Resolution 043-2017RESOLUTION NO. 043 - 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,
and the Florida Keys' drinking water supply, and such discoveries serve to highlight the challenges
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 -
Dade County's reuse water;
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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 15 day of February, 2017.
Mayor George Neugent
Yes
Mayor Pro Tem David Rice
Yes
Commissioner Danny Kolhage
Yes
Commissioner Heather Carruthers
Yes
Commissioner Sylvia Murphy
Yes
MADOK, Clerk
By:
Deputy Clerk
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF MO ROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
B
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Mayor a
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**ROE OOUNTY ATTORNEY
,ROWD AS TO FORM:
OSERT S. 8AI , JR
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