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Return to DOE Reports Table of Contents - C Coal to Methanol Feasibility Study, Beluga Methanol Project Table of Contents Coal to Methanol Feasibility Study Beluga Methanol Project - Volume IV. Environmental, Final Report - September 1981.
Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
Table of Contents Purpose of Report 1-1 Project Location 1-2 Project Description 1-2 2.0 Summary of the Study 2-1 Methodology 2-1 General 2-1 Field Programs 2-2 Summary of Major Issues 2-7 Fisheries 2-7 Water Sources 2-8 Wetlands 2-8 Erosion and Sedimentation 2-9 Tyonek Village 2-9 Air Quality 2-9 Environmental Acceptability of the Project 2-10 Affected Environmental (Baseline Data) 3.0 Geotechnical 3-1 The Cook Inlet Region 3-1 Geologic History 3-1 Formation of Coal Bearing Units 3-4 Surficial Soils 3-7 The Beluga Area 3-8 Topography 3-8 Geology 3-10 Site Characterization 3-14 Methanol Plant Site 3-14 Town Site 3-26 Topography 3-26 Subsurface Conditions 2-26 Groundwater 3-28 Construction Feasibility 3-28 Dock Site 3-31 Topography 3-31 Subsurface Conditions 3-32 Dock Construction 3-32 Transportation Corridor and Mine Areas 3-36 Topography and Mine Areas Surficial Conditions at Mine Areas 3-36 Transportation Corridor 3-36 Traffic ability 3-38 Construction Materials 3-38 Surficial Geology 3-38 Concrete Aggregates 3-43 Asphalt Concrete Aggregates 3-48 Crushed Base Course 3-49 Railroad Ballast 3-50 Geologic Hazards 3-52 Seismicity 3-52 Aleutian Megathrust 3-52 Castle Mountain Fault 3-55 Bruin Bay Fault 3-55 Lake Clark-Lone Ridge Fault 3-56 Border Ranges Fault 3-56 Seismic Design Considerations 3-57 Ground Failure 3-60 Landslides 3-60 Volcanoes 3-61 Tsunamis 3-60 Permafrost 3-63 Additional Geologic Hazards 3-63 4.0 Hydrology 4-1 Groundwater 4-1 Introduction 4-1 Available Supply 4-3 Nikolai Creek Flats 4-3 Plant Site 4-5 Existing Uses 4-9 Lakes 4-9 Streams and Rivers 4-14 Possible use of Surface Waters 4-31 5.0 Ecosystems 5-1 Freshwater Aquatic Ecology 5-2 Existing Habitats (Populations) 5-2 Habitat Characterization 5-2 Beluga Drainage 5-2 Chuitna Drainage 5-9 Nikolai Drainage 5-21 Conga Buna Drainage 5-21 Fishes 5-22 Invertebrates 5-28 Terrestrial Ecology 5-28 Existing Vegetation 5-28 Wetlands 5-38 Existing Mammal Populations 5-40 Brown Bear Denning 5-43 Brown Bear Movement and Activity Patterns 5-46 Black Bears 5-47 Moose 5-48 Other Mammals 5-49 General Sensitivity to Changed Conditions 5-53 Existing Avian Populations 5-54 Amphibians 5-55 Marine Ecology 5-61 Inter-tidal and Shallow Subtidal Habitats 5-61 Mud Flats 5-61 Gravel and Cobble Substrate 5-63 Granite Point Intertidal and Shallow Subtidal 5-66 Marine Species 5-66 Fisheries 5-66 Commercial Fisheries 5-75 Sport Fishery 5-78 Subsistence Fisheries 5-79 Birds 5-80 Mammals 5-83 Trading Bay State Game Refuge 5-89 6.0 Climatology and Air Quality 6-1 Climatic Conditions 6-1 Existing Ambient Air Quality 6-6 Atmospheric Emission Sources 6-7 7.0 Oceanography 7-1 Physical Oceanography of Cook Inlet 7-1 Tides and Currents 7-3 Circulation 7-4 Upper Cook Inlet 7-4 Middle Cook Inlet 7-6 Lower Cook Inlet 7-6 Water Chemistry 7-6 Salinity 7-6 Temperature 7-7 Suspended Sediments 7-7 Nutrient 7-8 Sea Ice 7-11 Ports 7-13 8.0 Archaeological & Historic Sites 8-1 Ethanol