BUCHANAN >> U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Sunday to investigate “the extent of possible ground water contamination and prevent future water contamination” at the Indian Point nuclear power plant.
“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, D-N.Y., said, in a prepared statement. “It is critical that proper safety measures are in place to prevent water contamination. That is why I am urging NRC to fully investigate all the wells surrounding Indian Point and determine why the pump was not working, how far the contamination spread, how to prevent future spills and more importantly determine if local residents’ health and safety are at risk.”
Schumer said he was told by Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Stephen G. Burns that “the leakage would not affect drinking water because it takes two months of migration before the water enters the Hudson River.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that water contaminated with radioactive tritium leaked into groundwater at the Indian Point nuclear power plant, causing an “alarming” increase in radioactivity in three monitoring wells, but nuclear regulators said the public isn’t at risk.
The leak occurred after a drain overflowed during a maintenance exercise while workers were transferring water, which has high levels of radioactive contamination, said Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Normally, a sump pump would take the water and filter it into another treatment system, but the pump apparently was out of service, Sheehan said. After the drain overflowed, the water seeped out of the building into the groundwater.
Schumer said part of the investigation should be to determine if there are additional actions NRC can do to prevent the contaminated water from entering the Hudson, in addition the natural dilution. “Communities throughout the Hudson Valley, like Poughkeepsie and Lloyd, and various others areas in Dutchess and Ulster Counties, use the Hudson River for public drinking water and NRC should do everything possible to ensure the water in the Hudson River remains safe,” the prepared statement said.
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“Cuomo orders probe following radioactive water leak at Indian Point,” Feb. 6, 2016
