Callaway Energy Center to perform routine-water tests more often

NRC requires plant to test area-water quarterly, plant increases to monthly tests

In late July, Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center discovered contaminated water in this monitoring well on plant property. The water contained levels of Tritium and Cobalt-60 higher than EPA drinking water limits. The plant found the Tritium water during a routine, quarterly water test. The plant immediately stopped the flow of water through that area. They made modifications to the underground pipes to prevent further leaks.
In late July, Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center discovered contaminated water in this monitoring well on plant property. The water contained levels of Tritium and Cobalt-60 higher than EPA drinking water limits. The plant found the Tritium water during a routine, quarterly water test. The plant immediately stopped the flow of water through that area. They made modifications to the underground pipes to prevent further leaks.

Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center is increasing how often it performs routine water tests in the area. Nuclear power plants are required to test area water on a quarterly basis. Barry Cox, the Callaway plant's senior director of nuclear operations, said the Callaway Energy Center will start testing water at its 14 monitoring wells monthly.

This decision comes about a month after the plant reported contaminated water in a monitoring well near the plant's cooling tower on site. Ameren found radioactive tritium and Cobalt-60, both byproducts of a nuclear reaction, in water from that monitoring well. The chemical levels in the water were higher than EPA drinking water standards. The contaminated water, Ameren and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said, was isolated to one area of plant property and did not pose a threat to public drinking water.

The chemicals leaked from pipes in a manhole near the monitoring well. Cox said the texture of the ground under the plant property makes it difficult for water to move through the soil. He said the manhole that contains the pipes which caused the chemical leak is 27 feet deep, while other groundwater is much deeper.

The plant performed a routine water test to its 14 monitoring wells at the end of August. Cox said all of the tests came back normal, with no reports of elevated chemical levels.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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After first discovering the contaminated water in July, the plant stopped the flow of water to the area and investigated the sources of the chemical leak. It made temporary modifications and repairs to piping that goes through the manhole near the plant's cooling tower. While Cox said he is confident in his team's repairs to the area, he said the plant will increase its routine tests from quarterly to monthly to continue to closely monitor the area.

The plant also contacted GZA GeoEnvironmental, a company the plant often works with, to perform a groundwater study on plant property near the cooling tower. The company will study the geology and water movement in the area and make recommendations to the plant. Cox said the company will give him recommendations early next week.

The NRC is the government-run organization that oversees the privately-owned nuclear power plants like Ameren's Callaway Energy Center.

Lara Uselding with the NRC said chemical leaks at nuclear power plants are not common. She added that radioactive effluents released from nuclear power plants have decreased significantly during the past 25 years. Victor Dricks with the NRC said the industry launched an aggressive monitoring system many years ago to detect leaks or potential environmental impacts early.

"The industry has undertaken a monitoring program to search for any indication of unplanned releases of tritium and as part of that program they have dug sampling wells both on the plant property and off the plant property so they can detect any releases," Dricks told the Fulton Sun last month. "These releases were found on the plant's property. They don't pose danger to people living near the plant or to the workers at the plant."

Uselding said the NRC requires plants to report plant discharges and results of environmental monitoring around their plant property. They do so to monitor and detect any potential impacts the plant has on the surrounding environment.

"Licensees must also participate in an inter-laboratory comparison program, which provides an independent check of the accuracy and precision of environmental measurements," Uselding said.

NRC has two resident inspectors at the Callaway plant. The inspectors conduct their own reviews of the response and the situation. If the inspectors have any findings or suggestions for improving plant response, the NRC will publish those findings in its quarterly inspection report.

Megan Favignano can be reached at (573) 826-2417 or [email protected].