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Please read our Commenting Policy first. Video link Headline link Advertisement Close X Click to scroll back to top of the page Back to top U.S. News Nuclear power plant leaked 1.5M litres of radioactive water in Minnesota [kathryn-] By Kathryn Mannie Global News Posted March 17, 2023 12:18 pm Cooling towers release heat generated by boiling water reactors at Xcel Energy's Nuclear Generating Plant on Oct. 2, 2019, in Monticello, Minn. Minnesota regulators said Thursday, March 16, 2023, that they're monitoring the cleanup of a leak of 400,000 gallons of radioactive water from Xcel Energy's Monticello nuclear power plant in late November 2022. The company said there's no danger to the public. View image in full screen Cooling towers release heat generated by boiling water reactors at Xcel Energy's Nuclear Generating Plant on Oct. 2, 2019, in Monticello, Minn. Minnesota regulators said Thursday, March 16, 2023, that they're monitoring the cleanup of a leak of 400,000 gallons of radioactive water from Xcel Energy's Monticello nuclear power plant in late November 2022. Evan Frost/Minnesota Public Radio via AP, File Leave a comment Share this item on Facebook Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Twitter Send this page to someone via email See more sharing options Share Share this item on Facebook facebook Share this item on Twitter twitter Send this page to someone via email email Share this item via WhatsApp whatsapp Share this item on Flipboard flipboard Share this item on LinkedIn linkedin Share this item on Reddit reddit Copy article link Copy link Descrease article font size Increase article font size Officials in Minnesota are monitoring the cleanup of a massive spill of radioactive water from a nuclear power plant just outside Minneapolis. About 1.5 million litres (400,000 gallons) of nuclear wastewater leaked from the plant back in late November, but the incident wasn't made public until Thursday. [70c8fc80] Xcel Energy, the company that operates the affected nuclear power plant, promises that the spill poses no risk to public safety, as did the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. "Xcel Energy took swift action to contain the leak to the plant site, which poses no health and safety risk to the local community or the environment," the Minneapolis-based utility said in a statement. Xcel reported the leak at its Monticello power plant to state and federal authorities on Nov. 22, the day after the spill was confirmed. The contaminated water contains tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that occurs naturally in the environment and is a common by-product of nuclear plant operations, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Story continues below advertisement Read more: Ohio sues Norfolk Southern to pay for 'expensive' toxic train derailment cleanup The leak was sprung from a pipe that ran between two buildings in the power plant complex, which is 55 kilometres northwest of Minneapolis and about 600 kilometres south of Thunder Bay. State officials said they waited until more information could be gathered before making the spill public. "We knew there was a presence of tritium in one monitoring well, however, Xcel had not yet identified the source of the leak and its location," Minnesota Pollution Control Agency spokesman Michael Rafferty said. "Now that we have all the information about where the leak occurred, how much was released into groundwater, and that contaminated groundwater had moved beyond the original location, we are sharing this information," he said, adding the water remains contained on Xcel's property and poses no immediate public health risk. 2:37 U.S. scientists announce nuclear fusion energy breakthrough Since the leak, Xcel has been pumping groundwater and storing and processing the contaminated water. They say they have recovered about 25 per cent of the spilled tritium so far and the levels of tritium in the water are below federal thresholds. The company plans to install a permanent solution this spring. Story continues below advertisement Read more: Florida, Mexico and Caribbean brace for incoming 8,000-km-wide seaweed blanket "Ongoing monitoring from over two dozen on-site monitoring wells confirms that the leaked water is fully contained on-site and has not been detected beyond the facility or in any local drinking water," the Xcel Energy statement said. The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed that the contaminants did not reach the Mississippi River, which is right in the power plant's backyard. More on World * Donald Trump says he'll be arrested Tuesday as N.Y. prosecutor eyes charges * Putin goes to Crimea on anniversary of annexation as ICC arrest warrant issued * At least 4 killed after 6.7 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador * Pakistan police storm Imran Khan's home as former PM heads to court The agency also reiterates that the leak poses no health risk at this time, but added that the "main potential health risk from this event is the possibility of radiation exposure to the public." "A conservative assumption in radiation protection is that any radiation exposure could result in an increase in cancer occurrences in the population," the health department writes on its website. Read more: Plastic rocks turn up on a remote Brazilian island, 'terrifying' researchers When asked why the company didn't release news of the leak sooner, Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy-Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota said: "If at any point there had been concern for the public safety, we would, of course, immediately have provided more information." Trending Now * Lance Reddick, star of 'The Wire' and 'John Wick,' dead at 60 * Mom fought to get gun away from son after he killed 2 EPS officers, no link to other crimes made: Police Story continues below advertisement "But we also wanted to make sure we fully understood what was going on before we started raising any concerns with the public around us," he told CBS Minnesota on Thursday. In a separate statement, the company said it understands "the importance of quickly informing the communities we serve if a situation poses an immediate threat to health and safety. In this case, there was no such threat." 3:23 Ukraine's Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in 'precarious' situation: IAEA chief Grossi Tritium emits a weak form of beta radiation that does not travel very far and cannot penetrate human skin, according to the NRC. A person who drank water from a spill would get only a low dose, the NRC says. Read more: Controversial Alberta coal mine could soon get green energy makeover Story continues below advertisement Tritium spills happen from time to time at nuclear plants, the NRC says. When they occurred in the past, the spills typically either remained inside the plant property or involved such low offsite levels that they didn't affect public health or safety. Xcel reported a small tritium leak at Monticello in 2009. Xcel Energy is considering building above-ground storage tanks to store the contaminated water it recovers, and is considering options for the treatment, reuse, or final disposal of the collected tritium and water. State regulators will review the options the company selects, the MPCA said. Japan is preparing to release a massive amount of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea from the triple reactor meltdowns 12 years ago at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The water contains tritium and other radioactive contaminants. -- With files from The Associated Press 2:09 Ford government to extend life of Pickering power plant beyond 2024 * Ford government to extend life of Pickering power plant beyond 2024 * Standoff escalates over Europe's largest nuclear power plant as experts try to fend off disaster * Bright future for nuclear energy production in Saskatchewan: Cameco president Previous Video Next Video Advertisement Minnesotanuclear power plantRadioactive waterMinnesota nuclear leak Monticello nuclear power plantnuclear leaknuclear power plant leak nuclear power plant spill Minnesotapower plant leakradioactive water spilltritiumXcel EnergyXcel nuclear power plant Journalistic standards Comments Report an error Comments © 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. 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