'Unusual Event' Declared At Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - Control room operators at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant declared an "unusual event" early Saturday morning when water levels in the plant's water intakes dipped too low, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.

Control room operators reduced reactor power to about 70 percent in response to the lower-than-normal water intake levels and will continue to monitor and evaluate conditions throughout the day, spokesman Neil Sheehan said

An "unusual event" is the lowest of the NRC's four levels of emergency classification, he said.

Water from the intake canal is used for cooling purposes, doesn't flow through radioactive materials and is discharged at higher temperatures to the outfall portion of the canal, Sheehan said.

NRC resident inspectors assigned to Oyster Creek on a full-time basis responded to the plant to verify the plant was in safe condition.

"We have no immediate safety concerns," he said.

Recent weather conditions are thought to have caused the low water intake levels, Exelon spokesperson Suzanne D'Ambrosio said.

Unusually low tides and high winds impacted the water levels in Barnegat Bay and the plant's intake canal, she said.

"Although water levels have returned to normal, the classification will remain in place until operators confirm that this environmental anomaly will not recur with the next tidal change," D'Ambrosio said. "Exelon Generation remains in contact with all appropriate federal, state and local officials regarding plant conditions."

Plant operators will continue to monitor environmental conditions and make power level adjustments to ensure safety and minimize any impact on aquatic life, she said.

Photo: Patricia A. Miller