Acce.SKJoiJ Number 



w 



Subject Field &. Croup 



053 



SELECTED WATER RESOURCES ABSTRACTS 



INPUT TRANSACTION FORM 



I Organization 



WESTINGHOUSE OCEAN RESEARCH LABORATORY, P.O. BOX 1771 

 ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND. 21404 



Title 



BIOLOGICAL IMPACT OF A LARGE-SCALE DESALINATION PLANT AT KEY WEST 



23 



Descriptors (Starred First) 



Water pollution effects*, desalination plants*, biological communities*, 

 copper toxicity*, thermal stratification, subtropic. 



25 



Idcntitiers (Starred First) 



Key West*, multi-stage-flash evaporation process. 



'y-7 Abstract 



An eighteen month biological study showed the heated brine effluent from a 



desalination plant in Key West, Florida caused a marked reduction in biotic diversity. 

 Some organisms were more abundant in the receiving waters than in control areas but 

 these were generally capable of isolating themselves from the effluent by closing up 

 or by moving to other areas during periods of high contamination. Ionic copper, dis- 

 charged from the plant, was the most toxic feature of the effluent. Temperature and 

 salinity of the effluent and the receiving water were such that the effluent stratified 

 at the bottom of the receiving basin. This stratification reduced water circulation 

 and the man-made harbor acted as a settling basin which lessened the impact of the dis- 

 charge on surrounding natural environments. 



Periodically, the plant shut down for maintenance or cleaning. When it resumed opera- 

 tions, low temperature water of ambient salinity was discharged which was highly con- 

 taminated with ionic copper. These sudden effusions caused more biological damage 

 than steady-state conditions. At the end of the study, extensive engineering changes 

 were made to correct corrosion problems and lower copper discharge. 



This report was submitted in fulfillment of Contract No. 

 ship of the Environmental Protection Agency. 



14.12.888 under the sponsor- 



Atistractor 



/.' ! i 1 ' 2 ( R f: V . JULY I V 6 D J 

 WRSI C 



Institution 



SEND, WITH COPY OF OOCUMF.NT, 1 O: .ATER RESOURCES SCIENTiriC !N T ORM AT ION CENTER 



Li. 5. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOfi 

 W ASt-nrJGT ON. D. C. 20240 



GPO: r 370 - 407 -691 



