Apr 7 - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Dave Scott The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

FirstEnergy Corp. engineers are taking daily tests of drain water at the Perry nuclear plant in Lake County to determine whether a leak of radioactive tritium has been fixed.

A routine test of water in drains underneath the plant on March 28 revealed small amounts of tritium. A small leak of reactor water was found in a flange in the reactor building. From there, it is believed that water with the tritium leaked through the concrete floor and into drains beneath the plant.

Water in those drains is mixed with water from nearby Lake Erie and used to cool pumps and motors at the plant.

Tritium in the drains was 0.05 microcuries per liter. Five tests of lake water at the plant and at nearby beaches and drinking-water intake areas revealed no contamination.

"Tritium is a mildly radioactive type of hydrogen that occurs both naturally and during the operation of nuclear power plants," according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The leak was so small that FirstEnergy was not required to report it, said Todd M. Schneider, FirstEnergy's vice president of nuclear communications. However, he said the NRC has taken an interest in similar leaks at other plants, so the company decided to report it.

The leaky flange has been fixed, and Schneider said daily tests show the level of tritium in the drains has been decreasing.

"Water containing tritium and other radioactive substances is normally released from nuclear plants under controlled, monitored conditions the NRC mandates to protect public health and safety," the NRC Web site said. "The NRC recently identified several instances of unintended tritium releases, and all available information shows no threat to the public."

The drain water is routinely tested every three months but has been tested daily since the leak was discovered.

 

Dave Scott can be reached at 330-996-3577 or davescott@thebeaconjournal.com.