By William Opalka
A visual inspection by a Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspector Thursday found no active leakage of radioactive water at the Indian Point plant, where elevated levels of tritium have been detected in test wells.
Early indications had pointed to a sump pump failure that allowed contaminated water to leach into the wells during preparation for refueling, according to an NRC spokesman.
“There was evidence of boric acid deposits, which gives credence to the working theory of leakage related to the operations of the plant [in preparation for refueling],” NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan told RTO Insider on Friday.
The inspector spent one day at the plant but will continue to work with the three permanent inspectors there and could return if needed.
Plant owner Entergy told state officials on Feb. 5 that routine monitoring had found elevated levels in three out of 40 wells at the site in the Hudson Valley, about 40 miles north of New York City.
A second test of water samples last week indicated the highest concentrations of tritium had increased 80%, the company said Wednesday.
But a third sample taken at the plant and verified on Friday indicated that the radioactivity, while still elevated, returned to the level detected the week before, the company said.
Levels “of tritium will rise and fall, and that is to be expected,” Entergy spokesman Jerry Nappi said.
NRC and Entergy said the leak poses no threat to public health or safety.
“While elevated tritium in the ground on-site 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 company said in a statement.
The groundwater will eventually leach into the Hudson “where it will barely be detectable and will pose no threat to the public water supply,” Sheehan said.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered a joint investigation by the Public Service Commission and the departments of Health and Environmental Conservation. He again called for the plant’s closure.
“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 governor said in a letter to the PSC.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) also weighed in, calling on 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.”