UPDATE: Radioactive Water Leak at Indian Point

Radioactive water has leaked into the groundwater at the Indian Point nuclear facility, according to New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Cuomo announced Saturday afternoon that his administration has started an investigation to determine the extent of the release, its likely duration, cause and potential impacts to the environment and public health.

There is no health threat to the public. The effect of these elevated values is less than one-tenth of one percent of federal reporting guidelines, Entergy said in reply, noting that it made voluntary notification to the NRC, state agencies and key stakeholders.

Cuomo, who has long fought to have the nuclear power plant shut down, cited “alarming levels of radioactivity” found at three monitoring wells.

“I am deeply concerned to have learned that radioactive tritium-contaminated water has recently leaked from operations at the Entergy Indian Point Energy Center (Indian Point) into groundwater at the site,” he wrote to Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos and Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker. “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. This failure continues to demonstrate that Indian Point cannot continue to operate in a manner that is protective of public health and the environment.”

Entergy also released a statement.

Recent samples from our ongoing comprehensive groundwater monitoring program identified elevated levels of tritium in three monitoring wells out of several dozen at Indian Point. While elevated tritium in the ground onsite is not in accordance with our standards, there is no health or safety consequence to the public, and releases are more than a thousand times below federal permissible limits. The tritium did not affect any source of drinking water onsite or offsite.

While the effect of these elevated values is less than one-tenth of one percent of federal reporting guidelines, Entergy made voluntary notification to the NRC, state agencies and key stakeholders.

The issue of tritium in the ground is a well-studied issue, including by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which has previously concluded historic leaks of tritium to the ground at Indian Point have no effect on public health or safety.

Tritium, a radioactively weak isotope of hydrogen, likely reached the ground at Indian Point during recent work activities. Indian Point installed groundwater monitoring wells onsite to enable early detection of any elevated levels of radionuclides in the ground.

Click on the link below to learn more about tritium.

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/grndwtr-contam-tritium.html

Here’s the governor’s full statement:

Yesterday I learned that radioactive tritium-contaminated water leaked into the groundwater at the Indian Point Nuclear facility. The company reported alarming levels of radioactivity at three monitoring wells, with one well’s radioactivity increasing nearly 65,000 percent. The facility reports that the contamination has not migrated off site and as such does not pose an immediate threat to public health.

Our first concern is for the health and safety of the residents close to the facility and ensuring the groundwater leak does not pose a threat.

This latest failure at Indian Point is unacceptable and I have directed Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos and Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker to fully investigate this incident and employ all available measures, including working with Nuclear Regulatory Commission, to determine the extent of the release, its likely duration, cause and potential impacts to the environment and public health.

RELATED:

• NY Objects to Indian Point Operation, Relicensing
• NY Doubles Down on Indian Point Opposition
• NRC Issues Report on Indian Point 3 License Renewal
• Indian Point Sues New York State

Here is the text of the Governor’s letter directing Acting Commissioner Seggos and Commissioner Zucker to begin an investigation:

Dear Commissioners Zucker and Seggos:

I am deeply concerned to have learned that radioactive tritium-contaminated water has recently leaked from operations at the Entergy Indian Point Energy Center (Indian Point) into groundwater at the site. 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. This failure continues to demonstrate that Indian Point cannot continue to operate in a manner that is protective of public health and the environment.

The levels of radioactivity reported this week are significantly higher than in past incidents. Three of forty monitoring wells registered alarming increases. In fact, one of the monitoring well increased nearly 65,000 percent from 12,300 picocuries per liter to over 8,000,000 picocuries per liter.

Our first concern is for the health and safety of the residents close to the facility and ensuring the groundwater leak does not pose a threat. As such, I am directing you to fully investigate this incident and employ all available measures, including working with Nuclear Regulatory Commission, to determine the extent of the release, its likely duration, its causes, its potential impacts to the environment and public health, and how the release can be contained. We need to identify whether this incident could have been avoided by exercising reasonable care. We also need to know how a recurrence of this episode can be avoided by specific steps that Entergy should be taking.

Please report back at the completion of the investigation.

The Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Health are not the only state agencies active in the administration’s fight against Indian Point.

The Department of Public Service has an open investigation, the Department of State formally objected to Entergy’s relicensing application, and the Department of State Operations also weighed in recently, sending a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regarding its Atomic Safety and Licensing Board hearing.

The argument is that the plant and its component parts are aging, the reactors are located in a heavily populated area and the evacuation and safety plans are inadequate.

The state’s moves began as the NRC re-opened its hearing into the relicensing request.

And they came just after Entergy announced it would close its nuclear power plant near Oswego, a move that infuriated Cuomo, who wants to keep it open.