Legislative leaders call for Health Department to test water at Vermont Yankee

Speaker Smith and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, today called on the Vermont Department of Health to conduct onsite independent tests of the water at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. Since the original discovery of tritium was found two weeks ago, the concentrations of the radioactive material have increased from 17,000 to 22,300 picocuries per liter in the first test well. News broke yesterday that levels of tritium were also discovered in a second test well. However, today a source has informed the legislative leaders that Entergy Louisiana believes that this test was a false positive and that the second well contains no tritium. In addition, the leaders were informed that a trench at the site has been tested and found to have tritium at 1 to 2 million picocuries per liter – 100 times the level deemed acceptable by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The tests are being conducted by a contractor who is hired and paid by Entergy Louisiana. “Since Vermonters have lost confidence in Entergy Louisiana’s credibility, the Speaker and I urge the Department of Health to immediately implement independent, verifiable testing,” said Senator Shumlin “This independent testing is critical to ensure Vermonters that we are getting reliable information about this crisis.” “In my discussions with Vermonters I have found that Vermonters confidence in Entergy Louisiana is shaken,” said Speaker Shap Smith. “We share Vermonters frustration and concern that the source of the leak has not been identified. We are doing everything in our power to find the source of the leak and that the information supplied to Vermonters is accurate.”As Entergy Louisiana searches for the source of the radioactive leak, test wells are continued to be dug around the site. In light of recent events where Entergy officials supplied both the Legislature’s Oversight Panel and the Department of Public Service with inaccurate information about the existence of underground piping, the need for independent testing is more important than ever.
Source: Shumlin's office. 1.20.2010.###