Tritium found in water under nuclear power plant

Tritium found in water under nuclear power plant

Isotope likely isn't dangerous

By Richard Ryman
[email protected]

CARLTON — Dominion Inc. says it found a small amount of tritium in samples of water taken from under the Kewaunee Power Station, and that the discovery poses no threat to public health.

Rick Zuercher, manager of nuclear public affairs for Richmond, Va.-based Dominion, said a cup of water a day containing the concentration of tritium found in the sample would be equal to eating a banana a day.

Tritium is a naturally occurring isotope of hydrogen and is also produced by nuclear reactor operations. It is commonly found in water and generally is not considered hazardous. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, tritium is one of the least dangerous radionuclides because it emits very weak radiation and leaves the body relatively quickly.

Zuercher said the company has a team on site looking for the source of the tritium, which was found in water under the plant. He said the plant is routinely checked for settling and, as part of a voluntary program by the nation's nuclear industry, water found there was checked.

"It could be a number of sources," he said. "It was a very small amount. We reported this to the state and to Manitowoc and Kewaunee counties."

Zuercher said tritium had not migrated to drinking water sources, which are monitored.

"We do know what we have that goes off site," he said.

The Nuclear Energy Institute, the policy organization of the nuclear industry, adopted proactive tritium guidelines after elevated levels of the isotope were found at nuclear plants in Illinois and New York.

"The tritium was not a dangerous situation. It was the fact it went unreported and it surprised people," Zuercher said of incidents that prompted the guidelines.

He said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not have tritium monitoring rules.

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