Tritium detected at Pilgrim Station Nuclear plant

From Wicked Local Plymouth:

Elevated levels of the radioactive isotope tritium have been detected in one of the new groundwater monitoring wells at Pilgrim Station Nuclear Power Plant.

The release, issued Thursday by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of test results taken from a sample of one of the 12 monitoring wells by Pilgrim staff June 21, states that the level falls within federal drinking water limits and does not require public notification but the information is being released because it’s an issue of public interest.

Six of the 12 monitoring wells were added in May. The monitoring well where the tritium was detected at 11,072 picocuries per liter is located near the condensate storage tank that stores water for use in the nuclear reactor. The Environmental Protection Agency’s safe drinking water limit for tritium is 20,000 picocuries per liter.

Pilgrim spokesman David Tarantino, representing Pilgrim owner Entergy Nuclear Operations, said despite identifying increased levels of tritium in samples taken May 17, June 11 and June 21, there’s no threat to public drinking water. He said there’s no contact with drinking water.

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