Nuclear Facility dangers abound during severe Earth Changes

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/Nuclear-plant-in-Tai...

Nuclear plant in Taiwan catches fire

Nuclear plant in Taiwan catches fire
A loud noise was heard at midnight around the plant as the turbine released steam into the sky during the process, Taipower said. (Representative Photo)
BEIJING: Taiwan has shut down two reactors after a fire broke out at a nuclear power station in southern Taiwan shortly before midnight on Sunday.
The incident has caused no radioactive leak and no personnel have needed to be evacuated, Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) said in a statement on its website. 

The fire began inside an auxiliary electrical transformer at the Third Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County, setting off an alarm at 11:58pm, Taipower said. It was put out by the plant's own firefighters within 17 minutes of its occurance, it said. 

A loud noise was heard at midnight around the plant as the turbine released steam into the sky during the process, Taipower said. 

Taipower said preliminary investigations suggest that it will take two weeks to get the second reactor operational again. The transformer, which was one of a number of devices supplying electricity to the plant, has been damaged due to short circuit. 

The accident is expected to affect China's ambitious plans that include launching eight new nuclear power plants this year besides granting approvals for another set of six new plants. The government aims to build capabilities for producing 30,000 megawatts by 2020. 

Chinese nuclear experts have argued that the country has the best safety standards in place after the government recently lifted the ban on new plants, which was imposed after Japan's Fukushima accident in 2011. 

Giving details of the accident, Taipower said that another reactor in the affected plant, the No. 1 reactor is unaffected. 

The second reactor, which has a electricity generating capacity of 951 megawatts, has been in operation since May 1985. 

Taiwan has three nuclear power plants in operation and another one under construction. There has been much public debate about whether the island should become a nuclear power-free society, particularly in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

Egypt nuclear reactor in Cairo to begin June 21st and is already having problems, leaking radiocative materials.  Employees were forbidden to speak of the problems the facility is having.  It's a go.......... to open.views

www.watch.watch5.handleToggleDescription">

Uploaded by NibiruMagick2012 on Jun 6, 2011

The Anshas nuclear reactor, located on the outskirts of Cairo, has leaked ten cubic meters of radioactive water for the second time in a year, according to Samer Mekheimar, the former director of the Nuclear Research Center's atomic reactions department. Mekheimar submitted a note to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, saying the leakage took place on 25 May as a result of operating the reactor without taking into account safety precautions. He also said the Atomic Energy Agency kept the incident secret and threatened to fire the staff if they talked about it. "The fact that the reactor was by mere chance not operated the next day saved the area from environmental disaster," he wrote. "All ministries were changed after the revolution, except the Ministry of Electricity and Energy," he added. "It still kept the same minister and his deputies from the dissolved ruling party." Meanwhile, sources at the Nuclear Safety Authority said they were denied entry to the reactor to conduct an inspection. Director of the Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed al-Kolaly, said that levels of radiation inside the reactor are normal, and that the International Atomic Energy Agency has praised the reactor
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?edis=NC-20110606-3103...

Egypt nuclear reactor to begin operation this month
Saturday Jun 4, 2011 - 17:06
http://english.youm7.com/News.asp?NewsID=340633

Fort Calhoun, NE -- OPPD declares notification of unusual event at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station.
http://www.action3news.com/story/14850579/oppd-declares-notificatio...

Neb. nuke plant declares emergency due to flooding
http://www.klkntv.com/Global/story.asp?S=14848122

ZetaTalk: Nuclear Reactor Accidents


Written November 27, 2010

Perhaps that we can expect incidents at nuclear stations during the 7 of 10 events, i.e. in SE Asia on achievement of a 7/10, in the west and the north of the S America during its roll, during rupture of the New Madrid fault line, in the western Europe during a tsunami? I assume that earthquakes and tsunami can present some problems on nuclear pollution even before the pole shift. Any comments of the Zetas?

