Non-Fishing Human Induced Mortality of Fisheries Resources in Galveston Bay

Galveston Bay National Estuary Program GBNEP-29 May 1993

Non-Fishing Human Induced Mortality of Fisheries Resources in Galveston Bay

Printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink

Non-Fishing Human Induced Mortality of Fisheries Resources in Galveston Bay

Dennis Palafox, Principal Investigator

Jones and Neuse, Inc. Environmental and Engineering Services

The Galveston Bay National Estuary Program Publication GBNEP-29 May, 1993

iii This project has been funded in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement # CE-006550-01 to the Texas Water Commission. The contents of this document do not necessarily represent the views of the United States Environmental Protection Agency or the Texas Water Commission, nor do the contents of this document necessarily constitute the views or policy of the Galveston Bay National Estuary Program Management Conference or its members. The information presented is intended to provide background information, including the professional opinion of the authors, for the Management Conference deliberations in drafting of official policy in the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). The mention of trade names or commercial products does not in any way constitute an endorsement or recommendation for use.

IV Policy Committee The Honorable Rodney Ellis, Chair Vice-Chair Texas Senate Regional Administrator, EPA Region 6 Mr. John Hall Ms. Terry Hershey Chair, Vice-Chair, Texas Water Commission Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Mr. James Blackburn Mr. Charles W. Jenness Founding Chairman, Chair, Galveston Bay Foundation Texas Water Development Board Mr. Charles Miller Past Chairman of the Board Greater Houston Partnership

Local Governments Advisory Committee The Honorable Ray Holbrook, Chair

Management Committee Mr. Myron O. Knudson, Chair Ms. Barbara Britton, Vice-Chair

Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee Dr. Robert McFarlane, Chair Ms. Teresa Battenfield, Vice-Chair

Citizen's Advisory Steering Committee Ms. Sharron Stewart, Chair Mr. Ron Embry, Vice-Chair

Galveston Bay Public Forum Dr. Don Bass, Chair

Program Director Dr. Frank S. Shipley

V

The Galveston Bay National Estuary Program Texans increasingly express their expectations for a clean environment in terms of entire ecosystems. Until recently, our tendency was to view environmental problems in isolated pieces we could understand—indeed this view was institutionalized (and seemingly immortalized) in an elaborate mosaic of fragmented jurisdictions. The Galveston Bay National Estuary Program (GBNEP) is a forerunner in elevating hands-on management of coastal environments to the level of the ecosystem; and in doing so, is encouraging an integration of traditionally disparate institutions. The GBNEP was established under the authority of the Water Quality Act of 1987 to develop a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) for Galveston Bay. The purpose of the CCMP is to address threats to the Bay resulting from pollution, development, and overuse. To address these threats, five years of work commenced in 1990, consisting of three phases: (1) Identification of the specific problems facing the Bay; (2) A Bay-wide effort to compile data and information to describe status, trends, and probable causes related to the identified problems; and (3) Creation of the CCMP itself to enhance governance of the Bay at the ecosystem level. The GBNEP is accomplishing this work through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. EPA (Region 6) and the State of Texas (administered by the Texas Water Commission). The structure of the GBNEP reflects a strong commitment to consensus-building among all Galveston Bay user groups, government agencies, and the public. The GBNEP "Management Conference" consists of six Governor-appointed committees with broad representation, totaling about one hundred individuals. Meetings of these committees are also open to the public, and public participation in policy-setting and in Bay management are considered strengths of the program. When submitted to the Governor of Texas in late 1994, the CCMP will reflect thousands of hours of involvement (much in the form of volunteer time) by individuals who in various ways use, enjoy, or help govern this vital coastal resource.

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Table of Contents

Sections Page

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1.1 Purpose 1 1.2 Methods 1 1.3 Results 2

2.0 INTRODUCTION 7 2.1 Project Description 7 2.2 Description of Study Area 7

3.0 METHODS 11 3.1 Literature Searches 11 3.2 Authorized Water Intake Survey 11 3.3 Effects of Cooling Water Operations - Impingement and Entrainment 13 3.4 Fish Kill Records Review 13 3.4.1 Data Collection 13 3.4.2 Data Management 17 3.4.3 Base Spreadsheet 17 3.4.4 Summary Data Tables 17

