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NRC Regulates Tritium at Nuclear Power Facilities
Unintentional leakage of tritium from nuclear plants is possible, so the NRC evaluates the potential impact of such leakage during the initial plant licensing process. The NRC also requires plants to monitor their surrounding areas for possible releases.

The industry routinely monitors the environment around the plant, including surface and ground water; shoreline sediments; and samples from food sources such as milk, fish and other animals. The industry must report annually on the results of this monitoring to the NRC. This information also is provided to state agencies and is made publicly available.

If nuclear plant operators detect elevated levels of tritium, they take steps to identify the cause of the elevated presence and control it. In fact, there has been no instance at nuclear power plants in which tritium has caused or posed a significant exposure to the public.

Industry Responds to Elevated Tritium Readings
In November 2005, an environmental monitoring program at the Braidwood Generating Station in Illinois found elevated tritium levels in groundwater near an underground pipe inside the plant’s boundary. Elevated tritium levels also were detected outside the plant boundary. These tritium levels do not present a public health or safety risk to anyone in Braidwood or the surrounding area.

During construction excavation, employees of the Indian Point Energy Center in Westchester County, N.Y., discovered a tritium leak from the plant’s used nuclear fuel storage pool in September 2005. This led to the discovery of elevated tritium levels at one monitoring well near the used fuel pool, but not beyond the plant boundary. The leak poses no health or safety risks to plant employees or the surrounding community.

Several other nuclear power plants also found higher-than-expected levels of tritium.

In response to these events, the industry has launched an initiative to improve the management of situations involving radiological releases in groundwater. This is intended to provide additional assurance of the safe, effective management of U.S. nuclear plants.

Following industry guidelines, a nuclear plant will inform local, state and federal authorities of an unplanned release even if the amount of tritium detected is below reportable levels.

Companies also collected data on their environmental monitoring programs. The industry provided this information to the NRC to help give perspective on the issue.

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