After the Chernobyl disasters it is understandable that mankind is nervous about the coming pole shift and the potential of nuclear disasters in their nearby power stations. We have encouraged all to contact the operators of these facilities, and advise them of the coming disasters, encouraging them to shut down the facilities at the first sign of major quakes and the like. We have explained that to a certain extent we, as benign aliens under the control of the Council of Worlds, can step in and remove the explosive potential from these power stations, as we have from nuclear bombs held by the US, by Russia, and by other nations. In a shutdown procedure, bolts that inhibit the nuclear reaction are dropped between the reactor rods, stopping the nuclear reaction cold. This is a simplistic explanation, as the power plant controls run on electricity which can surge or fail, thus interfering with a shutdown. Such electrical surges or failure, happening during a shutdown, has been associated with nuclear accidents at Chernobyl, and SL-1 for example. As the hosing from the magnetic tail of Planet X continues to waft over the Earth, such surge and brownout can be expected. We predict that many nuclear power plants will be shut down, permanently, during the Earth changes leading into the pole shift, due to a combination of earthquake threats or damage and electrical surge and brownout. The grid will, in any case, be down after the pole shift, so this is only an early loss. As to flooding of reactors during the Earth changes or the pole shift tides, other than interfering with the electrical controls, this does not create, in and of itself, a disaster. Water is used to cool the reactor rods. It is the absence of water, due to the pumps being inoperable, that is a problem.

All rights reserved: ZetaTalk@ZetaTalk.com

http://www.zetatalk.com/7of10/7of10-21.htm

ZetaTalk: Nuclear Call
written February 4, 2012


The issue of whether benign alien assistance will come during disasters, neutralizing nuclear facilities, comes up often, understandably. Those who currently live near nuclear facilities worry constantly about sudden earthquakes or operator neglect, which can cause a meltdown with consequent radiation pollution far and wide. Fukushima is the latest example. As the earthquakes are on the increase, and the 7 of 10 scenarios about to afflict those countries which have utilized nuclear power extensively, this concern will only increase.

The answer in these matters, which we have repeatedly explained, is first that the Element of Doubt must be maintained. This is an aspect of the gradual awakening of mankind to the alien presence that ensures that contactees will not be savaged by those in panic, fearing for their lives. In the past, the establishment - MJ12 composed of the CIA, military intelligence, and the very wealthy - withheld information on their preliminary contact with aliens. Where they claimed they were saving the public from panic, this move was self serving as they wanted alien technology for themselves, and also did not want to be knocked from their perch in the eyes of the public.

Rather than reassure the public about the alien presence, the old MJ12 deliberately moved to foster fear in the public. Hollywood has been enlisted to produce a stream of movies showing aliens landing to eat people, colonize the Earth, and infect and takeover human bodies and minds. The old MJ12 likewise harassed and monitored contactees, to control the plethora of books and videos being produced by enthusiastic contactees. The Element of Doubt at base is to protect the growing army of contactees, whom the establishment fears. What it their threat? That they challenge the legitimacy of the establishment to lead, creating a secret network, an information exchange taking place on space ships among contactees, which the establishment is powerless to stop.

Enter the nuclear power plant issue, which is a legitimate concern even among those in the establishment. As the pace of the Earth changes has picked up, our answers have moved from being vague in 2008, stressing that this is in the hands of man, to hinting by 2010 that the collective Call from many in the Service-to-Other would make a difference and that alien interference would be allowed, to admitting after Fukushima in 2011 that some interference had occurred.

Has the degree of concern from Service-to-Other souls on Earth, giving a collective Call on this matter, made a difference? Unquestionably. From the start of ZetaTalk we have stressed that matters such as a healing only take place as a result of a Service-to-Other call. Those who Call for themselves, out of self interest, are ignored. The collective Call out of concern for others, made by those in the Service-to-Other on Earth, have and will make a difference on the nuclear power plant issue.

http://www.zetatalk.com/index/zeta589.htm

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Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on April 12, 2016 at 5:32am

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/04/zaporizhia-nuclear-power-plant.html

Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant Experiences Release of Radioactivity

Translated by Ollie Richardson for Fort Russ
11th April, 2016
A radioactive release and emergency shutdown of unit 6 occurred at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant.  Management of the State Emergency Service requested people not to panic, but to calmly take preventive measures:
 
"For preventive measures State Emergency Service experts recommend to refrain from a prolonged stay in an open area within three days, to use a medical mask, use a weak solution of iodine in cold water and red wine".
 
