely on our nuanced regulatory understandings, technical expertise, and diverse experience to build comprehensive solutions. By considering all processes at our clients’ facilities, we help them minimize compliance costs and maintain operational flexibility.

CLEAN WATER ACT VERIFICATION STUDIES

For example, Geosyntec recently delivered Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 316(a) re-verification studies for two steam-electric-generating facilities in the Southeast. This work resulted in successful maintenance of thermal variances without the need for changes to the operation of cooling-water systems. As part of a coal combustion residuals (CCR) project for a major power plant, Geosyntec engineers are monitoring and modeling internal waste streams to design a state-of-the-art treatment system that will comply with new requirements under US Environmental Protection Agency’s steam electric Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG). For a coal-fired plant in the Midwest, data from Geosyntec’s in-stream macroinvertebrate assessment, along with the results of Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) testing, provided compelling evidence that assisted a state regulatory agency in revising chloride and sulfate criteria to more appropriately protect beneficial uses without requiring major changes in the plant’s wastewater treatment system.

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

In addition, our scientists’ advanced understandings of the regulatory processes of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and our expertise on natural resource management have supported favorable license terms and conditions for the re-licensing of several major hydroelectric facilities. Geosyntec practitioners are pioneers in developing treatment methods for arsenic, boron, and other constituents of interest in groundwater at power plants across the Southeast.

Services

• Steam electric ELG strategies
• Water footprinting and waste-stream characterization
• Wastewater management and optimization
• Section 316(a) and (b) compliance
• National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting and compliance
• FERC hydropower licensing and compliance
• Surface-water-quality monitoring
• Assessment of fisheries and aquatic resources
• Hydrodynamic and water-quality modeling
• Computational fluid-dynamic modeling of cooling-water intake and discharge flows
• CWA Section 404 wetlands permitting
• Stream geomorphic assessment and restoration
• Stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs)
• Global and local water-risk assessment (water-use sustainability)
• Contaminated groundwater and sediment assessment and remediation