Tritium Assessment Started at La Salle Generating Station

Glasgown, Madigan file lawsuit over leaks at Braidwood 

JO ANN HUSTIS / Morris Daily Herald (Illinois) 17mar2006

MARSEILLES – La Salle Generating Station spokesman Ann Thomas does not anticipate any negative findings in the utility’s current tritium assessment program.

Thomas said today La Salle Station, as well as every other generating station in the Exelon Nuclear fleet, is undergoing the tritium assessment program. The procedure stems from a series of tritium-laced water leaks over a 10-year span at Braidwood Generating Station at Braceville.

“At La Salle Station, we’re identifying every component that might carry tritium, as well as any other radioactive nuclides as well,” she noted.

“We’ve begun basically identifying every component — every system — that would carry the water. The next step will be assessing the risk of any potential leaks — any possible leaks.”

A radioactive hydrogen isotope in the form of water, tritium is a reactor fission product which emits beta particles and has a half-life of 12.2 years. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has gone on record saying the tritium-laced leaks at Braidwood Station are not a public health and safety hazard.

Thomas estimated the data-gathering at La Salle Station will be done by the end of next week. The entire assessment program for the plant will be concluded by the end of April, she noted.

“We really don’t expect to find anything,” Thomas added. “We have a different design than Braidwood Station. We do not make radioactive releases and so, just from what we’ve found so far, we haven’t found anything and we don’t anticipate to find anything at La Salle Station.”

The differences between La Salle Station and the Braidwood facility are the differences between being a pressurized water reactor and a boiling water reactor.

Braidwood Station is a pressurized reactor, which uses ordinary demineralized water as a coolant and moderator. The reactor is pressurized to keep the coolant from boiling. Exchangers transfer heat from the reactor to a non-radioactive secondary system.

La Salle Station is a boiling-water reactor in which water is boiled in the fuel core to produce steam, which operates the turbine, which generates electricity.

“We don’t discharge water, whereas Braidwood does,” said Thomas. “We use the same water all the time.”

Thomas did not know why Exelon Nuclear did not build all the reactors in the fleet as boiling water reactors.

“I couldn’t even speculate on that,” she said. “It’s probably one of those things where you kind of learn as you go. Obviously through the assessment program, this is a learning process for everyone involved.”

Thomas did not want to speak on behalf of Exelon or Braidwood regarding the eight-count civil lawsuit filed Thursday in federal district court in Chicago citing Braidwood Station for eight releases of tritium-tainted water into the groundwater since 1996. The leaks occurred both on and off-site, the complaint says.

“I would have no comment,” she noted.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow filed the suit, which names as defendants Exelon Corporation, Commonwealth Edison Company, and Exelon Generation Company.

The complaint notes the utility’s blow down pipe released tritiated water on seven separate occasions on the Braidwood site, at least on in each of 1996, 1998, and 2000.

The dates when three other of the eight releases occurred is not known, the complaint says. The date is also not known on the seventh release in an area west of the station.

An eighth release, not associated with the blow down pipe, occurred Monday, March 13, near where the utility temporarily stores tritiated water.

The complaint is asking the court for an injunction stopping Braidwood Station from using the blow down pipe to discharge tritiated water, and to prevent further migration of any contaminants released into the groundwater at or near the facility. The plan for the prevention must be court-approved.

Also, to implement measures to stop release of any contaminants from the utility. This plan, too, must be court-approved, the complaint says.

In a third plan to be approved by the court, the utility must fully describe all soil and groundwater contamination from the releases, plus future flow of the contaminated groundwater.

The complaint is asking the court to order Exelon to immediately provide a daily potable drinking water source for everyone affected by the tritium spills, and to eliminate any threat to groundwater used by citizens near the utility.

In addition, the complaint is asking the maximum civil penalty of $50,000 for the water pollution violation, and $10,000 for each day the violations continues, plus the maximum civil penalties if the groundwater exceeds standards.

Two counts name ComEd for not reporting to state and federal authorities until December 2005 the tritiated water leaks in 1996, 1998, and 2000. These counts ask the maximum civil penalty of $10,000 each, plus $10,000 for each day the violations continued.

