Join Paul Winn and Jo Lynch of the Hunter Community Environment Centre at the online briefing for a detailed update & discussion of new research into the impacts of thermal pollution from cooling-water intake and discharge, on Lake Macquarie's ecosystem.

In the report, we put forward evidence in support of the NSW EPA revoking Special Conditions that enable Eraring and Vales Point power stations to discharge water above the specified temperature limits for hundreds of additional hours per year.

Excerpts from the report:

• Power station cooling water discharges have a significant impact on hydrodynamic processes of the southern area of the Lake.[1]

• The two power stations pump an estimated 6 times the equivalent volume of Lake Macquarie each year for cooling,[3] and impinge (capture) over 125,000 fish and entrain (carry through) over 500,000 fish larvae and 4 million juvenile prawn  every year[4], as well as an unknown number of other marine creatures (occasionally including sea turtles).

• Thermal discharge from the power stations into Lake Macquarie have a localised impact that increases the diversity and abundances of sponge and ascidian assemblages,[8] but reduce phytoplankton, [9] he cover of some seagrasses,[10] and alters the species of fish, favouring some and hindering others.[11]

• Cooling water discharges from the two power stations increase the temperature of waters in the Lake embayments surrounding the power stations by between 2°C and 5°C above ambient lake temperature.[12]