I did some searching on news from the last 24 hours about the “new” leak, which apparently has existed for more than a month, but hasn’t been tested until more recently. According to this VPR audio clip Shumlin’s said VY is pretty much done.
Below is some of the news that’s come out since last night. As usual, this is a trash day thing– Friday nights are often the best time to avoid a politically damaging news cycle, so it’s up to us to keep this in plain sight and not disappear over the weekend.
Brattleboro Reformer / Bob Audette:
Both the NRC and the Vermont Department of Health have expressed concern that the source of the tritiated water may not be the advanced off gas system because GZ-24S is 150 feet north of the AOG’s plume and six wells are located between it and the plume. None of those wells, except GZ-6, have tested positive for tritiated water.
Burlington Free Press / Terri Hallenbeck:
Smith said broken equipment delayed testing between initial indications of tritium in GZ-24 in December and the confirmation of it last week.
WCAX:
This well is near another well where tritium was discovered last week. Both wells are in an area where officials did not expect the contamination from the original leak to have migrated. So inspectors are trying to determine the source of the tritium, including the possibility of a new leak.
VPR’s John Dillon says this one, Well No. 6, is near the radioactive waste building on the nuclear plant’s grounds. The latest discovery could mean that a new leak has developed in pipes that Entergy said didn’t exist last year.
According to Yankee spokesman Larry Smith, it now turns out that for two weeks in December and January, the plant wasn’t able to test for tritium because of failed equipment.
(Smith) “So therefore the samples were unable to be analyzed until January 11 of 2011 when the machine was repaired. So that accounts for the delay in reporting that.”
(Dillon) State officials say they were surprised the equipment wasn’t working for two weeks. Radiological health chief Bill Irwin says the state Health Department uses similar testing equipment and has ordered a backup device.
(Irwin) “I’m somewhat surprised that Entergy didn’t have a backup and I actually thought that they at one time were obtaining a backup.”
(Dillon) Irwin says he’s looking forward to Yankee’s explanations for why there was such a delay.
regarding VY’s broken testing equipment.
A statement from Jan 24th on the Vermont state webpage says that VY contracts out tritium testing and in the VPR report Bill Irwin, the state’s Radiological health chief said that Vermont has the equipment to perform this test and that they have even ordered a back-up.
He sounds well behind the arc of of the situation when he said to John Dillion at VPR
Couldn’t timely up to date test results could have been provided had VY wanted them or if some inspector had seen to it? VY is supposed to be crawling with inspectors (a full time NRC inspector?) but a key testing apparatus is broken and test results are delayed for several weeks even as replacement testing equipment is available elsewhere!
Perhaps we shouldn’t rush to shut down VY without the NRC weighing in on its safety.
“looking forward to Yankee’s explanations.”
It’s interesting how this comes immediately on the heels of an apparent flip-flop at IBM on whether closing VY would send them out of state. During the election campaign they said “no.” Now, apparently they suggest they might leave. This is pretty tiresome gamesmanship.
Would have much lower energy costs if they didn’t have to keep pumps running to continually suck up contaminated ground water, right?
It’s not really Vermonter’s fault that they crapped up the site and now have to be on perpetual clean up…
Personal and corporate responsibility… how about stepping up VY?
And, as an aside I just read that Ayn Rand used a law firm to collect medical benefits for her under a fictitious name so she wouldn’t have to have her philosophy soiled with the harsh reality of needing the state to provide something for her…. something about not having enough $$ on a writers income to afford her treatments.
if only we took advantage of it properly.
I propose that VY serve as the “core” of a live reality TV show. The show would run on Friday evening of course. Two teams of players, one team captained by Arnie Guunderson and the other by Yankee “spokesperson” Larry Smith would compete to solve the Problem Of The Week, a randomly generated brain teaser created either by the VY plant itself as a result of faulty design or negligent maintenance or a problem resulting from the “What me worry” attitude of Entergy staff. The show would be a smash hit as it built towards the season finale episode titled “The China Syndrome”. To add extra interest the team scoring highest over the entire season would get to determine what to do with the plant for the next year.
of Entergy’s supposed equipment failure:
New Leak, New Lies at Vermont Yankee?
