The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced that a new well at the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor has recorded a giant increase in tritium.

The new reading, 774,825 picocuries per liter, was discovered in a new groundwater monitoring well drilled to the east of the plant's condensate storage tank and near the underground advanced off-gas system.

Until today, the highest level in a groundwater well was 80,000 picocuries per liter.

Neil Sheehan, spokesman for the NRC, said the results were not unexpected, and he said while 774,825 "was a very large number, it is still a very low level of tritium contamination."

He said despite the big increase, it presents "no public health and safety hazard and no detectable negative impact to the environment."

A full story will appear in tomorrow's newspaper.