Monday, March 31, 2008

Final Indian Point Nuclear Leak Report Submitted to NRC

GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. (GZA) submitted the Hydrogeologic
Site Investigation Report
[Executive Summary]for the Indian Point Energy Center to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on January 7, 2008. The report provides a summary of the investigative methods, findings/conclusions and recommendations for work conducted from September 2005 through the end of September 2007. The report presents the results of a two-year comprehensive hydrogeologic site investigation of the Indian Point Energy Center (Site) conducted by GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. (GZA).

The study was initiated in response to a release of Tritium to the subsurface, initially discovered in August of 2005 during Unit 2 construction activities associated with the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation Project. These investigations were subsequently expanded to include areas of the Site where credible potential sources of leakage might exist, and encompassed all three reactor units. Ultimately, these investigations traced the contamination back to two separate structures, the Unit 2 and Unit 1 Spent Fuel Pools (SFPs). The two commingled plumes, resulting from these SFPs releases, have been fully characterized and their extent, activity and impact determined. The two primary radionuclide contaminants of interest were found to be Tritium and Strontium.

The report concludes:
"At no time have analyses of existing Site conditions yielded any indication of potential adverse environmental or health risk. In fact, radiological assessments have consistently shown that the releases to the environment are a small percentage of regulatory limits."

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