AP: Tritium, a radioactive substance, now leaking into the Connecticut River

by: NH Ex-pat

Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 22:10:16 PM EST

According to AP,  Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Wendy Davis said the volume and direction of flow of tritium-tainted groundwater is now reaching the river.  Rob Williams, Vermont Yankee spokesman, now agrees.

The tritium leak was originally discovered at the power plant back in mid-January. Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin  said the surface water discovered in a trench at the site of the Vernon nuclear reactor tested positive for tritium, with levels ranging from 1-2 million picocuries per liter.  The federal standard for drinking water is 20,000 picocuries per liter.

Today, Vermont Yankee spokesman Rob Williams said the well with the highest level of contamination saw its concentration drop a little on Sunday to 2.38 million picocuries per liter, but went higher on Monday, to 2.52 million picocuries per liter of water.

Maggie Gundersen, Green Mountain Daily frontpager, says tritium is a serious radioactive isotope with a half-life of 12-years, meaning that half will be gone in 12 years and half in 12 more and half of that in 12 more years which means that the radiation will be around for 10-half-lives which means at least 120 years.

This is cause for concern Granite Staters because New Hampshire, from what I understand, owns the rights to the Connecticut River.  I know Congressman Paul Hodes and State Senator Molly Kelly visited Vermont Yankee on Monday (the towns of Hinsdale, Chesterfield, and Winchester, NH are located in the evacuation zone) but with this latest news, it's now a much larger issue for both states.

Vermont Yankee's operating license expires in 2012 and they are seeking to extend it until 2032.  The Vermont legislature is supposed to vote on the licensure by the end of this session.

More to come...

Update: Paul Hodes issued the following press release:

Below the fold.

HODES CALLS ON EPA TO INSPECT VERMONT YANKEE

Concord N.H. - Tonight, Paul Hodes released the following statement after calling on federal inspectors to devote additional resources in order to quickly secure the Tritium leak at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant, which has been reported to have reached the Connecticut River:

"While current inspections continue, more must be done to satisfy the concerned families of Southwestern New Hampshire.  Tonight, I placed a call to the Environmental Protection Agency, and requested that their investigators utilize the full resources of the federal government to protect the safety of families on both sides of the Connecticut River.  I will continue working with inspectors at every level until we get to the bottom of the leak, secure this critical supply of drinking water, and put to rest the concerns of Granite State families."