Regulators: Nuclear plant leak didn't require public notice

[Caribbeans]

Source: NEWS10 ABC

Minnesota regulators knew four months ago that radioactive waste had leaked from a nuclear power plant in Monticello — but they didn’t announce anything about the leak until this week.

The delay in notifying the public about the November leak raised questions about public safety and transparency, but industry experts said Friday there was never a public health threat. They said Xcel Energy voluntarily notified state agencies and reported the leak of tritium to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission soon after it was confirmed and that the leak of 400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of radioactive water never reached a threshold that would have required public notification.

“This is something that we struggle with because there is such concern with anything that is nuclear,” said Victoria Mitlyng, a spokesperson with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “The concern is very, very understandable. That is why I want to make extra clear the fact that the public in Minnesota, the people, the community near the plant, was not and is not in danger.”...

“We knew there was a presence of tritium in one monitoring well, however Xcel had not yet identified the source of the leak and its location,” Minnesota Pollution Control Agency spokesperson Michael Rafferty said Thursday. “Now that we have all the information about where the leak occurred, how much was released into groundwater and that contaminated groundwater had moved beyond the original location, we are sharing this information.”

Read more: https://www.news10.com/news/national/regulators-nuclear-plant-leak-didnt-require-public-notice/

[KarenS]

1. proving once again that

industry cares nothing about 'the public'

[FBaggins]

2. Not at all

Proving that they understand the risk (none at all in this case) and you don’t.

It’s like insisting that a collapsed house must be reported as a nuclear hazard because the brick and granite are both radioactive.

Radiation phobias are understandable - because it’sa risk that you can’t see and don’t understand… but that doesn’t make them worthy of hyping so that others are worried too.

[AltairIV]

3. Transparency, first, last and always

While I agree the facts as currently presented show no significant risk to the population, it is the governments job to notify the public and present the facts whatever they may be. If they feared a panic they must get in front of that, reassure the public and have officials on location continually making their case. Hiding the issue opens up a can of worms they will never get closed again, on this issue or any other. Government is designed to protect THE PEOPLE, not businesses image or their profit motives.

[FBaggins]

6. The government was transparent

There is a reporting threshold (much lower than most other countries - which themselves are still well below any risk level) and the reported leak was well below that threshold. The company reported it to the state and NRC anyway... and the NRC had it on their website back in November.

[Blues Heron]

4. So what are the numbers re. Brick vs. this radioactive tritium leak?

I think if a brick structure at a nuclear plant collapsed it should be reported.

[FBaggins]

5. Higher for the brick/granite

All three are negligible, but of the three - tritiated water is the lowest.

You would probably get a higher tritium dose (those still insignificant) if you wear one of those old glow-in-dark analog watches.

[Blues Heron]

7. Thanks

[snot]

8. Per their own words,

they were not sure how far contaminated groundwater had moved.

[Farmer-Rick]

9. So, it leaked into the ground water

But that isn't a risk to the public?

Not sure I agree.