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Reactor water leak called no big deal
By ALEX LEARY © St. Petersburg Times, published May 24, 2001 CRYSTAL RIVER -- Water that had been leaking inside Florida Power's nuclear reactor helps prevent a meltdown, but regulators say the leak was not significant enough to cause alarm. "We're watching it and we have no issues with what they are doing right now," said Steve Sanchez, resident inspector for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The nuclear plant has not produced electricity since Friday, when it was shut down for an unrelated valve issue. That problem was fixed, but as the facility was being returned to normal operating temperatures, the leak was noticed. The plant is expected to be down for at least several days. Workers, who are preparing to weld the broken valve, will also perform other maintenance. Officials had known about the leak for more than a year, making one repair in September, but it had grown to six gallons per minute. The limit is 10 gallons. The water posed no risk to employees, Sanchez said, because it spilled into an area where they do not work. The water was collected through a drain and treated to remove the radioactive particles. Florida Power was right to correct the problem now, rather than waiting until a planned shutdown for refueling in October, said David Lochbaum, a nuclear safety engineer for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nuclear watchdog group. "It shows that the checks and balances are in place and work," he said. "At some point, you are worried about the pipe breaking all together and it becoming a very large leak." Sanchez explained: "You are always adding water to the reactor coolant system. If you get to a point where you are losing more water than you can make up, you don't want to be there." Indeed, that would be a serious matter. Florida Power, however, has several emergency backups in place, including flood tanks that can dump thousands of gallons of water into the core. PREVIOUS COVERAGE:Water leak keeps nuclear plant off line
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