Indian Point detects radioactive material leak NUCLEAR:
4/7/2016
NUCLEAR: Indian Point detects radioactive material leak Monday, February 8, 2016 www.eenews.net
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NUCLEAR: Indian Point detects radioactive material leak Ben Panko, E&E reporter Published: Monday, February 8, 2016
Managers for New York's Indian Point nuclear plant said water contaminated with radioactive materials leaked into groundwater near the facility last month, drawing sharp responses from state and federal officials. Tests found elevated levels of tritium, a radioactive hydrogen byproduct, in three groundwater monitoring wells on the grounds of the Buchanan, N.Y., nuclear plant. Plant owner Entergy Corp. stressed that the tritium had not reached any drinking water source. "While elevated tritium in the ground onsite is not in accordance with our standards," the company said in a statement, "there is no health or safety consequence to the public, and releases are more than a thousand times below federal permissible limits." Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Eliot Brenner confirmed the leak in a statement, adding that Entergy had identified and repaired the source of the problem, and that an agency radiation specialist would join the plant's resident inspectors this week to follow up on the incident. "The quantity of radioactivity in the spill is a small fraction of the authorized effluent limits," Brenner said. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said in a statement that the radioactivity at one of the monitoring wells had increased by nearly 65,000 percent. "This is not the first such release of radioactive water at Indian Point, nor is this the first time that Indian Point has experienced significant failure in its operation and maintenance," Cuomo wrote in a letter directing state health and environmental officials to investigate the leak. "This failure continues to demonstrate that Indian Point cannot continue to operate in a manner that is protective of public health and the environment." In November, Cuomo's administration denied Indian Point a permit to use the Hudson River for cooling in an attempt to force the 40yearold plant to close (Greenwire, Nov. 16, 2015). Sen. Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) called for NRC Chairman Stephen Burns> to investigate possible groundwater contamination and how to prevent future leaks. "The disconcerting levels of tritium in the water wells surrounding Indian Point should be a wake up call that more must be done to prevent leaks like this in the first place," Schumer said in a statement. "It is critical that proper safety measures are in place to prevent water contamination." Burns told Schumer that it would take two months for the tritium to reach the Hudson River, Schumer said, but the senator wants the NRC to see if anything else can be done besides natural dilution to prevent the tritium from reaching the river. The NRC should also investigate the failure of a water pump that allowed the tritium to leak in the first place, Schumer said. Twitter: @btpanko
Email: [email protected]
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NUCLEAR: Indian Point detects radioactive material leak Monday, February 8, 2016 www.eenews.net
THE LEADER IN ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY NEWS
NUCLEAR: Indian Point detects radioactive material leak Ben Panko, E&E reporter Published: Monday, February 8, 2016
Managers for New York's Indian Point nuclear plant said water contaminated with radioactive materials leaked into groundwater near the facility last month, drawing sharp responses from state and federal officials. Tests found elevated levels of tritium, a radioactive hydrogen byproduct, in three groundwater monitoring wells on the grounds of the Buchanan, N.Y., nuclear plant. Plant owner Entergy Corp. stressed that the tritium had not reached any drinking water source. "While elevated tritium in the ground onsite is not in accordance with our standards," the company said in a statement, "there is no health or safety consequence to the public, and releases are more than a thousand times below federal permissible limits." Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Eliot Brenner confirmed the leak in a statement, adding that Entergy had identified and repaired the source of the problem, and that an agency radiation specialist would join the plant's resident inspectors this week to follow up on the incident. "The quantity of radioactivity in the spill is a small fraction of the authorized effluent limits," Brenner said. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said in a statement that the radioactivity at one of the monitoring wells had increased by nearly 65,000 percent. "This is not the first such release of radioactive water at Indian Point, nor is this the first time that Indian Point has experienced significant failure in its operation and maintenance," Cuomo wrote in a letter directing state health and environmental officials to investigate the leak. "This failure continues to demonstrate that Indian Point cannot continue to operate in a manner that is protective of public health and the environment." In November, Cuomo's administration denied Indian Point a permit to use the Hudson River for cooling in an attempt to force the 40yearold plant to close (Greenwire, Nov. 16, 2015). Sen. Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) called for NRC Chairman Stephen Burns> to investigate possible groundwater contamination and how to prevent future leaks. "The disconcerting levels of tritium in the water wells surrounding Indian Point should be a wake up call that more must be done to prevent leaks like this in the first place," Schumer said in a statement. "It is critical that proper safety measures are in place to prevent water contamination." Burns told Schumer that it would take two months for the tritium to reach the Hudson River, Schumer said, but the senator wants the NRC to see if anything else can be done besides natural dilution to prevent the tritium from reaching the river. The NRC should also investigate the failure of a water pump that allowed the tritium to leak in the first place, Schumer said. Twitter: @btpanko
Email: [email protected]
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