Company that leaked radioactive material will build barrier to keep it away from Mississippi River
The energy company responsible for leaking radioactive material from its nuclear plant in Monticello, Minnesota, in recent months has announced that it will build an underground metal barrier to keep affected groundwater away from the nearby Mississipp...
The energy company responsible for leaking radioactive material from its nuclear plant in Monticello, Minnesota, in recent months has announced that it will build an underground metal barrier to keep affected groundwater away from the nearby Mississippi River.
Xcel Energy said construction will last several weeks and should begin between Friday and Monday, according to a statement posted on the city of Monticello's website Thursday.
“Constructing the barrier wall is another step the company is taking to try and ensure that the small amount of tritium still present in the groundwater remains within the plant boundaries and can be safely recovered, stored and reused on site,” Xcel said in the statement.
Xcel discovered in November that about 400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of water containing tritium — a radioactive isotope of hydrogen — had leaked from a faulty pipe. The utility made a temporary fix but learned in March that hundreds more gallons of tritium-laced water had leaked, leading to a dayslong shutdown to fix the pipe.
The leaks were contained within the plant's boundaries and did not enter the river, the company has said.
Xcel has permanently fixed the source of the leaks, and the plant has returned to normal operations, according to the company's website Thursday. About 80% of the leaked tritium has been recovered as of August.
“We will continue recovering impacted groundwater until our monitoring wells indicate the groundwater meets the EPA’s Safe
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