March
02, 2006
Violation notice for Exelon
• Radioactive tritium spills: Another
action from state regulators concerned about Braidwood
nuclear plant
The power company Exelon has received a second notice of
violations at its nuclear power plant in the Braidwood area,
part of the state's investigation into radioactive water
spills.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama wants to force nuclear
companies to immediately report all leaks of radioactive
substances. The Illinois Democrat announced plans for such
legislation Wednesday.
Regarding the state action, Exelon can be fined up to $10,000
per day for each violation. The enforcing office is the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, which has been looking into
spills of the radioactive isotope tritium at and around the
Braidwood plant, which actually is in Braceville.
The spills recently were reported by Exelon to have occurred
in 1996, 1998 and 2000.
"This is above and beyond the first letter of a violation," said
Bill Buscher, IEPA technology project manager for the Braidwood
plant.
"This is another part of our investigation
into the same spills that we have been discussing."
The violation notice letter specifically identifies violations of environmental
regulations around vacuum breakers 4 and 7 and on the west side of the turbine
building. A map of the area is available on the IEPA Web site at www.epa.state.il.us (under "community
relations," hit "fact sheets," and scroll down to "exelon-braidwood").
The first violation notice, sent by the IEPA on Dec. 16, was for an area surrounding
vacuum breaker 3.
The fact that the public or other government agencies were not made aware of
the spills has been the cause of controversy.
On Wednesday, Obama said he soon will introduce legislation that would require
nuclear companies to inform state and local officials if there is an accident
or unintentional leak of a radioactive substance as soon as the problems are
discovered.
Under current federal laws, such notifications are not required.
"If potentially hazardous materials are released into the environment, then
those families living in the affected communities deserve to be notified immediately," Obama
said. "As more about these leaks comes out years later, it's clear that relying
on the federal government or a corporation concerned about protecting its image
to disclose this information is not enough."
In Will County, the state's attorney's office is investigating the reasons
why Exelon waited several years to disclose the leaks.
Recently, Exelon admitted to finding elevated levels of radioactive material
in water leaked from the Dresden nuclear power plant in Grundy County and at
the Byron nuclear plant near Rockford. Last, week, groundwater tests in a Grundy
County test well showed levels 25 times higher than the federal standard of
20,000 picocuries per liter for drinking water. That standard is set by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"This is about the public's right to know today, not eight years later," Obama
said.
Exelon officials have admitted on several occasions that they have made mistakes
in the past. Recently, Exelon said it would help defray the costs of bottled
water after the health department recommended that residents uncertain of their
water quality should use bottled water for drinking and cooking.
U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Morris, is against the use of any public funds to
bail out the power company, the congressman said in a letter to John Rowe,
Exelon's chairman, president and chief executive officer.
"I believe Exelon bears the sole responsibility, both logistical and financial,
to ensure local residents have a clean and reliable drinking water source," Weller
said.
Weller said Exelon should pick up the estimated $12 million tab to bring water
and sewer lines into the nearby village of Godley because it would go a long
way in restoring public trust and confidence.
He also said the power company could pay for Godley to be hooked up to nearby
water systems in Braidwood or Wilmington, or to its own private facility.
Craig Nesbit, Exelon spokesman, said the system used by the company is not
large enough to serve the nearly 300 homes in need of an improved water system.
Nesbit said Exelon is not responsible for all of Godley and Reed Township's
water problems. He said most residents rely on shallow-point sand wells that
can be infiltrated with fertilizers from farm fields, road run-off and septic
systems.
Exelon officials said no high levels of tritium were found in private drinking
wells that were tested.
- Reporter Kim Smith can be reached at (815) 729-6067 or via e-mail at ksmith@scn1.com.
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