Minnesota power plant leaks 400,000 gallons of radioactive water
Minnesota power plant leaks 400,000 gallons of radioactive water
A nuclear power plant along the Mississippi River in Monticello, Minnesota, has leaked more than 400,000 gallons of radioactive water due to a broken pipe. NBC’s Maggie Vespa has the details.
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#Minnesota #Nuclear #Radioactive
Content
0 -> in Minnesota some communities have been
2.159 -> caught by surprise by a massive
4.259 -> radioactive leak from a nuclear plant
6.299 -> that they are just now hearing about
8.28 -> even though it was first detected months
10.139 -> ago we were talking 400
12.78 -> 000 gallons of contaminated water and it
14.88 -> happened at this plant because of a
16.68 -> broken pipe now that leak was found in
19.199 -> November of last year but the public is
21.06 -> only finding out about it now the
22.98 -> nuclear plant is owned by the company
24.66 -> called Excel Energy in both the company
27.18 -> and the state are working to try to
29.039 -> clean up the contaminated water the
31.439 -> water is said to contain radioactive
33.48 -> tritium which is a form of hydrogen and
36 -> can occur in water naturally at
37.92 -> extremely small amounts but per EPA
40.98 -> regulations 20 000 units of tritium can
43.559 -> be in drinking water per liter but the
45.36 -> water right now at the plant is in the
47.82 -> millions and here's a look at the
49.86 -> location of this plant is very important
51.48 -> it is in Monticello Minnesota right
53.579 -> there along the Mississippi River Excel
56.039 -> and the state say they are actively
57.66 -> working to contain this leak to that
59.64 -> plant property while State officials say
61.8 -> the leak did not contaminate the
63.78 -> Mississippi River or drinking water
65.339 -> sources and people are safe but we want
67.5 -> to bring in NBC News correspondent
69 -> Maggie Vespa to break it all down for us
70.74 -> Maggie bring us up to speed here the
72.659 -> fact that this leak happened in November
74.82 -> of last year and people are just finding
76.979 -> out about it right now seems seems
78.9 -> pretty alarming what do we know about
80.159 -> the nature of this league
81.84 -> yeah it's so jarring for people in that
83.34 -> area Gotti as you know so we'll just
84.96 -> start with kind of when specifically
86.88 -> since that's a huge part of this
88.08 -> headline this was discovered Excel says
90.54 -> on November 22nd so think back that's a
92.88 -> couple days before Thanksgiving and the
95.4 -> company says it immediately took what
96.9 -> they called Swift action to contain this
99.06 -> contaminated water to the plant site
101.7 -> which again is in Monticello Minnesota
103.14 -> that's just Northwest about 40 minutes
104.82 -> Northwest of Minneapolis they also say
107.46 -> they told the state immediately that day
109.74 -> the state of Minnesota confirming that
111.36 -> they got notification they say in late
113.88 -> November and both the state and the
116.159 -> company all the agencies involved say at
118.32 -> this point there is no evidence to show
120.899 -> that drinking water in that area has
123 -> been contaminated but Gotti I gotta be
125.159 -> real with you also no one is saying why
127.619 -> the public wasn't notified as soon as
130.979 -> this was discovered which again as you
132.54 -> said is a key question because this is
134.64 -> so alarming for people to hear about now
136.44 -> Gotti
137.64 -> and Maggie we know that the leak has
139.8 -> been stopped or that's what they're
141 -> saying and authorities are telling
142.14 -> people not to worry because there is no
143.879 -> danger but the cleanup is still
146.099 -> happening right how contaminated are we
148.5 -> talking we were just showing that video
150.36 -> from the helicopter there you can see
152.04 -> that the plant is very big the town of
154.379 -> Monticello seems to be a little ways off
156.18 -> but the plant seems to be right there on
158.28 -> the river
159.54 -> right right well basically what they've
161.76 -> told us is that at least at least to a
164.4 -> Layman this seems like a painstakingly
166.8 -> slow process again we talked about 400
169.379 -> 000 gallons of this severely
171.36 -> contaminated water Excel says it has
173.58 -> been I want to get their quote right
174.56 -> pumping storing trading and reusing the
178.319 -> contaminated water wall monitoring
180.599 -> nearby Wells to make sure this isn't
182.459 -> leaking into drinking water but they
184.62 -> point this out and this is important
185.879 -> they say we're covering all of this
187.68 -> tritium that leaked again and again 400
191.04 -> 000 plus gallons of water recovering all
193.14 -> of that will take about the next year
195.659 -> Gotti
197.22 -> people out and one more question the
199.019 -> plants I know is pretty old it was built
201.48 -> in the 1970s 1971 is that a concern here
207.12 -> something that's been mentioned the
208.5 -> company has yet to say whether it's a
210.18 -> concern the State has yet to nail that
211.8 -> down as well but basically what it means
213.659 -> if nothing else is that Excel Energy has
215.58 -> spent reportedly tens of millions of
218.099 -> dollars updating the infrastructure of
220.14 -> this plant updating its testing systems
222 -> including installing what they called a
224.099 -> new groundwater monitoring program an
226.26 -> advanced program in 2007 that they say
228.299 -> was part of an updated requirement at
230.58 -> the time again whether that has anything
233.099 -> to do really concretely with this broken
235.86 -> pipe meaning whether the age of the plan
237.599 -> all the updates that have been needed
239.28 -> over time whether that has anything to
241.379 -> do with or caused this leak that
244.14 -> question also at this point yet to be
246.36 -> answered got evil we'll stay on it
248.4 -> wow and just to recap a radioactive
251.099 -> cleanup that could take a Year Maggie
253.68 -> thanks so much
255.06 -> sure
258.239 -> thanks for watching our YouTube channel
260.22 -> follow today's top stories and breaking
262.44 -> news by downloading the NBC News app
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy1DNxkVUT0