Big Muddy Speaker Series

Presentation by Dr. Greg Howick, Senior Aquatic Ecologist at Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Where – Westport Coffeehouse Theater – 4010 Pennsylvania Ave. Kansas City, MO

6 p.m. – Social Hour
7 p.m. – Presentation. Presentation will be filmed – After 7 PM, Please enter through Green Room Burgers

PLUS – This presentation audio will be streaming live on KCDV.tv!
(See past videos here)

Presentation is FREE and open to the public!

When people think about important uses of the lower Missouri River, they often overlook the largest water user. The largest use of water from the river is for steam condensation (cooling) by power plants. Of the 15 active power plants on the river between Sioux City and St. Louis, 14 withdraw large quantities of water that are passed once through steam condensers then discharged back to the river 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer.

The discharge of cooling water is regulated by state water quality standards and criteria and Section 316(a) of the Clean Water Act. The withdrawal of water by cooling water intakes is regulated by Section 316(b). In addition to compliance with these regulations, some power plant intakes are being impacted by a degrading river bed that has lowered water levels.

Dr. Howick will present highlights of the rules for power plant intakes and discharges, and describe the work he has done on the Missouri River to help power plant owners comply with these regulations.

Greg Howick is the Senior Aquatic Ecologist at Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc.  He received his Ph.D. in Biology with a specialization in limnology and aquatic ecology from the University of Kansas in 1981. He has 34 years of experience ranging from baseline surveys to studies related to water resources, power plants, and lake restoration. For Burns & McDonnell, Dr. Howick is the technical and scientific lead for providing services related to limnology and aquatic ecology including: Section 316(b) compliance, discharge plume mapping and modeling for water quality compliance, fisheries, water and sediment quantity and quality, and bathymetry. Greg is also a veteran volunteer boat driver for Missouri River Relief cleans ups in the Kansas City area.

Directions

Westport CoffeeHouse – 4010 Pennsylvania Kansas City, Mo – www.westportcoffeehouse.com

The Westport CoffeeHouse is in the Westport entertainment area, midtown KC, south of downtown and north of the Plaza.  The main intersection is Westport Rd and Broadway.  From this intersection, go west on Westport Rd one block to Pennsylvania. Turn north (right).

OR you can get there from the intersection of Southwest Trafficway and Westport Rd.  Go east on Westport Rd to Pennsylvania. Turn north (left).

Westport Coffee House is approximately one block down on the west side of Pennsylvania.  Parking can be had either south of the coffee house in the large parking lot or just north of the coffee house alongside the building.  Enter through Green Room Burgers or Westport CoffeeHouse.