Apr 14 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Jeffrey Tomich St. Louis Post-Dispatch



AmerenUE declared a low-level emergency at its Callaway nuclear plant Tuesday after workers discovered a leak in a water purification system.

There were no injuries and no release of radioactivity above normal operating limits, the St. Louis-based utility said in a statement.

The leak was discovered around noon during normal maintenance in an auxiliary building. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was immediately notified that an "unusual event" occurred, AmerenUE said.

The NRC designates an unusual event as an occurrence that could indicate potential degradation in the safety at the plant. It is the lowest of four emergency classifications.

 The leak was traced to a valve in a system that processes and purifies water used in certain plant systems, AmerenUE said. Leakage was captured and contained within another water system, AmerenUE said.

The company said the plant continued to operate normally throughout the day despite the leak. The 1,190-megawatt plant, just outside of Fulton, is the state's only nuclear power plant and began operating in 1984.

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