The blow down pipe is a 4.5 mile underground pipe to carry wastewater, including tritiated water, from the utility to the Kankakee River. The pipe is on Braidwood property, and adjacent to both public and private property, including a forest preserve and nature area.

The eight leaks contributed to water pollution in the area. Six leaks resulted from inadequate maintenance, and operation of vacuum breakers in the underground pipe.

Vacuum breakers allow air into the line to prevent vacuums from forming inside. The complaint says the tritiated water leaked from the vacuum breaker housing into the groundwater and up through a manhole into the surrounding area.

Exelon Nuclear responded Thursday to the lawsuit, saying the utility takes full responsibility for low-level tritium contamination near Braidwood Station, and is moving forward with remediation plans and work.

The utility said in a prepared news release Exelon is continuing discussions with Madigan’s office on the tritium issue.

Exelon spokesman Tom O’Neal said the utility has an aggressive remediation plan that is currently being evaluated by the state.

“We expected this announcement (on the lawsuit) and the positive aspect is we can now focus on removing the tritiated groundwater, and move on. We want to reiterate Exelon is committed to operating within all state and federal rules,” he said.

“We want to reiterate as well the levels of tritium we are dealing with here do not represent a health or safety hazard. It is very important, given the real concerns of our plant’s neighbors over this issue, that any public discussion be fact-based.”

O’Neal said the utility intends to do whatever it takes to strengthen its relationship with the area community.

“We know we have some bridge-rebuilding to do with our neighbors near the plant and regulators,” he said.

source: http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=58&ArticleID=17562&TM=58709.9 19mar2006

Plant Fact Sheet
LASALLE COUNTY STATION
Part of the Exelon Nuclear Fleet

Generation
•    Number of units: 		   	2
•    Total site net MW generation: 	2,291 megawatts per hour
•    2004 net generation (MWh): 	18,991,958
•    2004 capacity factor: 		94.5 percent

Type and Manufacturer of Reactor
•    Boiling Water Reactor—General Electric

Site Features
•    Site size: Approximately 3,055 acres with a 2,058-acre cooling lake
•    Location: Located in rural Brookfield Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, about 75 
     miles southwest of Chicago

Ownership
•    Exelon Nuclear—100 percent

Construction
•    Plant builder: 		 General Electric
•    Consulting engineer: 	 Sargent & Lundy
•    Reactor vessels: 		 Unit 1—Combustion EngineeringUnit 2—Chicago Bridge and Iron Nuclear
•    When construction began: 	 October 1, 1974
•    When units entered service: Unit 1—October 20, 1982
                                 Unit 2—October 19, 1984
•    Operating license: 	 Unit 1 is licensed to operate until 2022 and Unit 2 until 2023

Community Impact
•    Number of employees: 	 Approximately 700
•    Annual payroll: 		 Approximately $56 million
•    2004 taxes paid: 	 	 Approximately $15 million (supports county and township government, 
                                 area schools, libraries and other taxing bodies)

Sponsorships and Charitable Support
During 2004, station employees donated more than $170,000 to the United Way through Exelon’s annual 
campaign. In addition, the station provided more than $31,000 in direct financial support to a wide range of
area civic organizations, activities and events, including:
•    The Illinois River Area Chamber of Commerce
•    The United Way of Eastern LaSalle County Labor of Love
•    Grundy Community Hospice
•    Morris Hospital Foundation
•    Seneca Summerfest
•    The Dwight Chamber of Commerce July 4th Fireworks Display
•    LaSalle Stocking Fund
•    Bridges Community Center

source: http://www.exeloncorp.com/NR/rdonlyres/B2F3D2F4-B897-4A6E-AFFE-376590D59F25/967/LaSalleFactSheet2005.pdf 19mar2006

Aerial view by Google

source: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=MARSEILLES,+Il.+n.+21st+rd.+at+e.+26th+rd.&ll=41.244224,-88.650527&spn=0.028235,0.040255&t=k 19mar2006