Talking Points: 3 state agencies knew about Monticello nuclear leak

MONTICELLO --  Late last year, a leak of hundreds of thousands of gallons of contaminated water was discovered at Xcel Energy's Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant.

There was a monthslong delay in announcing the initial leak to the public, raising questions about public safety and transparency.

Now WCCO has found Xcel wasn't the only organization that knew about the leak -- last year. Three state agencies -- the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Department of Health knew about the leak and didn't go public. Esme Murphy spoke with Xcel Energy President Chris Clark about the leak and the delay of information to the public.

Wednesday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Health sent this statement:

The city of Minneapolis which supplies water to half a million people also learned about the leak in mid-March. Murphy spoke with the city's water quality manager, George Kraynick, about the independent water testing planned until the radioactive water is contained.  

DFL Sen. Mary Kunesh, an assistant Senate Majority leader, shared her reaction to the leaks and concerns about nuclear waste storage in the state. This is happening at a time when nuclear energy is getting a second look, because it's clean and cheap.  

Talking Points airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., live on CBS News Minnesota.