[link to www.nrc.gov]

[snip]


AN EPIDEMIC OF RADIOACTIVE LEAKS

Appendix A of this report documents that since 1963 more than 102 reactor units have leaked radioactive contamination in recurring events into highly mobile groundwater that carried radioactive tritium farther and deeper into underground water resources.
Under current lax federal oversight and regulation, many more aging nuclear power plants will likely experience new and possibly larger leaks.

From March 1, 2009 to April 15, 2010 there were 15 radioactive leaks to groundwater from 13 different US nuclear power plants.

On April 6, 2010, the Public Service Electric & Gas management was notified that its Salem nuclear power plant on Artificial Island in New Jersey tested positive for tritium contamination in a storm drain system that was confirmed at about 1 million picocuries per liter.

On April 6, 2010, Tennessee Valley Authority’s Browns Ferry nuclear power station in Alabama spilled 1,000 gallons of tritiated water (2,050,000 picocuries per liter) during a transfer operation from one tank to another when plant personnel were unable to close an open test valve for nearly two hours.

Uncontrolled and unmonitored radioactive leaks from nuclear power plants in the United States are now ubiquitous.
On February 9, 2010, Duke Energy’s Oconee nuclear power station in South Carolina tested positive for tritium in two new groundwater test wells onsite at 24,400 picocuries per liter and 35,400 picocuries per liter.

On January 10, 2010, Progress Energy’s Shearon Harris nuclear power station in North Carolina discovered a leak in an eight-inch diameter underground fiberglass pipe of approximately 1,000 gallons of tritiated water at 5,590 picocuries per liter that had saturated soil.

On January 6, 2010, Entergy’s Vermont Yankee nuclear power station in Vernon, Vermont, was notified that a 2009 fourth quarter groundwater sample from an onsite test well was positive for tritium with readings which would range between 7,000 picocuries per liter and 2.7 million picocuries per liter from buried pipes that Entergy officials had denied existed while under oath to state regulators.

On December 28, 2009, Entergy’s Fitzpatrick nuclear power station in Oswego, New York, was notified that the west storm drain tested positive for tritium at 938 picocuries per liter.
Entergy further disclosed that on November 3, 2009, the reactor building perimeter sump, which communicates with the west storm drain, had tested positive for tritium at 1,474 picocuries per
liter but had not been previously reported because there was no evidence of tritium in the storm drain or groundwater test well at the time.

On November 19, 2009, Constellation Energy’s Ginna nuclear power plant in Ontario, New York, notified the state Department of Environment Protection when sediment contaminated with an undisclosed amount of cesium-137 fell into an excavation hole from a section of buried pipe that was being replaced. “The section of piping being replaced was between the plant storm drain system and the discharge canal.
The radioactive material was identified as Cs-137 but was not quantified at the time of this report.” This discharge canal flows into Lake Ontario.

On September 10, 2009, Northern States Power’s Monticello nuclear power plant notified the state of Minnesota that samples from a new groundwater test well near the reactor building sampled positive for tritium in groundwater at 21,300 picocuries per liter.

On August 25, 2009, Exelon’s Oyster Creek nuclear power station in Lacey Township, New Jersey, notified the state of New Jersey of a tritium leak to groundwater from a buried condensate pipe in concentration of 10 million picocuries per liter.

On July 10, 2009, Exelon’s Peach Bottom nuclear power station in Delta, Pennsylvania, issued a news release that an onsite exploratory well tested positive for tritium in groundwater at 123,000 picocuries per liter.

On June 6, 2009, Exelon’s Dresden nuclear power station in Morris, Illinois, reports as “part of the Station’s continuing environmental monitoring and sampling program sample results from some of the monitoring wells indicated tritium at elevated levels.”
The event notice further stated “The IEPA/ IEMA regulation requires notification when a release to soil, groundwater, or surface water goes offsite at greater than 200 pCi/l [picocuries per liter] or remains onsite greater than 0.002 Curies.
Based upon the monitoring well results and the volume and concentration of groundwater infiltration into the nearby storm sewer, it is likely that the 0.002 Curie onsite threshold has been exceeded.” The event report does not indicate by how much more, however. An excess of an “onsite threshold” of 0.002 Curie converts to more than 2 billion picocuries.

On May 11, 2009, Southern Nuclear Operating Company’s Hatch nuclear power plant in Baxley, Georgia, reported that on May 5, 2009 the operators were notified that a groundwater test well sampled positive for tritium at 36,300 picocuries per liter.
This sample was confirmed to represent an increase in the levels of tritium in the same test well last sampled on March 16, 2009 at 5,400 picocuries per liter.

On April 15, 2009, seven days after receiving a 20-year license extension from NRC, Exelon’s Oyster Creek nuclear power station in Lacey Township, New Jersey, notified the state of New Jersey of a “potential” release of tritium in a cable vault.
A leak to groundwater was later confirmed to be approximately 200,000 gallons of radioactive water as high as 6 million picocuries per liter.

On April 1, 2009, Progress Energy’s Shearon Harris nuclear power plant in North Carolina reported that as part of its ongoing voluntary Groundwater Protection Initiative a leak had occurred in the buried Cooling Tower Blowdown line and was releasing water contaminated with tritium at 2,120 picocuries per liter into the surrounding soil.
The buried pipeline is used to routinely discharge diluted tritium releases into Harris Lake.

On March 3, 2009, Dominion Energy’s Surry nuclear power plant near Williamsburg, Virginia, reported that an onsite relief valve opened for about 20 minutes before it was identified and closed down.

About 400 gallons of water contaminated with tritium at 4,810 picocuries per liter and cesium-137 at 25.1 picocuries per liter was spilled into soil.

The compendium of radioactive leaks from reactors to groundwater is long and continually growing as new leaks and spills will be added to the list.

Appendix A of this report provides a more comprehensive tally of radioactive leaks involving groundwater at U.S. reactor sites from 1963 through February 28, 2009.