It’s hard to hear “power plant” and “thriving ecosystem” together in the same sentence, but it’s been done!  The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in North County, owned by San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and Riverside recently spent $46 million to build the nation’s largest artificial reef off the coast of San Clemente to mitigate the nuclear plant’s ecologic damage.  I have always been a bit suspicious as to how successful these mitigation measures really are, but this scenario does make me more optimistic.

The artificial reef is part of the Wheeler North Reef, a huge artificial reef started by ocean advocates to boost the habitat and marine life.  According to UC Santa Barbara scientists that have been monitoring the kelp forest since its conception, the 174-acre reef is doing better than expected with a higher yield of marine life in the densely growing undersea “rainforest.”  David Kay, the head of the environmental projects of Edison, was excited and eager to share the success of the company in its efforts to stay an environmentally friendly nuclear power plant (oxymoron?) 

On a more cautious note, the scientists were more reserved about the potential success of artificial kelp forests in other areas.  Admitting that the company has done a very nice job with a brighter hope for the future, Santa Barbara scientists made sure to emphasize that artificial reefs may be useful mitigation measures however we shouldn’t start making kelp forests off the coasts everywhere.  No matter how successful artificial habitats may be, nothing beats the natural environment.

I guess we have to keep in mind that even though the San Onofre nuclear plant has done a great job on the reef, the plant is still operating.  It takes in close to one square mile that is 14 feet deep of ocean water each day and discharges sediments and debri in a contaminated plume back out into the ocean.  Mitigating measures will have to increase rapidly and efficiently to keep up with this powerhouse.

I saw this article in the office breakroom and was pretty excited to start blogging about this topic of successful energy and manmade reefs, but after thinking about it some more I guess easing the environmental damage is only a “get out of jail free card” for our energy-hungry nation.  What are your thoughts on it?  Do they deserve praise or just a pat on the back?

surfer photo credit: the orange county register