history and Settlement Patterns 8-1 Settlement Patterns 8-1 Dwellings 8-2 Caches 8-3 Burial 8-4 Material Culture 8-4 European Contract and Trade 8-6 Historic and Prehistoric Sites 8-8 Archaeological Sites 8-10 9.0 Other Fragile Lands 9-1 Fragile or Historic Lands 9-1 Natural Hazard Lands 9-2 Renewable Resource Lands 9-3 Land Planning 9-3 Other Fragile Lands 9-1 Fragile or Historic Lands 9-1 Natural Hazard Lands 9-2 Renewable Resource Lands 9-3 Land Planning 9-3 10.0 Existing Social and Economic Environment 10-1 West Cook inlet Development 10-1 Employment Activities and Population 10-1 Land Ownership, Status and Use Restrictions 10-2 State of Alaska 10-3 Resource Management Lands 10-5 Industrial Lands 10-6 Reserved Use Lands 10-6 Material Lands 10-6 Cook Inlet Region Inc. 10-7 Tyonek Native Corporation 10-7 Kenai Peninsula Borough 10-8 Land Development Planning Authority 10-8 Governor’s Coal Policy Group 10-9 Beluga Interagency Task Force 10-9 Kenai Peninsula Borough 10-9 Tyonek Village Council 10-10 Transportation and Power Infrastructure 10-11 Existing Roads and Easements 10-11 Airports 10-13 Docks 10-14 Power 10-15 Kenai Peninsula Borough Services 10-15 Other West Cook Inlet Coal Development 10-16 Tyonek Village 10-17 Background 10-17 Community Facilities and Infrastructure 10-19 Housing and Utilities 10-19 Education 10-19 Public Safety 10-21 Employment 10-22 Community Attitudes Towards Development 10-24 Construction and Operations Requirements 10-25 Background 10-25 Direct Labor Force Requirements 10-25 Indirect Employment and Total Population 10-26 Overall Project Development 10-26 Construction Camp 10-28 Concept 10-28 Camp Facilities 10-28 Housing and Support Facilities 10-30 Utilities 10-33 Airport 10-35 Concept 10-35 Facilities 10-35 Permanent New Town 10-38 Concept 10-38 Housing, Education and Commercial Facilities 10-39 Transportation 10-41 Utilities 10-42 11.0 Acoustic Environment 11-1 Introduction 11-1 General Overview 11-3 Noise Sensitive Land Uses 11-3 Environmental Impact 12.0 Geology and Soils 12-1 Construction Effects 12-1 Long-Term Effects 12-1 Major Regulatory Requirements 12-3 Environmental Acceptability of Proposed Action 12-3 13.0 Hydrology 13-1 Construction Effects 13-1 Groundwater 13-1 Construction Water Source 13-1 Effects on Water Table 13-1 Appropriation of Water Rights 13-1 Surface Water 13-2 Siltation During Construction 13-2 Accidental Petroleum and Hazardous Substance Spills 13-3 As a Water Source for Construction 13-4 Long-Term Effects 13-4 Groundwater 13-4 Plant Water Source 13-4 Effects on Water Table and Marshes 13-5 Appropriation of Water Rights 13-6 Surface Water 13-6 Wastewater Discharges and Treatment 13-6 Projected Effluent Characteristics 13-21 Effects to Surface Waters 13-23 Major Regulatory Requirements 13-27 Environmental Acceptability of Proposed Action 13-27 14.0 Ecosystems 14-1 Construction and Long-Term Effects 14-1 Major Regulatory Requirements 14-9 Environmental Acceptability of Proposed Action 14-10 15.0 Air Quality 15-1 Construction Effects 15-2 Emissions and Long-Term Effects 15-3 Process Plant Area Emissions 15-3 Coal Preparation 15-3 Process Coal 15-4 Coal Gasification 15-4 Fugitive Emissions 15-5 Power Plant 15-5 Start-up and Shutdown 15-6 Emergencies 15-7 Mining Area Emissions 15-7 