The Minnesota Department of Health and other state agencies are investigating a nuclear power facility in Monticello after 400,000 gallons of radioactive chemical-laced water escaped into the earth.
According to a release, Xcel Energy first reported the leak to the Minnesota Duty Officer and Nuclear Regulatory Commission in late November 2022.
Minnesota Radioactive Leak
According to Xcel, the spill poses no danger to the local people or the environment, as “confirmed by Nuclear Regulatory Commission guidelines.”
The leak was discovered late last year, and Xcel reported it in late November to the Minnesota Duty Officer and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The MPCA stated, in collaboration with the Minnesota Departments of Health and Natural Resources, that the leak had been stopped and had not reached the Mississippi River.
Read more: One state offers a $500 tax rebate; Are you eligible?
Contaminated Water’s Origin
The tritium-containing water leaked from a water pipe running between two buildings at the complex.
Extraction wells are being used to pump contaminated groundwater. The water is being stored, and part of it is being reused on-site with tritium levels below the regulatory commission’s safety criteria. Xcel intends to construct a permanent solution this spring. It is thinking about constructing above-ground storage tanks to hold tainted water.
According to Xcel Energy, the agency has recovered around 25% of the tritium emitted and plans to continue recovery over the next year. Xcel said the facility is diverting water to an in-plant treatment system to prevent additional water from leaving the plant and will construct a permanent solution in the spring to control the leak.
According to Xcel Energy, the agency has recovered around 25% of the tritium emitted and plans to continue recovery over the next year. Xcel said the facility is diverting water to an in-plant treatment system to prevent additional water from leaving the plant and will construct a permanent solution in the spring to control the leak.
Read more: Risk of having Parkinson’s disease may increase if exposed to common cleaning chemical