Indian Point nuclear facility operator reports ‘alarming levels’ of radioactivity ...

We've been reading about the aging infrastructure of power plants in this country, as well as the issues with nuclear waste in Washington State.
Now we hear that "alarming" levels of radioactivity is leeching into groundwater in New York State.
How much of a danger is this to people in the area....
Indian Point nuclear facility operator reports ‘alarming levels’ of radioactivity in plant’s groundwater; some wells increase 65,000%

Radioactive water overflowed into the groundwater at the upstate Indian Point nuclear power plant, officials said Saturday.

Gov. Cuomo said the plant’s operator, Entergy, reported “alarming levels” of radioactivity at three monitoring wells, with one well’s radioactivity increasing nearly 65,000%.

The Buchanan plant reported that the contamination did not migrate offsite and does not pose a threat to public health.

Gov. Cuomo said plant operator Entergy reported one well’s radioactivity increasing nearly 65,000%.

Cuomo said he was informed of the tritium-contaminated water leak Friday and asked the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Health to investigate the incident.

Is it an isolated leak, or is it something that just couldn't be ignored, and part of a larger problem.

www.dbtechno.com...
www.inquisitr.com...
gizmodo.com...

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

At least this is getting some coverage - if the Governor has already commented on it publicly hopefully all resources have been expended to get to the bottom of this.

They are currently in the process of shutting down the only nuclear plant in Vermont, Yankee Power Plant because it too had aging infrastructure problems.

I see the value in nuclear energy, but with so many new renewable technologies and the dangers posed by these I think we as a society need to look at alternatives moving forward into the 21st century

Probably still safer than flint Michigan....

a reply to: FamCore

Well, good luck to you guys in Vermont.

Seems to be we had this big burst of building the power plants, highways, bridges and the like during the last several decades...then we seemed to act like they would take care of themselves...

Buildings in the US are not maintained well for example. Or tossed aside when they get to be a certain age.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

and with something as dangerous as nuclear waste/radioactivity, that's something that'll come back to bite us

Speaking of infrastructure, have you seen ASCE's "Report Card" for the US? www.infrastructurereportcard.org...

Eye-opening - they estimate the infrastructure requires $3.6 Trillion by the year 2020

Wow..

a reply to: FamCore

Thanks for that report.

And yes, all that nuclear waste...it lasts for centuries...and it piles up and piles up....I don't think a rally good method has been devised to contain it.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Meh. No biggy.

All you do is revise the definition of "Alarming Levels of Radioactivity" and it all goes away.

At least that's how it's been handled in the past.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

From Wiki:

The original 40-year operating licenses for units 2 and 3 expired in September 2013 and December 2015, respectively. Entergy has applied for license extensions and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is moving toward granting a twenty-year extension for each reactor. Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, however, wants the units shut down at the end of their current license periods.[5] As of midnight on September 28, 2013, Unit 2 has entered its "Period of Extended Operation" (PEO) until the NRC makes a final determination on its license renewal application.[6]

It is more than 40 years old and really needs to shut down for the greater public good. They would be better served in the New York area if they switched to tidal energy or wind from Hudson Bay.

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: FamCore

Well, good luck to you guys in Vermont.

Seems to be we had this big burst of building the power plants, highways, bridges and the like during the last several decades...then we seemed to act like they would take care of themselves...

Buildings in the US are not maintained well for example. Or tossed aside when they get to be a certain age.

There aren't any new installations because of our government's monopoly policies which prevent competition, energy production being one of the primary examples. Our archaic nuclear facilities are the direct result of such policies.

There are gaseous fuel cycles that produce less waste and can even consume weapons grade material. We will never know because nobody is allowed to build them.

It could be argued that aneutronic fusion will allow us to leapfrog over those better fission reactors but, I think most of us would rather have up to date fission reactors run by the private sector in the meantime than out of date reactors beholden to the state.

When these old installations malfunction we will be told that it is the evil nuclear industry that is responsible. The solution? More taxes. The solution is always more taxes.

It is a never ending cycle of public sector malfeasance, private sector scapegoating and electorate fleecing.

If Flint Michigan is any indicator, this vicious circle will continue.

I am amazed that the plant hasn't been shut down given its problems and its proximity to NYC. If a worse case scenario occurs and NYC had to be evacuated it would result in the immediate collapse of the US economy. The dangers clearly outweigh the benefits regardless of accountants saying the plant should remain operational on economic grounds. Which is exactly the same reason given by Japan's accountants for allowing Fukushima plant to remain operational long after its designed lifetime.

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
Gov. Cuomo said the plant’s operator, Entergy, reported “alarming levels” of radioactivity at three monitoring wells, with one well’s radioactivity increasing nearly 65,000%.

"Entergy"??

Sounds like it came from B-movie.

I ran across this and thought of this thread!

Entergy won a delay to leak testing, convincing federal regulators to reject the state of New York's plan to examine the facility every decade rather than 15 years.

“Any change in the frequency of tests is made following completion of a detailed engineering analysis and approval by independent experts at the NRC,” Entergy spokesman Jerry Nappi told Politico following the decision.

Source: UtilityDerive.com, news, 4/13/2016 - Federal regulators reject request for more frequent leak testing for Indian Point

So the governor of New York, the people of NY, and even presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders can do nothing thanks to arguments like the one Entergy made. "We need experts to make that decision" is the lamest argument ever! I guess the health and welfare of the people and their representatives mean nothing to a money making company.

What is it going to take? Do we really need another company issuing an apology after some disaster?

a reply to: FamCore

Well Bernie's taxes would raise enough, but he wants to immediately spend it all on other things.

Of course, on second thought, all me to put on my tinfoil. Here in Kansas City they have been agitating to completely tear down and replace our airport for some time now. Thing is, our airport has a unique split terminal design. For getting in and out and connecting to your flight, there is no more efficient terminal in the country, but our petty bureaucrats HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT. Our airport isn't slick or shiny or happening like Denver or Chicago or Atlanta, and that's what they want.

So, there has been a circulating rumor (or conspiracy) that the current airport has been intentionally allowed to degrade to the point where maintenance or rehabilitation or remodeling would be grossly expensive to add more fuel to the "See? We NEED a New Airport" fire.

Getting back to the country and the issue here, might it be that infrastructure has been intentionally allowed to degrade because it makes a good voting point?

"Look at our crumbling infrastructure!" It's like the national equivalent of "Oh, noes! What about the police and firefighters ..." on every local initiative. Then everyone makes a big sound and noise about roads and bridges and when the rubber meets the road and the votes are counted, nothing actually gets accomplished (by design mostly) so that in the next cycle it becomes an issue all over again?

a reply to: ketsuko

I have been wondering for a while, along these lines...

'We have millions of people who want a job, and we have billions of dollars worth of work that needs doing.... what in the world is getting in the way?'

Politics, apparently.

Shameful.