Discharging of Radioactive Wastewater Into Hudson River to Resume
Holtec International is set to resume the controversial process at Indian Point.
Indian Point Nuclear Plant, just south of Peekskill in Buchanan, Westchester County, New York, sits on the banks of the Hudson River about 36 miles north of Midtown Manhattan, permanently stopped generating power in 2021, but its effects are still being felt in the Hudson Valley.
Indian Point Nuclear Plant
Before its closure, the facility's two operating reactors generated about 2,000 megawatts of electrical power, about 25% of New York City's usage.
The facility consists of three permanently deactivated reactors, Indian Point Units 1, 2 and 3, with an original 40-year operating license. A number of factors led to the plant's closing including sustained low wholesale energy prices that reduced revenues and pressure from local environmental groups, and eventually New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Also See: Indian Point Nuclear Plant Transformed Into An Amusement Park?
Public Rejects to Discharging of Radioactive Wastewater Into Hudson
According to Riverkeeper.Org, Holtec International, which owns the plant, says they will resume discharging radioactive wastewater into the Hudson River as early as August.
The public has been objecting to Holtec's process of discharging the wastewater from a spent fuel pool on the site. The Decommissioning Oversight Board held a nearly 4-hour long meeting on February 2 discussing the process with the local public.
Four wastewater disposal options that were brought up in the meeting include holding the water on site, transferring the wastewater to out-of-state sites, allowing evaporation of wastewater, and lastly, discharging the wastewater in the Hudson River.
All options are not risk-free, and previously documented mistakes and violations from Holtec raise serious concerns.
As of now, Holtec International plans to go ahead with the continued wastewater discharges in August of 2023. We'll continue to follow this story.