Vermont radioactive groundwater

Levels of radioactive tritium have risen rapidly in recent weeks in the groundwater surrounding Vermont�s sole nuclear power plant, leading both longtime supporters and foes of the reactor to question whether it will be allowed to keep operating.

Marchers gathered in Montpelier this month to push for the closing of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant near Brattleboro.
Add to Portfolio

Owners of the Vermont Yankee plant, along the Connecticut River just north of the Massachusetts border near Brattleboro, are seeking a 20-year extension of the plant�s operating license, which expires in 2012.

But the rising radiation levels, an indication that reactor water is leaking into the soil, have stirred deep concern about the plant�s safety and the credibility of its operators.

So far no tritium has been found in any drinking water wells, nor have raised concentrations of radioactive material been found in the river, the source of the plant�s cooling water.

Vermont�s governor, Jim Douglas, a longtime supporter of the plant, said on Wednesday in a statement that recent events had �raised dark clouds of doubt� about the reactor�s safety and management. He suggested that the Legislature put off any decisions on the future of the plant, located in the town of Vernon.

If the nuclear plant were to be denied an extension, it would be the first such move by the public or its representatives since 1989, when residents in Sacramento voted to close the Rancho Seco nuclear plant, owned by their municipal utility. No state legislature has ever voted to close one.

Vermont�s state health department has been posting updates almost daily on the monitoring at the plant.