Spike in tritium levels
1:44 p.m.
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From staff reports - Published: February 4, 2010
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.
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