Laura Pezzini
lpezzini@mustangdaily.net
Proposed seismic testing near the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in Avila Beach has created controversy since early 2011, due to a number of concerns surrounding the issue. Opinions vary between those who are for the tests, against them due to concern for environmental impact and opposed to the nuclear power plant being open at all.
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) proposed a plan in April 2011 to begin conducting seismic tests in the waters around Diablo Canyon. The tests are intended to gather information to create a 3-D map of the fault line the plant sits on, with hopes that earthquakes can be better predicted, according to an Environmental Impact Report issued by the California State Lands Commission.
Seismic testing in this case involves extending a series of eighteen “airguns” approximately 50 to 75 feet behind a research vessel, according to California Coastal Commission environmental scientist Cassidy Teufel. These guns will fire sound waves at the ground, and hydrophones at the surface of the water will receive the waves that reflect back to the surface, he said. The information received by the hydrophones can then be analyzed by a computer program to create a 3-D map of the ocean floor.
“Essentially they use pressurized air to generate sound pulses,” Teufel said.
Environmentalist groups, such as the Surfrider Foundation, have expressed strong opposition to the project, claiming the extremely loud sound created when the airguns fire affects the behavior and health of marine life. The San Luis Obispo Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation issued a statement in March expressing its opposition to the testing.
“Surfrider questions the overall value of the project, especially considering PG&E has failed to review existing onshore and offshore data to determine geologic hazards,” Surfrider representatives wrote in the statement. “It will have major impacts to marine life and may expose ocean users to harmful noise levels.”
The Cal Poly Surfrider Club plans on calling attention to the issue by gathering people to attend a meeting between PG&E and the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 30, according to Surfrider Club president Adam Rianda.
“It can cause major damage to marine life, to local fisheries and just to the environment of the whole Central Coast,” Rianda said of seismic testing.
Though research on how seismic testing affects marine life is scarce, the information available shows it does affect animal behavior, according to a study published in the Marine Technology Society Journal. Marine animals, especially mammals, have shown a tendency to avoid areas where they detect seismic equipment or machinery — the study shows responses including “startle and fright, avoidance and changes in behavior and vocalization patterns.”
Teufel echoed these assertions.
“Marine mammals especially are very sensitive to underwater sound,” Teufel said. “That’s how they hunt. That’s how they mate. That’s how they find their young.”
Besides the immediate safety of marine life, another concern raised by environmental groups is that the animals in the Avila Beach area would be without their habitat. The area the seismic testing would affect spans across the Cambria State Marine Conservation Area, which is intended to be a safe habitat for marine life.
PG&E has taken into account the concerns of wildlife activist groups and has responded by promising to take precautions that will protect marine life.
A statement made by PG&E, in response to issues brought to them by the California State Lands Commission, detailed several ways in which the company planned on conducting its research with the least environmental impact possible. These efforts include having a thorough oil spill response plan and conducting research 24 hours a day to cut down on the number of research days. The company acknowledged that seismic testing may be dangerous to wildlife, but deems it a necessary risk to better serve the safety of the citizens around Diablo Canyon.
In the case that the project moves forward, PG&E plans to monitor animal activity in the research area, Teufel said. This would involve keeping a monitor on the research vessel and ensuring there is a procedure ready in case any marine life strays too near the airguns.
Though seismic testing is the heart of the issue, some claim the real issue is that the power plant should be shut down altogether, rather than conduct more studies.
“The seismic testing doesn’t make any sense,” said physics instructional faculty member Antonio Garcia, who has done research on local fault lines. “I don’t think they’re going to learn anything new because what we already know should be enough to shut it down. … Basically they’re already ignoring something very dangerous.”
Some students have a similar sentiment.
“It’s scary that they even built a nuclear power plant on top of a fault line to begin with,” biomedical engineering senior Princess Rivera said. “Whatever happens, safety is clearly the main issue here.”