Entergy's Steets Shows Arse Hole In Tritium Sewage Comment to Press

For most of us, the fact that yet another tritium leak has been identified at Entergy's failing Indian Point, site of two aging, brittled reactors is not unexpected. The NRC in their quest for a Nuclear Renaissance is trying to sweep significant aging issues under the carpet so they can wrongfully renew the licenses for these ancient decaying reactors for another 20 years. What was rude, crude and deplorable was the Entergy spokesperson's (Steets) obnoxiously insentive remark to the press. He basically inferred, that barring the other contaminants normally found in sewage, the liquid was safe enough to drink...sounds like something a Indian Point employee named Lessard might have spoken just before goiing off the deep end and killing his wife and kid before committing suicide...just a suggestion, but if Steets cannot handle his duties as spokesperson in a more professional manner, maybe he needs to go on paid leave as well?

Radioactive isotope found in sewer leading to Buchanan
By GREG CLARY
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: May 9, 2007)

BUCHANAN - Indian Point officials have found traces of tritium in the nuclear plant's sewer pipes that connect to the Buchanan sewage system, the first indication that the radioactive isotope may be reaching the village.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials confirmed the report earlier today, saying they would be independently verifying the test results sent in a company e-mail to Buchanan and other elected officials and the agency.

The memo, obtained by the Journal News, stated that during an April 30th test of sewage at the plant, tritium was found at a radiation concentration of 8,000 pico curies per liter - a fraction of the 10 million pico curies per liter allowed in sewage.

"We will be confirming those results independently," said NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan. "We do have an inspector up there this week who specializes in the whole groundwater contamination issue, so we'll be following up on that."

The plants have been leaking tritium since at least August 2005, when workers discovered a crack at the base of a building that houses a spent-fuel pool.

Strontium 90, a more radioactive isotope, was discovered to be leaking as well when the plant began investigating the tritium leak. The two leaks do not appear to be connected, company officials have said.

Hydrologists and other experts had said that whatever leaking radiation was leaving the site was likely going into the Hudson River, where it would be diluted many times over by the large volume of water.

Sheehan said the NRC wants more information about how tritium could have "gotten into the presumably closed sewage disposal system."

An Entergy hydrology expert said yesterday the company has already taken more samples and would be testing for strontium 90 in the sewage effluent as well as tritium.