1 EFFECTS OF POWER PLANT SHUTDOWNS ON FLORIDA

1 EFFECTS OF POWER PLANT SHUT-DOWNS ON FLORIDA MANATEES AND POSSIBLE MITIGATION MEASURES David W. Laist Marine Mammal Commission Bethesda, Maryland 1. How manatees cope with their thermal tolerances through the selection of winter habitat. 2. Why power plant closures are such a concern for manatee conservation. 3. What might be done to mitigate the effects of power plant shut-downs.

2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Chris Boland GIS Analyst Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Lixing Gu, Ph. D Florida Solar Energy Center Bill Baker Principal Biologist Reliant Energy

3 WINTER WATER TEMPERATURES AT THE SOUTHERN TIP OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA

4 TYPES OF WARM-WATER REFUGES Warm-Water Discharges: Refuges formed by a constant discharge of warm water (usually 22 oc or above). 1. Natural Warm-Water Springs 2. Power Plant Outfalls

5 Passive Thermal Basins: Refuges formed by entrapment of warm water by poor flushing or water stratification. 1. Heated by solar radiation 2. Heat by microbial decay of detritus

6 MANATEE SITE FIDELITY

7 REGIONAL BOUNDARIES FOR THE FOUR FLORIDA MANATEE SUBPOPULATIONS Northwest Florida Upper St. Johns River Southwest Florida Atlantic Coast

8 LOCATION OF MAJOR WARM WATER REFUGES Insert Mina’s map showing location of refuges

9 MAXIMUM WINTER COUNTS AT MAJOR WARM- WATER REFUGES BY HABITAT TYPE 50 -99 100 -299 Power Plant Outfalls Vero Beach PP Ft. Pierce PP Crystal River PP 300 -499 Reliant Energy PP Riviera Beach PP Cape Canaveral PP Ft. Lauderdale PP Big Bend PP Pt. Everglades PP Ft. Myers PP Bartow PP Warm Water Springs Warm Mineral Sp Blue Sp Homosassa Sp Passive Thermal Basins Coral Gables Canal Marco Isl. Satellite Beach >500 Port of the Isl. Matlacha Isl. 10 -Mile Canal St. Sebastian Cr. Kings Bay

10 ALL SUBPOPULATIONS

11 UPPER ST. JOHNS RIVER

12 NORTHWESTERN FLORIDA

13 ATLANTIC COAST

14 SOUTHWESTERN FLORIDA

15 LOCATION OF MAJOR WARM WATER REFUGES Insert Mina’s map showing location of refuges

16 ALL SUBPOPULATIONS

18 FLORIDA POWER &LIGHT COMPANY RIVIERA BEACH POWER PLANT

19 DEVELOPMENT OF A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN FOR A NON-INDUSTRY DEPENDENT WARMWATER REFUGE FOR FLORIDA MANATEES IN BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA BY LIXING GU FLORIDA SOLAR ENERGY CENTER IN COOPERATION WITH RELIANT ENERGY PREPARED FOR THE MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION WWW. MMC. GOV DECEMBER 2007

17 OPTIONS FOR AVOIDING IMPACTS TO MANATEES FROM POWER PLANT SHUTDOWNS Increase Enhanse Manatee Access to Warm-Water Springs 1. Enhanse availability of alternative long-term habitat sites 2. Enhanse passive thermal basins or construct new basins Minimize Potential Deaths Due to Power Plant Closures 3. Rescue and move distressed manatees as plants close 4. Gradually restrict manatee access to outfalls before plants close and hope they find alternative an refuge on their own 5. Construct temporary refuges to support animals at outfalls before they close

20 Refuge Flow Diagram

21 Refuge Enclosure

22 Reliant Refuge Site Plan

23 RELIANT ENERGY INDIAN RIVER POWER STATION DISCHARGE CANAL AND SHORELINE

24 QUESTIONS?

BLUE SPRING