Item L1
0
CM
ounty of onroe
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Mayor George Neugent, District 2
Mayor Pro Tem David Rice, District 4
TheFloridaKeys
Danny L. Kolhage, District 1
Heather Carruthers, District 3
Sylvia J. Murphy, District 5
County Commission Meeting
February 15, 2017
Agenda Item Number: L.1
Agenda Item Summary #2665
BULK ITEM: DEPARTMENT:
Yes BOCC District 2
TIME APPROXIMATE:STAFF CONTACT:
Terri Colonna (305) 292-4512
N/A
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Approval of a Resolution of the Board of County Commissioners
of Monroe County, Florida supporting efforts to seek a commitment from Florida Power and Light
to discontinue the use of the cooling canal system at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant as soon
as possible, and providing for an effective date.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
The Florida Power and Light (FPL) Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant
(Turkey Point), located in south Miami-Dade County, utilizes a cooling canal system which consists
of a network of approximately 5,900 acres of unlined canals. Turkey Point is the only facility in the
world that uses a cooling canal system instead of mechanical draft cooling towers. Water from the
cooling canal system communicates with the surrounding groundwater, and long-term monitoring
data has shown that a hypersaline plume of water from the cooling canals has been migrating into
and contaminating the groundwater, beyond the boundaries of the cooling canals.
Miami-Dade County took action to address this issue, including, but not limited to issuing a Notice
of Violation in 2015 to FPL for certain water quality violations in the groundwater, and requiring,
through an administrative consent agreement, that FPL take certain remedial actions to retract and
contain the hypersaline ground water plume. While at that time, the issues were focused on the
westward migration of the hypersaline ground water plume from the cooling canals, more recent
water quality sampling has detected exceedances of water quality standards in certain surface water
locations in or connected to Biscayne Bay, adjacent to and east of the cooling canal system.
The proposed resolution expresses the concerns about these recent discoveries and potential impacts
. The resolution seeks a
commitment from FPL to discontinue the use of the cooling canal system in favor of a more modern
mechanical draft cooling tower system that would remove all future interactions with ground water
and make use of Miami-.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
During 2016, the Board discussed ongoing issues
with Turkey Point including but not limited to the April and June BOCC meetings.
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CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approval.
DOCUMENTATION:
Monroe County Reso Cooling Towers Turkey Point
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Effective Date:
Expiration Date:
Total Dollar Value of Contract:
Total Cost to County:
Current Year Portion:
Budgeted:
Source of Funds:
CPI:
Indirect Costs:
Estimated Ongoing Costs Not Included in above dollar amounts:
Revenue Producing: If yes, amount:
Grant:
County Match
:
Insurance Required:
Additional Details:
REVIEWED BY:
George Neugent Skipped 02/01/2017 4:15 PM
Bob Shillinger Completed 02/01/2017 5:06 PM
Kathy Peters Completed 02/01/2017 5:14 PM
Board of County Commissioners Pending 02/15/2017 9:00 AM
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RESOLUTION NO. _____ - 2017
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO
SEEK A COMMITMENT FROM FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT TO
DISCONTINUE USE OF THE COOLING CANAL SYSTEM AT THE
TURKEY POINT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE;
PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS
, The Florida Power and Light Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant, located in
south Miami-Dade County, utilizes a cooling canal system which consists of a network of
approximately 5,900 acres of unlined canals; and
WHEREAS
, The Florida Power and Light Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant is the only
facility in the world that uses a cooling canal system instead of mechanical draft cooling towers;
and
WHEREAS
, water from this cooling canal system communicates with the surrounding
groundwater, and long-term monitoring data has shown that a hypersaline plume of water from the
cooling canals has been migrating into and contaminating the groundwater, beyond the boundaries
of the cooling canals; and
WHEREAS
, Miami-Dade County took action to address this issue, including, but not
limited to issuing a Notice of Violation in 2015 to Florida Power and Light for certain water quality
violations in the groundwater, and requiring, through an administrative consent agreement, the
Florida Power and Light take certain remedial actions to retract and contain the hypersaline ground
water plume; and
WHEREAS
, at that time, the issues were focused on the westward migration of the
hypersaline ground water plume from the cooling canals, more recent water quality sampling has
detected exceedances of water quality standards in certain surface water locations in or connected to
Biscayne Bay, adjacent to and east of the cooling canal system; and
WHEREAS
, this Board, the residents of Monroe County and members of the general public
are concerned about these recent discoveries and potential impacts on Card Sound, Biscayne Bay,
posed by the continued operation of the cooling canal system; and
WHEREAS
, Florida Power and Light has a license from the federal government to operate
the Turkey Point Power Plant units that use the cooling canal system until 2033; and
WHEREAS
, this Board is seeking a commitment from Florida Power and Light to
discontinue the use of the cooling canal system in favor of a more modern mechanical draft cooling
tower system that would remove all future interactions with ground water and make use of Miami-
; and
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NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA that
:
1.The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners seeks a commitment from Florida
Power and Light to discontinue the use of the cooling canal system at its Turkey Point
Nuclear Power Plant, as soon as possible, in favor of mechanical draft cooling towers.
2. This resolution shall take effect upon adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED
by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County,
Florida, at a regular meeting of said Board held on the 15th day of February, 2017.
Mayor George Neugent _____
Mayor Pro Tem David Rice _____
Commissioner Danny Kolhage _____
Commissioner Heather Carruthers _____
Commissioner Sylvia Murphy _____
(SEAL)
ATTEST: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Clerk
KEVIN MADOK, OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
By: ______________________________ By:_________________________________
Deputy Clerk Mayor
this resolution is still in draft form. As is, it would be legally
sufficient but I have not stamped it for legal sufficiency yet because I am still waiting input from the
Sponsor on the final wording. I intend to substitute a finalized version that has been stamped for
legal sufficiency once I receive that input from Mayor Neugent. Bob Shillinger, County Attorney
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