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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.
and
Placer Amex, Inc.

Table of Contents

 

Part 1, Pages 1 - 3-31, 5.07 MB

1.0

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

Part 2, Pages 3-31 to 4-36, 4.85 MB

 

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

Part 3, Pages 5.1 - 5.59, 4.41 MB

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

Part 4, Pages 5-61 to 9-3, 4.91 MB

 

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

Vol 4, Part 5, 10-1 to 13-28, 5.15 MB

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

Part 6, Pages 14-1 to 21-7, 4.02 MB

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

Part 7, Page 21-8 to 25.2, 3.50 MB

 

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