Division of Research and Economic Development FY 17 Q2 Research News FY 17 Q 2 newsletter | Page 14

(continued from page 13) Services, for species identification and counts of the PEARL researchers collected fish
eggs and larvae samples from the power plant intake or discharge areas using nets deployed by boat. Then samples
were sent to another contractor, Environmental Consulting Services, for species identification and counts of the eggs
and larvae. PEARL was also responsible for collecting water quality data at the plants such as water temperature,
salinity (the salt content), dissolved oxygen (a measure of habitat suitability), and others. Data collected by PEARL
and other contractors will be compiled into a final report to help plant operators assess their compliance with the
Clean Water Act.
PEARL’s Power Plant Environmental Training Center
Tim Klares
The Fall Semester of 2016 saw Morgan State University’s Patuxent
Environmental & Aquatic Research Laboratory (PEARL) kick-off a new
program called the Power Plant Environmental Training Center. The
program provides prospective power plant employees (engineering and other
STEM college students) a unique learning experience on the interrelationship
between the operations of a nuclear power plant and the body of water (such
as a river, Great Lake or ocean) that it uses to cool its power generation
equipment. This relationship is best viewed through both operational and
regulatory
perspectives.
Operations and maintenance personnel at power plants that use vast amounts
of surface water (an average of 1 billion gallons per day) for equipment
cooling purposes are continually having to adapt to changing environmental
conditions. A better understanding
Meet Tim Klares
of this dynamic environment can
provide plant operators with the
tools they need to increase Tim Klares is the Director of the Power Plant
efficiency, decrease downtime, and mitigate damage or risk to expensive Environmental Training Center (PPETC) at
Morgan State University. Tim has a B.S. from
equipment.
Stringent federal regulations that address the impact of the cooling water
process are just now being implemented. Regulations such as Clean
Water Act Section 316(b) will require plant engineers to have a
fundamental understanding of the best technologies available to mitigate
damage caused to the environment.
This free program consists of a visiting guest lecture series and an
optional intensive field workshop instructed by former power plant
environmental operations/compliance managers, and PEARL scientists.
All having diverse experiences in solving problems related to power plant
operations and the aquatic environment. (Please note that both lecture and
workshop content can be tailored to meet a specific professor’s learning
objectives.) Funded by a
grant from the
Nuclear
Regulatory
Commission’s Minority
Serving
Institutions
Program, the program’s
main objective is to
enlighten and educate a
more diverse future power
plant workforce.
the University of Maryland, University College.
He is a 30-year veteran of the power generation
industry
specializing
in
environmental
operations and compliance. Tim spent the last
10 years as the environmental compliance
manager at the largest fossil fuel-fired power
plant and associated coal fly-ash landfill in the
State of Maryland. Both facilities were ISO
14001certified. He also previously worked as
the project manager on both a NPDES-
compliant constructed wetland project at another
coal fly-ash landfill, and a leaking petroleum
underground storage tank remediation project at
a decommissioned coal-fired power plant. He
was also the manager of a permit driven (CWA
§316(b)) aquaculture production facility in
cooperation
with
the MD Dept. of
Natural Resources,
and coordinated the
joint federal and
state Shoreline
Coverage
Assessment Team
(SCAT) activity for
a 130K gallon oil
spill in The
Chesapeake Bay
system.
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