At Thursday's Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board meeting, the board unanimously approved a permit and certification for Diablo Canyon Power Plant.
The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit, or NPDES, is a five-year permit that allows Diablo Canyon to release up to 2.76 billion gallons of wastewater per day into the Pacific Ocean. That's about 4,182 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
According to the water board, this wastewater includes cooling water, treated process water, desalination brine, storm water, and treated domestic wastewater.
The permit also sets limits on how much pollutants can be in the wastewater and requires PG&E to regularly monitor and report on the ecological impacts of the wastewater.
Community members who spoke at the meeting had mixed reactions to the decision.
"Diablo Canyon is the most destructive facility along our coastline," said Sean Bothwell, California Coast Keeper Alliance.
"It's a great neighbor, and again, it produces about 10% of California's in-state generation, which is enough to meet the needs of about four million Californians for both their work and home," said Gene Nelson, Californians for Green Nuclear Power.
The board also unanimously approved the Federal Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification.
It says that the 20-year operating license PG&E requested from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would comply with the Clean Water Act and State Water Quality Standards. According to PG&E, this was the last step in California's process to keep Diablo Canyon open through 2030.
PG&E says the NRC is expected to issue its decision on the 20-year license renewal application this spring.
However, in order to extend operations past 2030, there will need to be action in the state legislature, and the NPDES permit will be revisited by the Water Board.
For now, PG&E told KSBY in a statement, "These approvals allow us to continue operating Diablo Canyon as we have throughout our 40 year history, remaining respectful and responsible stewards of our surrounding environment."
