HIGHWOOD, Illinois – Low levels of radioactive tritium have been detected in groundwater at the Zion nuclear power plant, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission notified State Senator Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) yesterday.

The Zion plant is owned by Exelon Corp. Exelon officials met with Senator Garrett today to explain what the finding means.

In May, in the wake of revelations about radioactive leakage at Exelon’s Braidwood and Byron nuclear power plants, Senator Garrett had requested information from Exelon to clarify what kinds of testing and reporting requirements were in place to assure the safety of the Zion plant. Although the Zion facility has been inactive since 1998, radioactive materials, including tritium, are still stored there.

The new finding of tritium in groundwater in Zion was the result of an inspection process undertaken by Exelon at all of its nuclear power facilities. At Zion, nine wells were drilled and tested for tritium at two depths. A level of 600 picocuries per liter was found in one sample. Exelon officials emphasized that this concentration is only 3% of the level that the EPA considers acceptable in drinking water.

Exelon calls this finding preliminary and will be conducting further sampling and inspection to learn where the tritium leak may have occurred.

Senator Garrett is calling for a more open and independent testing process. At her request, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be present when the next samples are drawn. Senator Garrett will also go to the plant to view drilling of additional test wells on the Lake Michigan beach.

“This plant has been out of commission for eight years, and only now are we learning about a spill or leak that has occurred. The bigger questions are, how long has this contamination been present, how much leakage was there initially, and how much radioactive water made it out into the lake. We clearly need more oversight and accountability on the operation of these power plants,” said Senator Garrett.

For more information, contact Senator Garrett (847 433-2002) or Krista Lopykinski at Exelon (630 657-3602).