Another area nuke threathens public health

NY Governor Sounds Warning After Radioactive Water Leaks from Indian Point Nuclear Plant

Monitoring well reported radioactivity increasing nearly 65,000 percent

By Lauren McCauley, staff writer for Common Dreams

Radioactive water has reportedly contaminated the groundwater surrounding the Indian Point nuclear power plant, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on last Saturday.

A statement issued from Cuomo's office reported evidence that "radioactive tritium-contaminated water leaked into the groundwater" beneath the facility, which sits on the bank of the Hudson River, just 25 miles north of New York City in Buchanan.

Indian Point owner Entergy "reported alarming levels of radioactivity at three monitoring wells, with one well’s radioactivity increasing nearly 65,000 percent," the statement reads. 


"The facility reports that the contamination has not migrated off site and as such does not pose an immediate threat to public health."

Describing the leak as "unacceptable," the governor said that an investigation would be conducted by the state's Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health "to determine the extent of the release, its likely duration, cause and potential impacts to the environment and public health."

According to the Guardian, "There have been many tritium leaks at the plant in recent years, though Saturday’s leak appears to be the most serious so far."