More radioactive fish found in Connecticut River

[Robbien]

MONTPELIER – More radioactive fish were discovered in the Connecticut River in April, but state health officials say the discovery is not linked to the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

(officials blame "nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s, and the Chernobyl release in 1986," the Health Department said in a prepared statement.]


. . .

Vermont health officials announced in late May that a fish found four miles upstream from the Vernon nuclear power plant had tested positive for strontium-90. That announcement came days after Vermont Yankee officials admitted their plant was leaking strontium-90.


. . .

Arnie Gundersen, a nuclear engineer hired as a consultant for the Vermont Legislature, said that when cesium 137 was first discovered at the Vermont Yankee site earlier this year that Entergy also "blamed the bomb."

The true source of that cesium leak was later revealed to be failed fuel rods in the reactor.

"It is really concerning to me that for the first five months of the year they only found one fish with strontium-90," Gundersen said. "And now suddenly they are finding more fish with strontium-90 and still blaming the bomb."


http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100706/NEWS01/7060332/1002/NEWS01

Even though tests have been performed which prove this plant is contaminating underground water, the state of Vermont does not want to shut it down for repairs or replacement. Entergy in fact wants an extension on its license to keep operating the plant, as is, for another twenty years. It is scheduled to close in 2012.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. some coincidence, huh?

now if it were, say Iodine or even silicon or hydrogen isotopes, that could be... but strontium-90? when they are leaking the same element?

hahahahahahaha

keep lying boys, maybe someone will believe ya

[Robbien]

2. Nuclear plants are only supposed to last 30-40 years

Almost every single nuclear plant in the US was built in the 70's.

Every now and then there is an article about leaked radiation from this or that plant, but the stories quickly disappear.

I wonder how many nuclear plants are in the same shape this Vermont plant is. Vermont is the only state in the union which is trying to enforce the closure date of its nuclear plant.

[SPedigrees]

4. I shudder to think how many leaking plants

there are in this country, and I hope we will be successful in closing down VT Yankee.

[Orrex]

3. I'm sure that the fish are perfectly cromulent

[tom_paine]

6. Where's the actor portraying Charles Darwin to tell me strontium is a natural byproduct

of evolution.

[wtmusic]

5. Now the clincher: every fish tests positive for stronitium-90.

Both you and I test positive for strontium-90. But that wouldn't sell newspapers, would it?

A non-story.