California’s State Lands Commission has put strict standards regarding seawater’s use by power plants. On Monday, it passed an advisory resolution advising the new power plant leases against using seawater as a coolant, or they will be highly penalized.
Not yet binding, the commission’s resolution inklings that the state may be working on the way to abolishing seawater from using to cool coastal power plants.
23 power plants in California generate about 39 percent of power for the state. And these plants are cooled in a process that uses seawater. And this polluted warm water is then dumped back into the Pacific Ocean, bays and estuaries, which retards the growth of kelp and eelgrass -both necessary to sea life that thrives near the shores. Many fish are also killed as they ingest into the plants, as the resolution passed on Monday said.
Via: Reuters