An oil leak at the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant near Bridgman, MI has occurred, according to nuclear plant officials. An oil cooling system on the turbine system leaked the oil into Lake Michigan for about two months, officials at the plant estimated. The hot oil from the turbine is cooled using the waters of Lake Michigan, which sounds like a wonderful idea, doesn’t it? Wait, estimated? There was a leak endangering one of Michigan’s most important natural resources and no one knew about it for over two months? The leak was reported to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as well as state and local authorities, on Dec. 20, according to the Detroit Free Press. Plant officials said: “…believe 2,000 gallons of oil leaked into the lake, and a retroactive examination of system oil levels leads plant personnel to believe the leak may have been ongoing since about Oct. 25, said Bill Schalk, communications manager for the Cook Nuclear Plant.” But, no need for concern, as the oil isn’t floating on top of the lake water, it has dispersed. Yay for the residents of Southwest Michigan. At least no radiation was released into the water: It’s believed the oil leaked into a tube or tubes and was mixed into the cooling water, Schalk said. The turbine system is separate from the plant’s radioactive facilities, so the leaked oil is not contaminated with radiation, he said. So, I guess the official response is that this is bad, but it could’ve been worse?freep/story/news/local/michigan/2015/01/03/nuclear-power-oil-spill-lake-michigan/21215045/
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 01:00:09 +0000