Residents near Cape Cod are alarmed that the decommissioned Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station will dump potentially radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay. The station is said to dump over one million gallons of water. As per the Cape Cod Times, a company named Holtec International purchased the plant in 2019; however, the company says it’s not sure of the dumping as of now.
“We had broached that with the state, but we’ve made no decision on that,” Holtec spokesperson Patrick O’Brien told the Cape Cod Times.
Company unsure of dumping plans
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey is against the move. Back in 2019, he slammed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) over the decision to exempt Pilgrim emergency planning requirements. Senator Susan Moran also told the Cape Cod Times that she is against any release of radioactive water, and called Holtec to release plans on safely handling the water waste.
Recently, the company accidentally released over 7,200 gallons of water into the bay, and watchdogs aren’t sure of the company’s future plans. “The potential for pollutants and dangerous materials being discharged in our water resources is alarming,” Moran told the Cape Cod Times.
This isn’t the first instance of dumping radioactive water that has come to light, with residents in Japan currently alarmed about a similar situation – though advocates claim that the ocean will dilute the radiation and it won’t pose any risk to people or wildlife.
Dumping shouldn’t be considered in Massachusetts
But Richard Delaney, the president of the Center for Coastal Studies, told the Cape Cod Times that Massachusetts shouldn’t even consider dumping water waste.
“We have been monitoring water quality in Cape Cod Bay for 20 years and there’s already enough pollutants going into the bay,” Delaney told the newspaper. “To put radioactive waste on top of that — it shouldn’t be an option.”
Previously, the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) announced to dig an underwater tunnel to safely dispose of the radioactive water building up at the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The undersea tunnel will allow the dumping of the contaminated water at a moderate distance from the shore.
