Tritium detected at Plymouth nuclear plant
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has reported that elevated levels of the radioactive isotope tritium have been detected in a groundwater monitoring well at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth.
The NRC says the elevated levels of tritium detected June 21 fall within the Environmental Protection Agency's safe drinking water limit and are not a threat to the public water supply.
Pilgrim's owner, Entergy Corp., announced that in response it has stepped up the sampling frequency on all 12 of its monitoring wells from quarterly to weekly and has launched an investigation to identify the source.
No other isotopes have been detected.
Pilgrim, which started operating in 1972, is applying for relicensing before the Atomic Safety Licensing Board.
