Artificial Reef Technology A Strategy For Active Impact Mitigation

While complying with Federal and State standards aimed at regulating the effluent discharge activities into the marine environment, the discharger may opt to go beyond the stereotype role of an "enforcee" in order to act to improve the environment with which its industrial activity must coexist. Southern California Edison Company's artificial reef research program has stemmed from the updated vision of resource management in which the goal is a net gain in the quality of the environment. This goal is to be achieved by introducing positive impacts to outbalance whatever negative impacts still may or may not accrue from the regulated discharge activities. Immediate benefits expected from this program are: 1. By adding a new habitat, the artificial reef will help enhance the marine environment through increased production of biomass, a compensating factor for using once-through cooling water for coastal power plants and also for siting power plants on the coast in general. 2. By locating the reefs in naturally impoverished areas such as flat, sandy nearshore regions, fish and other marine biota may be attracted to it. Thus, in addition to producing biomass, this technique could be used to possibly better manage existing marine resources. It is proposed that the structural design of an artificial reef module, according to best available information from Japanese reef technology, should apply favorably in Southern California nearshore waters. The reef module is a low-lying pentagon 2.5 m in diameter with water current deflectors, and interior compartments.