Tritium in aquifer alarms activists
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By Susan Smallheer STAFF WRITER - Published: February 10, 2010
MONTPELIER — Saying that the state's groundwater was being polluted by the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor, the Vermont Natural Resources Council filed a request with the Public Service Board to intervene in Entergy Nuclear's still-pending request to continue operating for another 20 years.
Jon Groveman, water program director and staff attorney for the environmental group, said Tuesday that the recent tritium groundwater contamination convinced group to get involved. So far, it hasn't participated in the formal hearings on the relicensing issue.
"Vermont Yankee has misled the Public Service Board and everybody about the threat to groundwater from existing piping," Groveman said.
Groveman said it was obvious that the radioactive plume of groundwater contaminated with tritium was draining into the Connecticut River, another area of concern.
The Vermont Department of Health last month confirmed that the tritium contaminated water was reaching the Connecticut River, since one of the most polluted groundwater monitoring wells was about 15 to 20 feet from the river.
Entergy Nuclear doesn't seem very concerned about the groundwater pollution from the reactor because the tritium hasn't showed up in any private wells, Groveman said.
But, he said, groundwater is a state resource, "held in trust for the common good of all Vermonters."
In the beginning of the docket, groundwater was not a focal issue, he said, but that has changed dramatically in the past month.
The tritium is reaching the Connecticut River, which could affect other state natural resources, he said.
"VNRC is deeply concerned that this radioactive material could contaminate drinking water supplies of neighboring communities as well as the Connecticut River," Groveman said.
"I'm not in a position to respond to their filing, but I would point out that we are working diligently to identify the source of tritium in the plant's groundwater and we continue to make progress and our work is overseen by the Vermont Department of Health and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.," said Robert Williams, spokesman for Entergy Nuclear. He noted that the Department of Health has been monitoring some private wells all along; for instance, it was testing the well at Vernon Elementary School every month.
But that testing schedule has been moved up to weekly and the Department of Health is expanding the number of private wells it is testing to include more farms, homes and businesses. The closest private wells to the reactor are about a quarter mile away.
Groveman said the Natural Resources Council has been waiting for the Agency of Natural Resources and the Department of Health to formulate a plan for how the tritium can be cleaned up.
So far, Entergy Nuclear has been focusing its efforts on finding the source of the tritium and has drilled about a dozen new monitoring wells.
According to the Department of Health, there is a general increase in tritium contamination at the wells that do show the radioactive isotope.
The well that shows the highest level of contamination decreased a little on Tuesday, down from 2.52 million picocuries per liter to 2.4 million picocuries, according to the latest post from the Department of Health Tuesday afternoon.
The first well that showed contamination measured 39,000 picocuries, the next worst well measured 890,000 picocuries, and there were two other contaminated wells, one measuring 81,000 picocuries and another, 2,500 picocuries.
One well tripled in contamination in recent days, going from 6,900 to 23,000 picocuries per liter.
The federal standard for drinking water is 20,000 picocuries per liter.
"Polluting the groundwater — it's not OK. Vermont Yankee does not own the groundwater under the reactor," Groveman said.
susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com
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