Vladimir Rogov, the leader of the Zaporizhia "Slavic Guard" writes:
 
These Nazi brutes are doing everything to turn all post-Ukraine space into an exclusion zone!
 
Meanwhile, $700 million was allocated from the budget of Ukraine for the repair and modernization of power units №1 and №2 of Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant - the junta stole more than $420 million. Moreover, in the corruption scheme, in addition to the so-called "Minister" of Energy and Coal Industry, Vladimir Demchishin, and the "President" of "Energoatom" that participate directly, there are also "President" Poroshenko and the leaders of the American company Westinghouse who are implementing the corruption schemes through its Swedish subsidiary Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB.
 
Quote: "...the excess background radiation at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant and the sanitary protective zone in a radius of 2.5 km is about 10 times and is not critical to the health of the population. Repair work will be tentatively held until 13th April."
Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on April 11, 2016 at 10:20pm

https://tlarremore.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/nuclear-event-potential...

Nuclear Event – Potential Uncontrolled Radiation Release: Millstone Nuclear Power Plant, Connecticut

2016/04/11

North America – USA | State of Connecticut, Millstone Nuclear Power Plant [Unit 3]
Location: 41°18’43.0″N 72°10’07.0″W
Present Operational Age: ~30 years
Event: POT UNCNTRL RAD REL/ACCIDENT MITIGATION

Nuclear Event in USA on Saturday, 09 April, 2016 at 15:23 [EDT].

SECONDARY CONTAINMENT DETERMINED TO BE INOPERABLE DURING SURVEILLANCE TESTING

“During pre-planned surveillance testing of the Supplementary Leak Collection and Release System (SLCRS), an issue was found affecting the Secondary Containment boundary. Millstone Unit 3 is being moved to Mode 5 for a refuel outage where investigation and repairs will be made. This is reportable under 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(v)(C), a condition that could have prevented the fulfillment of a safety function for systems or structures to control the release of radioactive material, and 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(v)(D) to mitigate the consequences of an accident.”

The surveillance testing was being performed while Millstone 3 was being removed from service for an upcoming Refueling Outage.

The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector and State and Local authorities.

Source: NRC  Event Number: 51860
Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on April 11, 2016 at 10:14pm

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/04/11/cook-nucl...

SW Michigan nuclear plant cleaning up after oil spill

3:22 p.m. EDT April 11, 2016

An investigation and cleanup continued Monday at a southwest Michigan nuclear plant after a transformer failure spilled about 25,000 gallons of oil on Friday.

The incident occurred on the power distribution side of the D.C. Cook nuclear plant on the shore of Lake Michigan in Bridgman, and no radioactivity threat was ever present, plant spokesman Bill Schalk said. The plant is owned by Indiana Michigan Power, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Electric Power, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

About 25,000 gallons of the 30,000 gallons of oil held by the transformer were released, Schalk said. Most of the oil was contained by a protective berm around the transformer, but about 2,000 gallons of the oil spilled on ground outside of the berm, he said.

The oil did not reach nearby drains or Lake Michigan, Schalk said.  "We're going to have to remove some soil, but we expect to recapture all of that oil," he said.

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Berrien County Emergency Management were notified of the spill, Schalk said. Plant personnel and local fire responders monitored the transformer overnight Friday as cleanup began. Several small fires flared up, but were quickly extinguished as the transformer drained and cooled, Schalk said.

DEQ officials did not immediately provide comment on Monday.

The transformer is relatively new, installed only "a few years ago," and the cause of its failure remains under investigation, Schalk said.

Though another transformer unit at Cook is down for refueling, the company's remaining operational transformer unit means the plant's power generation is continuing unimpeded, he said.

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on April 9, 2016 at 6:50pm

http://theunhivedmind.com/wordpress3/finnish-nuclear-power-plant-re...

Finnish Nuclear Power Plant Reactor Shut Down After Radioactive Leak

April 9, 2016

Finnish Nuclear Power Plant Reactor Shut Down After Radioactive Leak © AP Photo/ Lehtikuva, Antti Aimo-Koivisto

19:31 08.04.2016(updated 19:37 08.04.2016) Get short URL
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160408/1037719383/finland-nuclear-p...

