Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

BGA: At least 35 reported leaks at nuke plants in ten years

Posted in:

Illinois

* BGA…

Radioactive waste continues to pour from Exelon’s Illinois nuclear power plants more than a decade after the discovery of chronic leaks led to national outrage, a $1.2 million government settlement and a company vow to guard against future accidents, an investigation by a government watchdog group found.

Since 2007, there have been at least 35 reported leaks, spills or other accidental releases in Illinois of water contaminated with radioactive tritium, a byproduct of nuclear power production and a carcinogen at high levels, a Better Government Association review of federal and state records shows.

No fines were issued for the accidents, all of which were self-reported by the company.

The most recent leak of 35,000 gallons (132,000 liters) occurred over two weeks in May and June at Exelon’s Braidwood plant, southwest of Chicago. The same facility was the focus of a community panic in the mid-2000s after a series of accidents stirred debate over the safety of aging nuclear plants.

A 2014 incident at Exelon’s Dresden facility in Grundy County involved the release of about 500,000 gallons (1,900,000 liters) of highly radioactive water. Contamination was later found in the plant’s sewer lines and miles away in the Morris, Illinois, sewage treatment plant.

Another leak was discovered in 2007 at the Quad Cities plant in Cordova. It took eight months to plug and led to groundwater radiation readings up to 375 times of that allowed under federal safe drinking water standards.

* Related…

* Chicago intends to sue U.S. Steel after 2 toxic spills this year, mayor says

* Editorial: Toxic leak into Lake Michigan should not have been a secret: The critical importance of leveling with the public in such matters also is illustrated by a new Better Government Association review and Associated Press investigative report of leaks from local nuclear power plants. The BGA and AP learned that radioactive material continues to leak from Exelon’s Illinois nuclear power plants. The leaks were properly reported, but we now are confronted by an EPA boss, Scott Pruitt, who takes a skeptical view of environment protections. We have less confidence that Pruitt’s EPA will partner with the public, and not with the despoilers of the environment, when such leaks occur.

* AP Exclusive: 4 in 5 Illinois debris sites high in toxins

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Nov 20, 17 @ 2:56 am

Comments

What is this April fools day. We are know nuclear power is the safest, most reliable and least expensive form of electric power generation.it is so cheap there is often talk of not bothering to meter it. Exelon executive are so often nominated for Sainthood there is no need of oversight from overpaid taxpayer Fed phonies who make nothing but paperwork./snark

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Nov 20, 17 @ 5:55 am
The tritiated water spills are concerning, because nothing is supposed to ever leak from such a plant, but on the good side, tritium decays very rapidly, a couple weeks and it’s down to background levels again.

But what it reminds me is, the entire fleet of Illinois reactors is nearing the end of their design life, (hence, some of these leak issues) and some have already passed that point but had their design lives extended thru an application process. There’s no organized plan to replace their output when they are finally retired. These plants are the backbone of our state’s power generation, what’s called the “base load”, and without them, we’ll be a net energy importer, instead of an energy exporter. There are many negative economic implications to that. The utilities are not interested in maintenance or replacement costs, only in making profits as long as the existing equipment can be squeezed to provide them, then the utilities will dump the spent plants on the taxpayers to take care of.

Personally, I think we should be replacing the old plants with safer, more reliable and economical 4th-generation nuclear plants, which don’t use water-cooling, hence, no more leaks, plus we could shift more generation for peak usage to renewables like wind and solar. But our “base load” capacity is in jeopardy. If we don’t take an active approach to managing this transition, you’re going to see natural gas-fired plants and dirty coal plants powering the entire state, with massive carbon output.

Like so many other issues in Illinois, we had a good thing but let slide the maintenance upkeep and long-term management strategy, in favor of immediate quick profits, leaving the aftermath to another generation to fix. That time is here. We need to fix it and move forward.

Comment by Newsclown Monday, Nov 20, 17 @ 8:17 am
If they eliminate the regulation there will be no violations. BOOM problem solved, trump style

Comment by Publius Monday, Nov 20, 17 @ 8:27 am
From the BGA report:

Michael Pacilio, chief operating officer of the power generating arm of Exelon, said no one in or around the plants was harmed by radioactivity from the leaks, which he described as minor compared with everyday exposures.

“We live in a radioactive world,” Pacilio said.

*****
Just think if someone in Flint, MI had made a statement like Pacilio’s, only in relation to the amount of lead in the world.

Comment by Anon221 Monday, Nov 20, 17 @ 9:18 am
Some of the leaks may have been dangerous, but it is hard to tell. Radioactive is a scare word sometimes used to create an emotional response.

Combustion Engineering had to clean up some contaminated soil in Connecticut. One solution was to just haul it to Colorado. The normal background radiation level of Colorado soil was higher than the contaminated Connecticut soil.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Monday, Nov 20, 17 @ 9:42 am
It’s just Exelon’s way of saying “thank you” for the ratepayer subsidies to keep its noncompetitive reactors operating and corporate profits flowing. “Exelon Gives Back” they could brand it with a heartwarming commercial, also paid for by ratepayer dollars.

Exelon could prove how little this matters by introducing tritium into the water supplies, water coolers and bottled water at their corporate HQ and in the offices of all their board members. Also, some could be strewn in the hallways and offices, since we “live in a radioactive world” and it’s no big deal.

The people who run and own the company live far away from the places where they are doing the damage. They don’t care. Look at the lack of urgency from US Steel about dumping toxic chromium into the water supply of millions of people from the four states surrounding Lake Michigan.

Comment by Moe Berg Monday, Nov 20, 17 @ 9:51 am
Good thing Walling and company sold out to let Exelon off the hook for decommissioning for a few more years on the backs of ratepayers.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Nov 20, 17 @ 9:52 am
Lake Michigan is our most precious resource. hexavalent chromium and good drinking water do not mix. the advantage of the midwest on the water issue could be easily wiped out. need a lake edge strategy meeting in addition to the appropriate legal action Chicago’s mayor is taking.

Comment by Amalia Monday, Nov 20, 17 @ 9:56 am
–Just think if someone in Flint, MI had made a statement like Pacilio’s, only in relation to the amount of lead in the world. –

They did that and more, for many months. And six of them have been indicted on manslaughter charges.

Put all this about leaking nukes, dumping chromium in the lake, clean drinking water — isn’t that red tape and regulation that “kills jobs?”

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 20, 17 @ 5:37 pm
Brings to mind the catastrophic history of Love Canal and currently the leaky oil pipe lines.

Comment by cc Monday, Nov 20, 17 @ 10:53 pm
===@Anon221: “Just think if someone in Flint, MI had made a statement like Pacilio’s, only in relation to the amount of lead in the world.”===

It would be a completely inaccurate statement and represent a total lack of understanding of what radiation is an how incredibly different radiation exposure is to acute lead toxicity.

Comment by FactsHurt Tuesday, Nov 21, 17 @ 10:43 am