Air Emission Effects 15-8 Models Used 15-9 Major Regulatory Requirements 15-15 Environmental Acceptability of Proposed Action 15-16 16.0 Oceanography 16-1 Construction Effects 16-1 Long-Term Effects 16-1 Major Regulatory Requirements 16-2 Environmental Acceptability of Proposed Action 16-3 17.0 Archaeological and Historic Sites 17-1 Construction Effects 17-1 Long-Term Effects 17-1 Major Regulatory Requirements 17-2 Environmental Acceptability of Proposed Action 17-2 18.0 Solid Waste 18-1 Construction Effects 18-1 Clearing Debris 18-1 Construction Refuse 18-1 Long-Term Effects 18-2 Ash and Sludge 18-2 Methanol Process Solid Waste 18-4 Hazardous Substances 18-5 Fugitive Coal Dust 18-5 Refuse 18-5 Sanitary Waste Solids 18-6 Major Regulatory Requirements 18-6 RCRA of 1976 (Federal) 18-6 18 ACC 6- (State of Alaska) 18-7 Environmental Acceptability of Proposed Action 18-7 19.0 Short-and Long-Term Socioeconomic Effects 19-1 Cook Inlet Impacts 19-1 Population and Employment 19-1 Growth-Inducing Effects 19-2 Land Use, Transportation and Ownership Changes 19-3 State Lands 19-4 Borough Lands 19-6 Cook Inlet Region Inc. (CIRI) Lands 19-6 Tyonek Native Corporation Lands 19-7 Borough Services Impacts 19-7 Options for Town Management and Governance 19-8 Borough Planning of the Town Site 19-9 Impacts if Growth Occurs in the Kenai Peninsula 19-9 Tyonek Village Impacts 19-10 Village Impacts 19-11 Culture and Life-Style Changes 19-11 Economic Impacts 19-13 20.0 Acoustic Environment 20-1 Construction Effects 20-1 Construction Activities 20-1 Vehicular Traffic 20-2 Long-Term Effects 20-2 Major Regulatory Requirements 20-3 Environmental Acceptability of Proposed Action 20-3 21.0 Methanol in the Environment (Summary) 21-1 Methanol in the Environment (General) 21-1 Environmental Hazards, Aquatic and Marine 21-1 Marine and Estuarine 21-2 Comparison of Marine Environmental Impact Costs: Methanol/Oil 21-4 Fresh Water 21-8 Terrestrial – Direct Exposure 21-14 Emissions 21-14 Methanol in the Environment (Specific) 21-15 Introduction 21-15 Fish 21-16 Crustaceans 21-17 Mollusks 21-18 Birds and Mammals 21-19 Summary 21-20 Safety and Risk 22.0 Safety and Risk Analysis 22-1 Introduction 22-1 Assessment Procedures 22-1 Program Characteristics 22-1 Regulatory Assessment 22-3 Safety Overview 22-4 Health Effects 22-4 Process Down Time 22-5 Start-up 22-7 On-stream Operation 22-8 Shutdowns 22-9 Process Hazards 22-9 Coal Storage 22-9 Coal Preparation 22-10 Coal Feeding 22-10 Methanol Distillation 22-13 Gasification 22-11 Ash Removal and Disposal 22-11 Venturi Scrubber 22-12 Shift Conversion 22-12 Acid Gas Removal 22-12 Methanol Synthesis 22-12 Utilities 22-13 Monitoring the Process Environment 22-13 Industrial Hygiene 22-13 Monitoring 22-13 Medical 22-14 Education and Training 22-14 Compliance 22-15 Regulated Areas 22-15 Emergency Procedures 22-15 Fire Safety 22-16 23.0 Site Selection 23-1 Introduction 23-1 Level I – Screening Analysis 23-2 Granite Point on Cook Inlet 23-2 Capps Coal Field Area 23-2 Chuitna Coal Field Area 23-3 Remote Location 23-4 Comparison of Alternatives 23-4 Level II – Preliminary Site Selection 23-6 Near Tidewater 23-6 Upland Location 23-7 Level III – Final Selection 23-8 Bibliography 24-1 Participants 25-1
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