According to nuclear power company Teollisuuden Voima, one of the reactors at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant in western Finland was shut down on Friday due to a minor leakage.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – One of the reactors at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant in western Finland was shut down on Friday due to a minor leakage of radioactive liquid, nuclear power company Teollisuuden Voima said in a press release.

“​Defective fuel rods have been found at OL1 nuclear power plant unit. Electricity production at the plant unit will be stopped for the duration of the work on Monday 11 April 2016,” the press release reads.

According to the press release, three fuel assemblies are expected to be removed from the reactor and replaced with new assemblies. The replacement is due to last for one week.

The company claims the incident poses no threat to the environment.

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on April 8, 2016 at 12:38am

https://tlarremore.wordpress.com/2016/04/07/nuclear-event-unusual-e...

Nuclear Event – Unusual Event/High High Radiation Condition: Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 3, Alabama

2016/04/07

North America – USA | State of Alabama, Athens, Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
Location: 34°42’14.0″N 87°07’07.0″W
Present Operational Age: ~43 years
Event: UNUSUAL EVENT – EMERGENCY DECLARED

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant: Tennessee River near Decatur and Athens, Alabama. – Owned by TVA. In 1974, the time of its initial operation, it was the largest nuclear plant in the world.. Image source: wikimedia.org

Nuclear Event in USA on Wednesday, 06 April, 2016 at 15:45 [CDT]

UNUSUAL EVENT DECLARED DUE TO MAIN STEAMLINE HIGH HIGH RADIATION CONDITION

At 1545 CDT on 04/06/16 Browns Ferry Unit 3 declared and exited the declaration of an unusual event due to a main steam line high high radiation condition. Power to Unit 3 was reduced to 91 percent power. The high radiation condition alarm cleared at 1526 CDT. Browns Ferry Unit 3 reported that the high radiation conditions were due to resin intrusion from the condensate demineralizers into the reactor and hydrogen water chemistry was a potential contributor to the event. The cause is still under investigation.

The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified.

State and Local notifications were made.

Notified DHS SWO, FEMA Ops Center, NICC Watch Officer, FEMA NWC and Nuclear SSA (email).

* * * UPDATE FROM BILL BALL TO DANIEL MILLS AT 0034 EDT ON 04/07/2016 * * *

“At 1941 [CDT] BFN [Brown’s Ferry] determined this notification to be potentially newsworthy due to receiving notification that counties [surrounding the plant] were alerted of this event. No plant conditions changed.”

The licensee may issue a press release.

The licensee will notify the NRC Resident Inspector.

Notified R2DO (Nease).

Source: NRC  Event Number: 51850

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on March 30, 2016 at 8:17pm

https://tlarremore.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/nuclear-event-potential...

Nuclear Event – Potential Uncontrolled Radiation Release: Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant, Pennsylvania

2016/03/30

North America – USA | State of Pennsylvania, Berwick – Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant
Location: 41°05’20.0″N 76°08’56.0″W
Present Operational Age: ~34 years
Emergency Level: POT UNCNTRL RAD REL

Nuclear Event in USA on Tuesday, 29 March, 2016 at 22:56 [EDT]

LOSS OF SECONDARY CONTAINMENT DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE

“On March 29, 2016 at 2256 [EDT], Secondary Containment Zone 2 (Unit 2 Reactor Building) differential pressure lowered to 0.0 [inches] WG [water gauge] due to a failed closed discharge damper on the in service Zone 2 exhaust fan. Required differential pressure per SR 3.6.4.1.1 could not be maintained. Zone 2 ventilation was restored by starting the standby Zone 2 exhaust fan. Zone 2 differential pressure recovered to [greater than] 0.25 [inches] WG at 2321 hours. Zone 3 (Unit 1&2 Reactor Buildings) ventilation remained in service and stable. Zone 1(Unit 1 Reactor Building) ventilation remained in service however it is not required in this mode of Operation.

“This event is being reported under 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(v)(C) and per the guidance of NUREG 1022 Rev 3 section 3.2.7 as a loss of a Safety Function. There is no redundant Susquehanna Secondary Containment System.”

The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on March 11, 2016 at 10:55pm

http://www.munsif.tv/articles/2016/03/11/gujarat-nuclear-plant-shut...