Jan 25, 2011 by Sandy Levine
[..]The new findings belie the corporate claims during the hearings that the leaks are repaired and the site is cleaned up. Could this be a new leak and a new lie from our “trusted” friends at Vermont Yankee?
http://www.clf.org/blog/vermon…
Stated purpose of PSB hearings:
The Vermont Public Service Board began hearings this week on what to do about the leaks at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power facility in southern Vermont. CLF is asking the Board to shut down the plant until all the leaks are repaired and the site is cleaned up.
related info:
http://www.clf.org/?s=Vermont+…
Communique to DPS:
Entergy January 26, 2011
By FedEx and Electronic Mail
The Honorable Elizabeth Miller
Commissioner Vermont Department of Public Service
Drawer 20, 112 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05620-2701
Re: Recent Tritium Levels at Vermont Yankee
http://www.clf.org/wp-content/…
–Part of the strategy of the nuclear industry is to control the record by whatever means available in much the same way the former Soviet Union did w/their infamous revisionist history methodology. The most abundent examples of this is the TMI meltdown only one of which was to end the tumor registry.
Though this involves a concerted effort as they must enlist public officials to do so, as we have seen w/our own eyes regarding the complicity of our own state government under the direction of governor Douglas & appointees this is not terribly difficult, as we have watched them all cave to these carpetbaggers like clueless used car buyers to the salesman in the cheap suit. It’s been an eyeopener to say the very least.
“The public was assured the government would follow up with meticulous studies of the health impacts of the accident.
In fact, the state of Pennsylvania hid the health impacts, including deletion of cancers from the public record, abolition of the state’s tumor registry, misrepresentation of the impacts it could not hide (including an apparent tripling of the infant death rate in nearby Harrisburg) and much more.”
The federal government did nothing to track the health histories of the region’s residents.”
http://www.nukefree.org/news/p…
It looks like another well is contaminated.
VPR:
New Developments Disclosed On Tritium Contamination At Vermont Yankee
Friday, 01/28/11 5:50pm and Monday, 01/31/11 6:34am
John Dillon – Montpelier, Vt.
(Host) There are more developments on radioactive tritium contamination at the Vermont Yankee plant. The plant disclosed today that another well is contaminated.
http://www.vpr.net/news_detail…
I e-mailed VPR for clarification re this story as I was a little unsure of the details. They said it was the same story as the one aired Friday however it looked like it had been updated today w/new info.
I then found all three stories & compared them side by side. Todays story said another well is contaminated, but it was simply re-aired from Friday.
1/28/11:
Another Well At Yankee Contaminated With Tritium
Friday, 01/28/11 12:04pm
1/28/11:
Well No. 6 Tests Positive For Tritium At Yankee
Friday, 01/28/11 12:44pm
http://www.vpr.net/news_detail…
1/31/11:
New Developments Disclosed On Tritium Contamination At Vermont Yankee
Friday, 01/28/11 5:50pm and Monday, 01/31/11 6:34am
http://www.vpr.net/news_detail…
From Digger:
Officials say tritium likely from “buried” pipe carrying radioactive waste
Entergy delays sending samples to Vermont Department of Health; Company hydrogeologist to meet with officials from Vt., N.H., Mass. and NRC on Feb. 10
By Anne Galloway on February 1, 2011
http://vtdigger.org/2011/02/01…
Shumlin Tackles New Energy Plan, Without Yankee In The Mix
Friday, 01/28/11 6:34am
Vermont Public Radio Bob Kinzel – Montpelier, Vt
“The governor says the discovery of more tritium contamination at Vermont Yankee late last week is yet another sign of an aging facility that needs to be retired and he sees no chance that the plant’s license will be extended.”
http://www.vpr.net/news_detail…