Radioactive Discharge From Indian Point Into Hudson River Postponed

BUCHANAN, NY — The company decommissioning the nuclear plant at Indian Point said it will not release radioactive water from the facility into the Hudson River in May as previously planned.

In a letter to the Indian Point Decommissioning Oversight Board, Holtec International said that it decided to not go forward with the planned discharge of treated liquid effluent from the site’s spent fuel pools in early May.

The company said its notification of those discharge plans on April 4 “caused public questions” and “following conversations with key state stakeholders, who wish to allow for additional public education,” the decision was made to not release the radioactive wastewater.

“While Holtec maintains that we are legally authorized to discharge spent fuel pool water, under the authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and in compliance with our [State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System] permit, we also recognize the concerns raised by local elected officials and the community,” said Patrick O'Brien, director of government affairs and communications for Holtec International.

O’Brien said the company believes the voluntary pause will provide an opportunity for Holtec to respond to questions raised by stakeholders and the public and to engage with elected officials, the Decommissioning Oversight Board and state agencies.

“While Holtec notes that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has ultimate authority over radiological liquid releases at Indian Point and at other sites across the country,” O’Brien said, “we hope this voluntary pause will be viewed positively as an indication of our willingness to work together with the State and with the surrounding community.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-New York, said he was relieved Holtec listened and put a stop to its plan to dump radioactive wastewater into the Hudson River.

“Without clear information about what’s in the water, and a recent federal violation within the Indian Point treatment system, and a lack of transparency about its plans,” Schumer said in a statement, “Holtec has left our communities in the dark about its proposed release of over 1 million gallons of radioactive wastewater into the Hudson.

“Our Hudson Valley communities deserve answers from Holtec, the NRC, and other regulators overseeing the decommissioning of Indian Point,” he said, “and I won’t stop fighting them until I get them.”

Rockland County Executive Ed Day said he was also relieved about the change of Holtec’s plans.

He said there was pending legislation in New York to ban the discharging of radioactive waste in the Hudson River, a petition with more than 400,000 signatures and multiple municipalities including the county of Rockland signing resolutions objecting to the move by Holtec indicating clear objection by everyone in elected office including the people of Rockland and Westchester who share the river.

“To rush this well ahead of the initial scheduled dumping in August would have been unconscionable and unfathomable considering the unanimous opposition against this,” Day said.

State Sen. Pete Harckham, D-Peekskill, said he welcomed the postponement of the planned discharge.

“This was the right decision to make because all the stakeholders deserve an opportunity to continue our dialogue with the company as it seeks a solution to the stored waste at the Indian Point Energy Center during its decommissioning,” he said in a statement.