Plus if these plants are next to a body of water why would they need to cool down their water if they can use the water form that source?
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[https://nuclear.duke-energy.com/2013/11/13/why-don-t-all-nuclear-plants-have-cooling-towers](https://nuclear.duke-energy.com/2013/11/13/why-don-t-all-nuclear-plants-have-cooling-towers)
[https://www.power-eng.com/om/understanding-the-basics-of-cooling-tower-heat-transfer/#gref](https://www.power-eng.com/om/understanding-the-basics-of-cooling-tower-heat-transfer/#gref)
Basically, the towers have air inlets at the bottom, and spray the hot water from the turbines out in really small droplets from near the top of the tower. Cool air comes in through the inlets, and draws heat from the water droplets as they fall. That then heats the air and it rises (taking some water content with it, hence the steam plumes you see from the towers). This creates low pressure toward the bottom of the tower, drawing in more cool air from outside. By the time the water reaches the bottom, it’s cooled down enough to be returned to the environment without disrupting the ecosystems too much.
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