IV-131 



well below the maximum for economical cooling, and since the ocean is 

 connected to one side of the estuary, the quantity is no problem. 

 Cooling water is required by both the manufacturing industry and 

 electric power generation plants; the greatest use is in the thermal 

 electric plants. Table IV. 2. 7 shows cooling water withdrawals in 

 the coastal counties. Not all of the amounts shown are taken from 

 estuarine waters, but almost all of these quantities find their way 

 back into estuarine waters. 



The distribution of cooling water uses parallels population and 

 industrial development in the coastal counties, even though electrical 

 power can be transported economically over many miles. The greatest 

 concentrations of cooling water use are in the Middle Atlantic and 

 Pacific Southwest regions; these regions both have moderate water 

 temperatures which make possible efficient use of the available 

 cooling water. 



Table IV. 2. 7 also shows, however, that there are 47 nuclear power 

 plants built or scheduled for completion by 1976. All of these are 

 in the megawatt range, with a combined capacity of nearly 35,000 

 megawatts of electrical power. While the bulk of these will be in 

 the cooler parts of the Nation, 12 will be in the South Atlantic, 

 Gulf, and Caribbean regions. In these regions water temperatures 

 are high, greater volumes must be used to achieve proper cooling, 

 and the increase in water temperature through the power plant may be 

 sufficient to cause environmental damage. 



