A nuclear generating station is about to embark on a major refurbishment to ensure it can continue supplying reliable, emissions-free power to the province and meet future demands.
Alongside an aquatic and risk assessment, Ecometrix is completing an entrainment project that harnesses up-to-date techniques and sampling apparatus to help the client determine the annual risk to larval fish and eggs.
The entrainment project comes at a time when new guidance has been introduced from the Canadian Standards Association under the nuclear umbrella. Specifically, the guidance calls for sampling more volume over a longer period, and separating samples between day and night.
Providing a solution
With Joe Tetreault, our Associate Director of Environmental Monitoring and Technology, Senior Aquatic Biologist, on the technical subcommittee that helped develop that guidance, as well as the original guidance in 2014, the Ecometrix team was in a strong position to both anticipate and meet the changes.
“This project has allowed us to be involved in this type of study that’s changed because of new guidance,” says Joe. “It also allows us to continue serving the client in a variety of methods, given that we’ve worked with them on assignments ranging from biology to risk assessment.”
That's not to say it was without challenges, and Ecometrix had to consistently pivot to overcome them. “We went through a couple of iterations,” he says. “We had to work with the client to move the sampling apparatus from inside the protected area to outside of it, which introduced some of its own challenges, like dealing with how to safe-state and winterize equipment in an area that doesn’t have a fulltime power supply and experiences freezing temperatures.”
He continues to say that it’s a constantly evolving process. “As problems arise, we solve them, and we will continue sampling on a weekly basis throughout the rest of the year.”
The project will take place for a year, gathering adequate data weekly so a report can be authored to submit to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Thanks to the work completed by the team, the client won’t just have insight into its impact on larval fish and eggs but will meet today’s regulatory commitments.
Explore the risk assessment we completed
Find out how else we’re helping one of the world’s largest nuclear stations remain fit for the future.