Gujarat Nuclear Plant Shut Down After Major Leak, All Workers Safe

A power generation unit at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Surat was shut down after leakage of heavy water.
The leakage was reportedly due to primary heat transport system of the plant, reports India Today. There is no nuclear radiation, officials said. "No radiation leakage or increase in radioactive level, no offside emergency declared," D Rajendra Kumar, Collector.
"Consequent to a small leak in Primary Heat Transport (PHT) System, the reactor was shut down as intended as per design provisions. All safety systems are working as intended. The radioactivity/radiation levels in the plant premises and outside are normal," a statement issued by the plant administration said.
Emergency services of the nuclear plant and the Vyara district administration have been alerted.
The atomic plant has two 220 MW reactor.
The first reactor of the plant was commissioned on September 1992 and the commercial production began in May 1993. The second unit was commissioned in January 1995 and it began producing electricity in September 1995.

Comment by Scott on March 10, 2016 at 11:50pm

Fukushima's ground zero: No place for man or robot (3/10/16)

...Today, the radiation at the Fukushima plant is still so powerful it has proven impossible to get into its bowels to find and remove the extremely dangerous blobs of melted fuel rods.

...The fuel rods melted through their containment vessels in the reactors, and no one knows exactly where they are now. This part of the plant is so dangerous to humans, Tepco has been developing robots, which can swim under water and negotiate obstacles in damaged tunnels and piping to search for the melted fuel rods.

But as soon as they get close to the reactors, the radiation destroys their wiring and renders them useless, causing long delays, Masuda said.  

...IRRADIATED WATER

...Much of the work involves pumping a steady torrent of water into the wrecked and highly radiated reactors to cool them down. Afterward, the radiated water is then pumped out of the plant and stored in tanks that are proliferating around the site.

What to do with the nearly million tonnes of radioactive water is one of the biggest challenges, said Akira Ono, the site manager. Ono said he is “deeply worried” the storage tanks will leak radioactive water in the sea - as they have done several times before - prompting strong criticism for the government.

...ICE WALL

...Tepco is building the world’s biggest ice wall to keep  groundwater from flowing into the basements of the damaged reactors and getting contaminated.

First suggested in 2013 and strongly backed by the government, the wall was completed in February, after months of delays and questions surrounding its effectiveness. Later this year, Tepco plans to pump water into the wall - which looks a bit like the piping behind a refrigerator - to start the freezing process.

...“The reactors continue to bleed radiation into the ground water and thence into the Pacific Ocean,” Gunderson said. "When Tepco finally stops the groundwater, that will be the end of the beginning.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-disaster-decommissioning-id...

A member of the media, wearing a protective suit and a mask, looks at the No. 3 reactor building at Tokyo Electric Power Co's (TEPCO) tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on March 10, 2016 at 7:48am

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2016...

Fire in Watts Bar pump motor today brings emergency declaration

March 9th, 2016

The TVA Watts Bar Nuclear Plant is photographed on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, near Spring City, Tenn., as Unit 2 begins producing electricity for the first time, 43 years after construction began at the site.

A small fire ignited early Wednesday in one of the pump motors for TVA's newest reactors, forcing the federal utility to declare the lowest of emergency classifications at the plant even before it has produced any power.

TVA crews were testing equipment in its Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor Wednesday when the fire was noticed at 3:42 a.m. in one of the three hotwell pump motors used in the turbine building on the non-nuclear side of the new unit. The fire was extinguished within 19 minutes, but TVA was still required to declare a "Notice of an Unusual Event" — the lowest of the four NRC emergency classifications.

The notice was exited by 5:08 a.m. after operators confirmed that all plant systems were operating as designed.

"Plant personnel extinguished the motor fire, and there was no danger to the public," TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said. "Other Watts Bar Unit 2 systems were unaffected. Watts Bar Unit 1 was also unaffected and remained safely online throughout the event."

Joey Ledford, a spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said utilities are required to make such notifications when there is a fire in any part of a nuclear plant. NRC inspectors are still evaluating the incident, but Hopson said he did not expect the fire to set back plans to begin generating limited power at the Watts Bar Unit 2 within the next month.

