Hunt Valley, Maryland (20 May 2025)— EA has been awarded a multi-year contract by the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) to conduct impingement technology performance optimization studies, as required by the Clean Water Act, at two power generating stations located in Nebraska City and Omaha, Nebraska. The project is crucial for ensuring that an abundant supply of reliable energy is readily accessible within the region while efficiently and effectively protecting natural resources in the Missouri River.
“Since our founding in 1973, EA has pioneered the science of evaluating the impacts of cooling water withdrawals from, and discharges to, surface waters of the United States,” said Dale Schlautman, Vice President of EA. “Our highly skilled team has delivered similar projects on the Missouri River to OPPD and others, as well as to dozens of other power producers located within Midwest watersheds.”
The work under this contract focuses on collecting and monitoring fish and shellfish that are impinged on traveling water screens that have been modified for fish protection within the cooling water intake structures and then optimizing the system components to minimize fish and shellfish mortality. EA will design and implement an impingement technology optimization study plan for each plant. EA’s team will then design, construct, and install temporary fish and shellfish diversion and collection facilities to meet specific requirements at each facility, as well as measure latent mortality by monitoring impinged organisms in holding tanks for 24 hours. On a monthly basis, scientists will coordinate with OPPD staff to adjust components of modified travel water screens at each facility and then conduct on-site sampling, monitoring, and analyses. Fish and shellfish will be examined and assessed for life condition and for evidence of impingement, then returned to the Missouri River. Data collected over the 2-year study period will be used to identify modified traveling water screens component configurations that minimize species mortality and meet regulatory requirements.
EA was founded in 1973 as a consulting firm providing environmental aquatic services to the electrical utility industry to support compliance with the Clean Water Act. Since that time, the firm has supported more than 200 utility, independent power producers, and industrial facilities in addressing issues arising from the intake and discharge of cooling water. EA has extensive experience in similar projects at power plants in Nebraska, including optimization studies to reduce impingement mortality.
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