YORK COUNTY — Brunner Island has received a $25,000 fine for causing a fish kill in December 2016 at its generating station on the Susquehanna River, according to a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) release.
The discharge channel, which receives treated water from the generating station, is frequented by large quantities of fish during cold weather as the temperature in that specific area is warmer than usual. But because Brunner Island initiated a shutdown of all units at the facility on December 20 and 21st of that year, the water temperature dropped, shocking the fish, the release says.
An investigation by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission documented approximately 12,000 dead fish.
As a result of this incident, the DEP issued a Notice of Violation in August 2017 and requested that Brunner Island provide a revised cold weather shutdown procedure to ensure that downstream fish populations would not be exposed to cold shock, the release states.
Brunner Island agreed to notify the DEP if a plant shutdown results in a 6-degree temperature change during a one-hour period.
