Contact

Store

About

Issues
News
Guides
Lake Ontario
Media
Get Involved
Donate Now

Search

Home
Issues
News
Guides
Lake Ontario
Media
Get Involved
About
Contact
Store
Donate Now
News

Waterkeeper's submission to participate in Darlington's relicensing process

Published on September 30, 2015 by Tristan Willis.

The Darlington Nuclear Generating Station on the shores of Lake Ontario. (Photo via Greenpeace Canada)

The Darlington Nuclear Generating Station on the shores of Lake Ontario. (Photo via Greenpeace Canada)

On September 28, 2015, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper submitted a request to intervene during the Day 2 Relicensing Hearing for the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station (DNGS). You can see our entire submission below, but here is a quick summary of our main findings:


1. The Darlington nuclear station kills a lot of fish  

Darlington uses vast quantities of water from Lake Ontario to keep its reactors cool. Essentially, it works like this: there is a giant pipe on the bottom of Lake Ontario that sucks in water, draws the water into the station, passes through the reactors, and discharges the water back into the lake.

There are large screens that cover the intake pipe. As water is sucked in, fish are killed because the current crushes them against the screens. In 2011, Darlington killed almost 275,000 fish in this manner. Fish eggs and larvae are too tiny to be caught by the screens so they are sucked into the pipe and pass through the reactors. Most of the eggs and larvae sucked into the pipe die as they pass through the reactors (due to turbulence and heat). Each year millions of eggs and larvae are killed in this manner.

For more info on Darlington’s fish kills, see pages 17-20 of our submission below.


2. The DNGS does not comply with the Fisheries Act

The Darlington plant has failed to comply with the Fisheries Act since it began operating in the early 90s. In June 2015, Darlington received permission from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to kill a certain quantity of fish each year. The idea was to make sure that Darlington started complying with the Fisheries Act. However, by Ontario Power Generation’s own estimates (OPG owns Darlington), they may kill up to 10 times the quantity of fish they are allowed to. In other words, Darlington continues to violate the Fisheries Act.

For more info on DNGS not complying with the Fisheries Act, see pages 22-30 of our submission.


3. The DNGS does a poor job reporting the impact it has on Lake Ontario

Darlington only reports the number of fish the plant kills every couple years. OPG has asked that in the future they only be required to report how many fish Darlington kills once or twice per decade.

Monitoring the number and type of fish that are killed is really important. Lake Ontario is changing and it is important for the public (and future decision makers) to know what toll Darlington takes on the the lake. If there is no regular monitoring, we won’t know how many fish Darlington kills. Nor will we know whether Darlington continues to kill endangered species, like the American eel.

For more info on DNGS’s poor reporting, see pages 30-32 of our submission.


4. Darlington’s stormwater runoff is polluted

Stormwater can dissolve contaminants that are on the ground and whisk them away into nearby lakes or streams. The rainwater that falls on the Darlington site is collected in ditches and channels that empty into Lake Ontario. It is not treated.

In Ontario, the government has set water quality targets that are call Provincial Water Quality Guidelines (PWQOs). These guidelines are not legally binding, but they are important because they are intended to protect human and aquatic health. In 2010/2011, stormwater samples taken from Darlington exceeded PWQOs for boron, iron, cadmium, copper, hexavalent chromium, lead, molybdenum, toluene, vanadium, and zinc on one or more occasions.

For more info on Darlington’s stormwater runoff, see pages 33-37 of our submission.


5. Stormwater runoff from the DNGS is not regularly monitored

Even though the stormwater that runs off of the Darlington site into Lake Ontario can be highly polluted, it is not regularly monitored. Based on documents submitted to the CNSC, it appears as though over the past two decades stormwater at Darlington was only monitored in 1996, 2001 and 2010.

For more info Darlington monitoring its stormwater runoff, see page 36 of our submission.


Waterkeeper’s Recommendations

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Committee (CNSC) is in the process of deciding whether or not to relicense Darlington. OPG would like the CNSC to issue a 13 year license that would also allow Darlington to refurbish its four reactors so the plant can operate until 2055.

Based on the findings above, Waterkeeper does not think a 13 year license is appropriate. We also believe that before OPG asks to refurbish Darlington, it should address the issues we’ve highlighted.

We have recommended that if the CNSC does relicense Darlington, it should be for one year at most. One year would give Darlington time to:

  • Figure out how to comply with the Fisheries Act;
  • Research options for reducing the number of fish it kills;
  • Start monitoring the number of fish it kills; and,
  • Start monitoring the stormwater that is being released directly into Lake Ontario.

Waterkeeper will present our recommendations to the CNSC during the Day 2 hearing, which will be take place from November 2nd-5th. If you’re interested in learning more about our submission, you can look through it below.

Download Waterkeeper’s submission without appendices (2.7 Mb)

Download Waterkeeper’s submission with appendices (7.8 Mb)

Submission by Lake Ontario Waterkeeper for the Darlington Nuclear Relicensing Day 2 Hearing from LOWaterkeeper

Darlington Refurbishment Darlington Refurbishment, Darlington, nuclear, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Lake Ontario, our publications

Newer Articles Older Articles
Featured
Gord Edgar Downie Pier T-shirt
Gord Edgar Downie Pier T-shirt

This shirt commemorates the Gord Edgar Downie Pier in Kingston, Ontario. The City of Kingston and Swim Drink Fish Canada unveiled the pier on July 26, 2018.

100% of our proceeds support our core initiatives so Canadian communities can prosper.

Blog Categories

  • Deloro (2)
  • Eastern Mainline Pipeline (2)
  • American Eel (3)
  • King's Mill Park (4)
  • Castonguay (5)
  • Gifford Hill (5)
  • Pickering (5)
  • Skip the Wash (5)
  • Swim Guide (6)
  • Enbridge-Line9 (9)
  • Events and Meetings (9)
  • GreatLakes Protection Act (10)
  • Waterkeeper Gala (10)
  • Press Releases (11)
  • TO Island Airport (14)
  • Microbeads (15)
  • WestonGreatLakesChallenge (15)
  • 2014 Challenge (16)
  • Microplastics (16)
  • Red Hill Valley Express (20)
  • PortHope RadioactiveWaste (25)
  • TorontoHarbour Monitoring (30)
  • Canadian rollbacks (34)
  • Darlington Refurbishment (46)
  • Toronto Sewage Bypasses (65)

Blog History

  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • February 2012
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • September 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • March 2007
  • October 2006
  • August 2006
  • June 2006
  • May 2006
  • April 2006
  • February 2006
  • January 2006
  • December 2005
  • June 2005
  • April 2005
  • February 2005
  • December 2004
  • November 2004
  • October 2004
  • September 2004
  • August 2004
  • July 2004
  • June 2004
  • April 2004
  • March 2004
  • February 2004
  • January 2004
  • November 2003
  • October 2003
  • September 2003
  • August 2003
  • July 2003
  • June 2003
  • April 2003
  • December 2002
  • November 2002
  • August 2002
  • June 2002
  • May 2002
  • April 2002
  • March 2002
  • October 2001
  • September 2001
Donate Now
Lake Ontario
Cases
Blog
Events
Store
Contact
Guides
Great Lakes Guide
Swim Guide
Drink Guide
Media
Get Involved
Donate
Volunteer
Report Pollution
Events
Sponsor A Beach
About
History
Staff

Search

Waterkeeper, Swim Drink Fish, and the Swim Drink Fish design (icons) are registered trademarks of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper.