United States: a leak of contaminated water from a nuclear power plant in Minnesota

The Monticello Generating Station, Minnesota, July 18, 2019. AP - Dave Schwarz

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1 min

It is a "safe" incident for the public, say US authorities. A nuclear power plant in Minnesota spilled hundreds of thousands of liters of tritium-contaminated water. The leak was detected last November, but was only revealed to the public this week. Authorities say the contaminated water did not leave the plant's property, and that it did not flow into the Mississippi River in the area.

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There is no danger to the public, there is no contamination outside the plant site ». The health authorities of the state of Minnesota want to be reassuring after the announcement this week of a leak at the Monticello plant, found last November.

According to the group that manages the plant, several hundred thousand liters of contaminated water have flowed from a pipe connecting two buildings. A tritium leak that has been stopped, say the authorities, who add: the sources of drinking water have not been contaminated, nor the Mississippi River, whose waters run along the plant.

A leak found four months ago

To justify the four months that elapsed between the discovery of the leak and its revelation to the general public, the authorities say they wanted to gather as much information as possible before communicating on the subject. According to the plant manager, 25% of the contaminated water has so far been recovered.

Tanks are expected to be built soon on the plant site to store radioactive water. The Monticello generating station is about fifty kilometers upstream from Minneapolis, the capital of Minnesota.

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