By now, the average American has no excuse for not knowing how decrepit our infrastructure has become. Many of our roads, bridges, and dams are falling apart, and continue to be used long after their expected lifespan has expired. When any of these structures fail, you can expect plenty of casualties and mayhem.
But there’s only so much damage that a crumbling dam or bridge can do. The most frightening aspect of our infrastructure, is our electrical grid. Specifically, our nuclear power plants. If anything ever happened to those facilities, it would make any other infrastructure related disaster pale in comparison. And unfortunately, we may have just received a small taste of what that disaster might look like. A nuclear reactor was just shut down in New York, after a monitoring well detected a 65,000% increase in radiation levels.
ALBANY – New York will investigate the Indian Point Energy Center after Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he learned that “radioactive tritium-contaminated water” leaked into the groundwater at the nuclear facility in Westchester County.
Cuomo, in a letter Saturday to the state Health Department and the Department of Environmental Conservation, called for the probe after he said Entergy Corp., the Buchanan plant’s owner, reported “alarming levels of radioactivity” at three monitoring wells.
While the facility reported that the contamination has not migrated off site and did not pose an immediate public health threat, Cuomo said that the incident requires a full investigation.
“Our first concern is for the health and safety of the residents close to the facility and ensuring the groundwater leak does not pose a threat,” said Cuomo, who lives in New Castle, Westchester County.
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So the company that owns the power plant claims that the public has nothing to worry about, which is why they never alerted the surrounding communities. And yet, the governor wants a full investigation to see if the plant poses any health hazards. That’s reassuring. Some members of the State’s Assembly don’t seem to find it comforting either.
The findings of contamination drew harsh criticisms from state Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, who said in a released statement that this was not the “first time Entergy’s operation and maintenance has failed.” The nuclear power plant, Jaffee added, “cannot continue to operate as it has without a full and thorough investigation of this incident.”
“My primary concern is the potential impact this tritium-contaminated water may have on the health and safety of those who live nearby but also the impact this radioactive water may have on public health and our environment,” Jaffee said in the statement.
And she’s right. The Indian Point Energy Center should be a poster child for how decrepit our infrastructure is, because there have been countless age related issues in the facility over the past few years. Just last year a transformer exploded, a malfunctioning fan caused a reactor to shut down, and an electrical problem caused a different reactor to shut down for several weeks. There have been about 5 shutdowns over the past year, and to top it all off, the plant’s former supervisor was charged and fined for falsifying safety records the year before.
Not surprisingly, two of the reactors have passed their 40 year licensing period, which is how long most nuclear reactors were initially designed to last. And Indian Point Energy Center isn’t alone. Three quarters of America’s nuclear power plants have received 20 year extensions. It’s safe to say that what happened in New York last weekend is going to become a common occurrence all over the United States, and the worst has yet to be seen.
It’s articles like this that scare people away from the cleanest, most reliable electrical power there is. Want to compare this to the methane leak in Los Angeles, or the lead in the water in Flint, Michigan, or the pollution in Los Angeles or my city for that matter. Is it prudent to live in a flood plain (New Orleans? Living on this earth is dangerous and, depending on where you live, there will be dangers. Nuclear plants may need upgrading, but it is still the least polluting source of energy we can come up with – so far. Nope, solar & wind are not enough because they are not constantly available.
I totally agree with you and also agree with the article. In order for this stuff to work right and keep working right it has to be maintained properly. The utility conglomerates do not want to spend their outrageous profits and revenues to do this and the bought and paid for politicians who vote for these extensions need to be removed. The govt needs to spend less on their fat pig homeland security and other do nothing agencies and more on inspectors and engineers to modernize our failing infrastructure. Greed is the cause.
So because Fascist Cuomo lives in the immediate area we are concerned. One might ask would we even hear about this otherwise? I hate nuclear reactors, but until a better method prevails we are stuck with it. The amount of land and equipment needed for solar or wind is beyond a failure point and the cost per output is ridiculous.
Then there is new technology coming online/or available by my understanding that uses the depleted uranium from large nuclear plants (the waste) to fuel mini nuclear reactors of a different type. Making further use of a byproduct that had been considered unusable waste material. If there’s a better system we aren’t privy to it yet.
If we want ovens, toasters, microwaves, clocks, dryers, washers, lights, etc. We don’t have much choice. It’s either that or live in a cave and gnaw on an animal carcass. However,..if these systems are in decay it needs to be addressed. One need only look to Fukushima to realize WHY??? Also if we are going to use this system then we really need a plan in place for how to deal with problems other than just pretend it didn’t happen.
this is one of the biggest reasons that we have to get out and vote. GET RID of the old dinosaurs who are blocking the rebuilding out infrastructure!!! who are blocking cleaner, better and greener methods of energy!!!!