4.0 RESULTS 29 4.1 Water Intake Survey 29 4.2 Impingement and Entrainment 29 4.2.1 P.H. Robinson Generating Station 29 4.2.1.1 P.H. Robinson Generating Station (Landry 1977) 34 4.2.1.2 P.H. Robinson Station - Chase (1978) 50 4.2.1.3 P.H. Robinson - Chase (1977) 59 4.2.1.4 P.H. Robinson - McAden (1977) 61 4.2.1.5 P.H. Robinson - (Greene et al. 1980a) 62 4.2.2 Webster Generating Station (Green et al. 1980b) 63 4.2.3 Sam Bertron Station (Greene et al. 1979) 69 4.2.4 Deepwater Generating Station (Greene 1980) 70 4.2.5 Cedar Bayou Generating Station 79 4.2.5.1 Cedar Bayou Generating Station - Jobe et al. (1980) 79 4.2.5.2 Cedar Bayou Generating Station - Southwest Research Institute (unpublished) 85 4.2.6 Texas Water Commission Studies 98 4.2.6.1 Houston Ship Channel (Seiler et al. 1991) 98 4.2.6.2 Houston Ship Channel Monitoring Program (1973-1978) 98 4.3 Fish Kill Records 99 4.3.1 Sources of Fish Mortality 100 4.3.2 Point Sources 103 4.3.3 Nonpoint Sources 110

IX Table of Contents-Continued Sections Page

4.4 Unknown Sources 113 4.5 Identified Pollutants 113 4.6 Affected Waterbody Segments 122 4.6.1 Point Sources 122 4.6.2 Nonpoint Sources 131 4.6.3 Unknown Sources 136 4.7 Size Distribution 139 4.8 Temporal Patterns 146 4.9 Fish and Shellfish Trends in Galveston Bay - (Loeffler and Walton 1992) 155

5.0 DISCUSSION 159 5.1 Impingement and Entrainment 159 5.1.1 Factors Affecting Species Richness and Abundance of Organisms 159 5.1.2 Length - Frequency and Seasonal Distribution 162 5.1.3 Survival in Cooling Water Operations 166 5.1.3.1 Injury Rates 167 5.1.3.2 Immediate and Delayed Effects of Impingement 167 5.1.3.3 Effects of Heat 169 5.1.4 Annual Impingement Estimates 171 5.1.5 Impacts to Fisheries Population Dynamics 172 5.2 Fish Kill Records 173 5.2.1 Point Source Mortality 173 5.2.2 Nonpoint Source Mortality 176 5.2.3 Unknown Source Mortality 177

6.0 SUMMARY 179

REFERENCES 185

TABLES

3.1 TWC Stream Segments Surveyed for Permitted Water Rights Users 12 3.2 Species Affected During Fish Kills 19 3.3 Secondary Source Code Descriptions* 21 3.4 Tertiary Source Code Descriptions* 22 3.5 Pollutant Category List * 23 3.6 Identified Materials Associated With Chemical Spills 24 3.7 Affected Water Body List 26 4.1 Summary of Response Received From Surveyed Water Rights Permittees1 30

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Sections Page

4.2 Robinson Station Specifications 35 4.3 Species Comprising 1 Percent or More of the Total Impinged During Study Period for HL&P Generating Stations 36 4.4 Number, Size Ranges, and Injury Rates for Most Abundant Fishes Taken at the HL&P P.H. Robinson Plant on Revolving Screens and in the Discharge Canal by Ichthyoplankton Nets and Trawls (Landry 1977) 41 4.5 Annual Estimate of Number and Weight (Kg) of Most Abundant and Commercially/Recreationally Important Organisms Impinged at HL&P Generating Stations1 42 4.6 Temperature (C) at Which Fish Became Distressed or Avoided in Heated Waters (Landry 1977) 46 4.7 Survival Rates Immediately After Impingement for Intermittent and Continuous Screen Operations at the Robinson Station (Chase 1978) 52 4.8 Results of Experiments Addressing the Delayed Effects of Impingement (Chase 1978) 54 4.9 Empirical Probabilities of Survival During Intermittent and Continuous Screen Operations at the Robinson Station (Chase 1978) 55 4.10 Number, Weights, Size Ranges, and Peak Impingement Periods for Species Comprising 1% or More and Commercially/Recreationally Important Species Collected From Intake Screens at the Robinson Station From April 1978 to March 1979 (Greene et al. 1980a) 64 4.11 Webster Station Specifications 66 4.12 Number, Weights, Size Ranges, and Peak Impingement Periods for Species Comprising 1% or More and Commercially/Recreationally Important Species Collected From Intake Screens at the Webster Station From December 1977 to November 1978 (Greene et al. 1980b) 67 4.13 Bertron Station Specifications 71 4.14 Number, Weight, Size Range, and Peak Impingement Periods for Species Comprising 1 % or More and Commercially/Recreationally Species Collected From Intake Screens at the Bertron Station From January 1978 to January 1979 (Greene et al. 1979) 72 4.15 Deepwater Station Specifications 74 4.16 Number, Weight, Size Range, and Peak Impingement Periods for All Species Collected From Intake Screens During 1978 at the Deepwater Station (Greene 1980) 75

