Xcel Energy: Small amount of leaked water may have reached the Mississippi River
MINNEAPOLIS -- Xcel Energy says low levels of tritium are possibly present near the edge of the Mississippi River following a leak at its Monticello plant late last year but say there is no cause for alarm.
In November, a leak was discovered that allowed 400,000 gallons of water containing tritium into the groundwater beneath the plant. There was a monthslong delay in announcing the initial leak that raised questions about public safety and transparency, but industry experts said there was never a public health threat.
Tritium occurs naturally in the environment and is a common by-product of nuclear plant operations. It emits a weak form of beta radiation that does not travel far and cannot penetrate human skin, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
RELATED: What exactly is tritium? And when is it a health concern?
Following the leak, Xcel says it has been working with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to monitor groundwater in the area for tritium.
No tritium has been detected in the Mississippi River, Xcel reports. The closest water sample to detect tritium is about 30 feet from the river and is far below Safe Drinking Water Act standards, at 1,000 picocuries per liter. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires tritium levels in water to be below 20,000 picocuries per liter.
Xcel says that it has pumped nearly 3 million gallons of groundwater for storage and reuse, and has recovered over three-quarters of the tritium that was released.
"We take our responsibility for providing safe, reliable and clean energy to the community seriously, and will continue to work closely with state and federal regulators to ensure a thorough cleanup," said Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
READ MORE: Monticello nuclear plant radioactive leak: A timeline
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated that 400,000 gallons of water containing tritium had leaked into the river. The 400,000 gallons leaked into the groundwater; river monitoring has not detected any levels of tritium in the Mississippi as of yet.
Note: The above video is from March 28