Nuclear Plant Sirens to Sound Today

The siren system that alerts neighboring communities in the event of an emergency at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station will undergo annual testing today.

Between 10 a.m. and noon Wednesday, 50 sirens located in the communities around SONGS—including Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano—will be activated several times for about three minutes each time.

"In a real emergency, the siren system would alert residents to turn on their radio or TV for emergency response information from their community leaders,'' said Southern California Edison Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer Pete Dietrich. "Other sources of emergency information include city websites and our community website, www.songscommunity.com."

The sirens also could be used by local government officials to inform residents of a non-nuclear emergency.

Additionally, mine-clearing line charge exercises in the Whiskey impact area will raise noise levels from 6 a.m. to midnight through Thursday in areas on and near Camp Pendleton.

Depending on the atmospheric conditions, the firings may be heard as far away as 50 miles, the base said in a press release.

Civilians with questions can call Operations and Training at 760-725-0357.

Fliers and other educational materials explaining the siren test have been
distributed to residents, businesses and schools in the area. Before and during
the siren test, broadcasts on Orange County's primary Emergency Alert System
radio station, KWVE 107.9, will inform the public of the test.

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station generates about 2,200 megawatts of electricity, enough power to serve 1.4 million average homes at a point in time.

The plant is jointly owned by SCE (78.21 percent), San Diego Gas
& Electric (20 percent) and the city of Riverside (1.79 percent).

-City News Service contributed to this story.