RALEIGH - Progress Energy would propose nearly doubling the size of a Wake County recreational lake as it moves ahead with plans to seek a federal license for new Shearon Harris nuclear reactors.

Harris Lake, created in the 1980s as the main cooling source for the Shearon Harris nuclear plant, would have to be raised about 20 feet to hold sufficient water to cool additional reactors. If Progress decides to build new reactors at the site, the first reactor would start operating in 2018, at the earliest.

The proposal would be filed in January as part of the Raleigh utility's reactor license application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The license application would also be reviewed by federal and state environmental agencies.

As a precaution against drought conditions, Progress Energy also wants permission to pump water out of the Cape Fear River to supplement Harris Lake, said Joe Donahue, Progress' vice president of nuclear engineering and services. If the reservoir drops below a certain level, the NRC requires Progress Energy to stop operating the nuclear plant. Harris Lake is approaching record low levels now.

Harris Lake was designed to accommodate four nuclear reactors, but the size of the reservoir was scaled back in the early-1980s when the company decided to build only one reactor.

Expanding the 4,000-acre lake would inundate a road, a hunting area and Wake County's biggest public park, which has hiking trails and boat ramps. Harris Lake County Park is on Progress Energy property that the county is leasing.

"Our biggest concern is they're going to flood about half of our park and inundate our facilities," said Chris Snow, director of Wake County's Division of Parks, Recreation and Open Space. "It would flood a little less than half of our 680 acres. But at 340 acres, it would still be one of the largest county parks."

The scale of the project demonstrates the complexity of harnessing nuclear energy, which requires prodigious amounts of water. Each reactor must be able to drink enough water to keep from overheating, a daily intake equivalent to the needs of a midsize city. About half the water that is taken in by a nuclear reactor is lost through evaporation, and the rest is released into the reservoir.

Gradual filling

Raising the level of a lake by 20 feet takes years of planning. It would require up to four years to fill the man-made basin as water drains into the lake from tributaries, aided by rainfall. The gradual filling would give wildlife adequate time to move elsewhere, Snow said.

Progress owns the land around the lake, so it would not have to compensate homeowners or business owners for lost property. Harris Lake is 220 feet above sea level when full, retained by a 260-foot dam.

Recurrent droughts pose an increasing concern. Droughts could potentially shut down a nuclear reactor that cost $2 billion to $3 billion to build.

Progress wants to rely on the Cape Fear River as a backup source of water. That project would divert water to Harris Lake and then release the water into the river, where Harris Lake empties. That proposal is likely to meet resistance.

"I don't think it'll be an easy sell," said Doug Springer, executive director of Cape Fear Riverwatch, an environmental group in Wilmington.

"Water is so low right now that people are going to look at that pretty carefully. I would suspect they're going to get a lot of pressure, and this may not be an option for them."

Donahue said the Shearon Harris plant would rarely need to tap the Cape Fear River.

Boon for nature lovers

Many outdoor enthusiasts, Donahue said, would benefit from a bigger lake.

"You'll end up with a larger lake for the public to use as it's currently being used, which is predominantly boating and fishing," he said.

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