This is what a Catawba Nuclear Station leak does, and doesn’t, mean for our safety.
A Catawba Nuclear Station leak is still in repair days after it was discovered, though indicators suggest it shouldn’t spark public alarm.
A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission event notification report shows what is classified as a non-emergency incident early Sunday. At about 3:15 a.m. the Unit 2 emergency core cooling system containment leak was found. It could impact when and where plant staff meet in the event of an emergency.
The notice itself states the leak isn’t a widespread threat.
“There is no impact on the health and safety of the public or plant personnel,” it reads.
The leak impacts an emergency response facility. It was determined if the leak continued for 30 days, it would exceed doses considered safe for a 30-day period and thus required the report. It could mean the plant would have to station personnel elsewhere if there were a plant emergency.
“Currently, there is a valve leaking on Unit 2,” Catawba spokesperson Sara Collins said, a little before 11 a.m. Tuesday. “Leak repair efforts are underway. This leak is not impacting the reactor coolant system and is not part of the pressure boundary.”
Collins said there aren’t personnel or environmental concerns related to the leak.
“There are no dose impacts to station personnel, and no challenges to protecting the health and safety of the public,” Collins said. “The leakage from this valve is not external to the plant and poses no environmental concerns.”
Collins said team members at the plant are still working to determine how long the leak might last.
Roger Hannah, NRC spokesperson, said the small leak is inside containment
“Obviously any time they have a small leak they try to locate it and restore it to its original state,” Hannah said. “It’s not anything that would affect anything other than the staff of the plant, if they were to have to respond to an event.”
Hannah said the material leaked is mostly water.
“It would be slightly contaminated water,” he said. “It’s not unusual to have slow leaks in water systems at nuclear plants. Obviously the ideal situation is to have no leaks.
“This not something that would affect anybody living near the plant. It wouldn’t affect workers, unless they have to be in that area. It’s just a reporting thing more than something that impacts safety.”
