Effects of a power plant on zooplankton distribution and abundance near plant's effluent

Blount Street Power Station on Lake Monona, Wisconsin, draws cooling water at 3–4 m from two intakes 110 m offshore and discharges the water at two shoreline outfalls 200 m apart. The density of zooplankton near these outfalls was 2–7 times greater than at littoral reference stations because zooplankton density at the limnetic intakes was consistently higher than in littoral reference areas. Thus, the circulation of cooling water transported zooplankton-rich water to the littoral zone.