"We have to complete our evaluation of what happened, but on the surface this does not appear to be something that should significantly affect the startup of this unit," Hopson said.

TVA plans to have the new reactor in full production as a commercial nuclear unit by June.

Hopson said the fire was isolated to the pump motor area and did not affect other plant equipment or have any impact on Watts Bar's other operating nuclear reactor.

Hotwell pumps are part of the unit's condenser system and help recirculate water condensed from steam after it passes through the turbines used to generate electricity. They are located on the power generation side of the plant and are not directly associated with the reactor or with the reactor cooling system.

The Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor will be the first new nuclear reactor added to America's nuclear grid since the other Watts Bar unit started up in 1996. TVA has spent more than $5 billion to build the unit through a series of starts and stops in construction since the project began in 1973.

Comment by Starr DiGiacomo on March 8, 2016 at 5:52pm

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/turkey-point-nuclear-plant-is-pum...

Turkey Point Nuclear Plant Is Pumping Polluted Water Into Biscayne Bay

Tuesday, March 8, 2016 | 3 hours ago
Turkey Point's cooling canals are leaking radiation into Biscayne Bay, a new study confirms.
Turkey Point's cooling canals are leaking radiation into Biscayne Bay, a new study confirms.

As Florida Power & Light finalized plans to expand its nuclear reactors at Turkey Point three years ago, critics were aghast. The nuclear plant already stands on environmentally fragile land, and upping the power production would seriously threaten the ecosystem, they argued.

Turns out they were right. This morning, the county released the results of a study into whether Turkey Point has been leaking dangerous wastewater into Biscayne Bay. County water monitors found more than 200 times the normal levels of tritium, a radioactive isotope linked to nuclear power production, in the bay water.

"This is one of several things we were very worried about," says South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard, who is also a biological sciences professor at Florida International University. "You would have to work hard to find a worse place to put a nuclear plant, right between two national parks and subject to hurricanes and storm surge."

The study is just the latest blow to FPL, which lost a state court ruling last month when a judge found the utility had failed to prevent hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater from seeping into the bay

County commissioners are scrambling this morning to get answers as to how the plant could be leaking so much radiation into the protected Biscayne Bay. 

"I was shocked to read this," says Commissioner Xavier Suarez, who in a letter demanded answers from FPL "by the end of the day." County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, meanwhile, says the county has "aggressively enforced its regulations" and would demand that the state force FPL to fix the problem.

At the heart of the troubling issue revealed in the new report is a system of canals surrounding the nuclear plant in southeast Miami-Dade. Nuclear cores must be constantly cooled to avoid meltdowns. The canals circulate water through the plant to leech heat off the reactors.

As FPL prepared to expand the plant's reactors in 2013, critics such as Stoddard warned that relying on the canals was a mistake. For one thing, environmentalists argued, the hot, salty canal water would inevitably leak back into Biscayne Bay and the Everglades.

"They argued the canals were a closed system, but that's not how water works in South Florida," Stoddard says. 

In the two years since, environmentalists have pointed to a growing litany of concerns, including spiking heat levels in the canals and saltwater plumes exploding from the power plant into nearby groundwater systems. Stoddard says salty water has intruded as far as four miles inland through groundwater.

But FPL resisted new monitoring, Stoddard says, and deflected blame. "FPL has argued and argued and denied and denied there was any connection to their canals," he says. "They've tried to prevent monitoring. They were successful until the county commission finally demanded this study."

FPL hasn't returned New Times' phone calls for comment on the study. The county's numbers are cited in another report released today, which was conducted by University of Miami scientist Dr. David Chin, who analyzed how an influx of new water could affect the cooling canals. 

As for those elevated tritium levels, it's not clear whether the isotope itself is dangerous to people or wildlife at that concentration; that's one topic on which the commission will demand answers from FPL, Suarez says. 

But the hot, salty water is certainly a problem for the delicate ecosystems in Biscayne National Park and the Everglades. Stoddard — who argues the new study might point to violations of the federal Clean Water Act — says he believes only two solutions are viable: building new cooling towers to replace the canals, or shutting down the plant. 

"There's a certain validation to critics in seeing this result in the study," he says. "But more important, it's now crossed the threshold of federal law here."

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