Radioactive muck found in pond; liner may be leaking at SC nuclear fuel plant
Nearly 40 years ago, the operators of a nuclear fuel plant near Columbia installed a liner in a treatment lagoon, hoping to trap radioactive and chemical waste before it could trickle into groundwater beneath the pond.
Now, the lagoon liner is wearing out. And that’s a concern.
Recent research suggests radioactive pollution has seeped through the synthetic barrier that was supposed to protect soil and groundwater in the Congaree River flood plain. Soil below the liner is suspected of being polluted with waste from the east lagoon, according to a new report for the plant’s operator, Westinghouse Nuclear.
’“It is expected that some contamination will exist in the soil underlying the east lagoon liner, given the long operating history of the lagoon and the potential for a liner system leak,’’ the May 8 report for Westinghouse says.
If the soil below the lagoon is polluted, as Westinghouse suspects, it could indicate that groundwater flowing away from the property and toward the Congaree River has been contaminated.
No one knows the extent of the contamination yet, but Westinghouse has a plan to dig radioactive sludge from the lagoon and haul it across the country for disposal in the Idaho desert.
Once the company has removed the mucky sludge and the lagoon’s 1980s era liner, it plans to test the soil below the waste pond to see how much contamination may be in the earth.
The new Westinghouse consulting report, released by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, says sludge in the east lagoon at Westinghouse is contaminated with low enriched uranium and technetium-99, nuclear materials generated as part of production of fuel rods at the 51-year-old factory.
Exposure to sufficient amounts of uranium can cause kidney damage in adults and children. Technetium 99, which concentrates in the thyroid and gastrointestinal tract, can increase a person’s chances of cancer if exposed to certain amounts.
Westinghouse spokeswoman Sarah Cassella said the company will know for sure if the lagoon liner has failed and soil is polluted after the company does more work on the property. Regardless, state regulators say cleaning up the waste lagoon is important.
The Westinghouse plant is one of the only factories in the country that makes fuel for nuclear power plants. The 550,000-square-foot Westinghouse plant is a major employer in Richland County with more than 1,000 workers, but contamination and safety issues at the site have stoked community fears recently.
Groundwater pollution is a concern to people who own land near the Westinghouse plant or who spend time along the Congaree River.
The plant is several miles from the working class Hopkins community, where many people depend on wells. It also is near a string of hunt clubs, some of which draw water from the ground.
Congaree National Park, the state’s only national park, is a few miles down Bluff Road in eastern Richland County. Groundwater flowing from the plant seeps into tributaries of the Congaree River.
Bill Stangler, the Congaree Riverkeeper, said he’s glad Westinghouse is cleaning up some of its mess, but historic groundwater pollution on the site could affect tributaries, such as Mill Creek, and the Congaree.
A key question is how long the east lagoon liner could have been leaking, he said.
“There’s certainly the potential for contamination if those liners are not working,’’ he said. “What are we seeing come off this site and how long has this been happening?’’
The report did not address that question.
Not only could polluted groundwater affect wells, but it could devalue property nearby.
Contaminated groundwater that flows from an industrial site onto nearby land can reduce property values substantially, depending on the circumstances. In some cases, values have dropped 30 to 40 percent, said Gary Poliakoff, a Spartanburg lawyer who handles pollution cases against industries.
Westinghouse and state regulators said they’ve not found evidence groundwater flowing toward the Hopkins community from the plant is contaminated, and the company said it doesn’t think radioactive contamination will be substantial if it is found below the lagoon when the liner is removed.
But research is ongoing.
For now, Westinghouse is moving forward with cleanup efforts. Although the company doesn’t plan to clean up some pollution until it closes the plant in future decades, Westinghouse has agreed to get rid of other contamination sooner.
“There is still no evidence of contamination migrating offsite, and this activity is specifically planned to remediate legacy issues on-site,’’ Cassella said in an email Tuesday. “Decommissioning the east lagoon now avoids any future risk and is an example of our commitment to deal with site issues in a manner that is in the best interest of our employees, the public and the environment.’’
The tainted material that would be shipped to Idaho, likely next year, includes 45,000 cubic feet of sludge, soil and debris from the east lagoon, a 160-foot long pond behind the plant on Bluff Road.
Radioactive pond sludge would be hauled away on railroad cars to a U.S. Ecology site in the Owyhee Desert near Grand View, Idaho, according to plans filed with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Contaminated cylinders and a polluted sludge pile also will be carted away from the site for disposal.
Westinghouse’s efforts are a part of an agreement the company struck with state regulators to locate and clean up some of the toxic waste on the grounds of the fuel plant.
Chris Delcamp, a spokesman for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, said the agency wants aging lagoons cleaned up.
“In general, its important to remove or stabilize waste from lagoon systems to mitigate potential exposures to human health and the environment, if necessary, based on the characteristics of the waste,’’ he said in an email Wednesday afternoon.
Contamination at Westinghouse dates to at least the 1980s, but other pollution has only recently been identified, according to the S.C Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Among other findings, DHEC says it has learned of leaks on parts of the plant site from 2008 and 2011 that it was never told about. The agency also has run across polluted soil and rising contamination it says it was unaware of. In December, DHEC said it had found uranium in the mud of upper and lower Sunset lakes, between the plant and the Congaree River.
In addition to groundwater and soil pollution, the NRC has cited Westinghouse multiple times in recent years over nuclear safety issues, including a buildup of uranium in an air pollution control device.
DHEC recently asked the NRC to conduct a full environmental impact study before deciding on a new license for the plant. Westinghouse wants a new 40-year operating license for the Bluff Road facility, but many people say that’s too long. The current license expires in 2027.
This story was updated Wednesday afternoon with comments from Westinghouse and a statement from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Radioactive muck found in pond; liner may be leaking at SC nuclear fuel plant."