XI Table of Contents-Continued Sections Page

4.17 Number, Weight, and Size Range, and Peak Impingement Periods for All Species Collected From Intake Screens During 1979 at the Deepwater Station (Greene 1980) 77 4.18 Number, Weight, and Size Range of the Most Abundant (>1 %) and Commercially/Recreationally Important Species Collected After Impingement and Passage Through the Fish Pump at the Cedar Bayou Station From July 1978 to May 1979 (Jobe et al. 1980) 80 4.19 Percent Survival for Short Term, Long Term, and Heat Shock Tests at the Cedar Bayou Station From July 1978 to May 1979 (Jobe et al. 1980) 83 4.20 Cedar Bayou Station Specifications 86 4.21 Number of Samples Collected by Month for Intakes A and B at the HL&P Cedar Bayou Station (SRI Unpublished) 88 4.22 Total Number of All Taxa Impinged and Size Ranges and Peak Impingement Periods for Species Comprising One Percent and Commercially/Recreationally Important Species Impinged During Sampling Periods at the Cedar Bayou Station From April 1973 to December 1980 (SRI Unpublished) 89 4.23 Annual Estimates of Numbers and Weights (kg) of Most Abundant and Commercially/Recreationally Important Species Impinged at the Cedar Bayou Station From April 1973 to December 1980 (SRI Unpublished) 91 4.24 Total Mortality by Species 101 4.25 Permitted Outfalls Within the Study Area 102 4.26 Species Mortality by Point Sources 104 4.27 Species Mortality by Nonpoint Sources 112 4.28A Species Mortality Associated With Point Source Pollutant Categories 115 4.28B Species Mortality Associated With Nonpoint Source Pollutant Categories 117 4.29 Number of Fish Killed by Pollutant Category 118 4.30 Location of Species Mortality Caused by Point Sources 125 4.31 Location of Species Mortality Caused by Nonpoint Sources 132 4.32 Length-Frequency Data for Fish Killed During Seismic Testing Operations 141 4.33 Length-Frequency Data for Fish Killed by Thermal Discharges 142 4.34 Length-Frequency Data for Fish Killed by Miscellaneous Point Sources 145

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4.35 Length-Frequency Data for Fish Killed by Nonpoint Sources 147 4.36 Monthly Species Mortality Caused by Point Sources 150 4.37 Monthly Species Mortality Caused by Nonpoint Sources 153

FIGURES

1 Study Area Map 9 2 Location of Water Rights 15 3 Point Sources Causing Fish Mortality 107 4 Nonpoint Sources Causing Fish Mortality 111 5 Number of Fish Killed According to Pollutant Category 114 6 Fish Kill Location Map 123 7 Fish Mortality by Waterbody 128 8 Monthly Fish Mortality Distribution Patterns 149

APPENDICES

A TWC Water Rights Data Base Codes 189 B JN Water Rights Questionnaire 193 C List of Permitted Water Rights Users Sent JN Questionnaire 197 D Fish Kill Data Base Spreadsheet 201 E Fish Kill Data Column Descriptions for Base Spreadsheet 223 F Responses From Water Rights Permittees 231 G Species Size Distribution Point Source Fish Kills 253 H Species Size Distribution for Nonpoint Fish Kills 263 I Seasonal Species Mortality Point Source Fish Kills 267 J Seasonal Mortality Patterns by Species for Nonpoint Sources 275 K Numbers of Incidents and Fish Killed Reported to Agencies From 1970 to 1991 281 L Graphical Presentation of the Estimated Numbers and Weights of Organisms of Interest at the Cedar Bayou Station (SRI Unpublished) 287

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