6-2 



power station impact. Direct contact of the buoyant thermal plume with 

 the subtidal benthic habitat is unlikely (see Section 3.0). However, 

 benthic populations might be indirectly affected by reduced larval 

 recruitment due to larval mortality from entrainment through the con- 

 denser cooling system or thermal shock through contact with the plume 

 outside of the power station. Further impacts could result from any 

 alterations in either predator or prey populations. 



This report siammarizes data collected by two separate inves- 

 tigations which were conducted concurrently from 1974 through 1978. The 

 first of these studies has been under the direction of Normandeau Asso- 

 ciates, Inc. (NAI) since 1970. The NAI benthic infaunal program was 

 part of the more comprehensive New Haven Harbor Station Ecological 

 Monitoring Studies (NHHSEMS) . The second benthic program was conducted 

 by D. C. Rhoads and A. D. Michael (R&M) of Yale University and Taxon, 

 Inc., Salem, Massachusetts, respectively. The latter study was initiated 

 in 1974 as part of a program responding to the "special benthic study" 

 provision [Item 4(A)(2)] of NHHS's 1973 NPDES discharge permit. This 

 study has been independent of the NAI program and R&M reports have been 

 included as Appendices to the NHHSEMS Annual reports. 



METHODS 



Though the two studies employed similarly sized sampling 

 devices and the same mesh size for sieving, station locations and sam- 

 pling schedules for the two studies were different. Station locations 

 for both studies are shown in Figure 6-1 and sampling dates are listed 

 in Table 6-1. 



R&M Program 



The R&M sampling program comprised 19 (later 20) stations 

 which were sampled four times a year (March, August, October, December- 



