Hey Bottle, thanks for the info. Your right about several of the Exelon plants having trouble with leaks. Here is another one that was in Braidwood and Godley. What is really scary is that they admitted that leaks went back about 10 years and they didn't report it. Makes you wonder if they will do the same here in Victoria. This is not an issue of pro or anti nuke, it's about all the side effects that come with it, that no one wants to admit.

April 6, 2006 -- Tritium leaks at an Exelon nuclear power plant in Braidwood have been a source of concern for the Braidwood and Godley communities. The company is reassuring residents it will clean up the millions of gallons of radioactive water that leaked from the plant.
Exelon has an elaborate plan to remove the tritium from the groundwater. They are going to lower the water table in a big pond near the plant to draw the contaminated water then pump it out. They explained that plan Thursday night to a neighborhood full of skeptics.
A drainage ditch in the Godley community runs about 50 yards from Kim Cole's front door. The water in the ditch includes runoff from the Exelon nuclear facility, water that Exelon admits in the past they have found containing small amounts of radioactive tritium. Cole, like many in the area, is worried.
"I think ComEd is dragging is its feet. I think they want to sweep us under the carpet, because we're the little people and they're the big people," said Kim Cole, Godley resident. The company hosted a meeting Thursday night to explain their plans for removing the tritium from the ground in the area surrounding the plant.
"All we can do is continue to give people information and that's what we're gonna do. We're trying to be as transparent as we possibly can with this," said Craig Nesbit, Exelon spokesman.
Many residents remain skeptical.
ComEd and its parent company Exelon have reported leaking millions of gallons of tritium laced water into the ground on several occasions dating back the last 10 years.
Most area residents rely on wells to get their water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. Many are afraid to use that water now. ComEd is testing the wells for tritium and in the meantime providing bottled water.
For Godley resident Susan Butler, who wants to move, that is not good enough.
"I can't give my house away right now, I can't. I'm supposed to walk away from a $140,000 house?" Butler said.
Exelon has promised to buy any property proven to be contaminated. So far that includes just one.
Whether it's a matter of perception or reality, residents believe the tritium is a major problem for everyone.
"This is not over, not by a long shot," said Butler.
Governor Blagojevich plans to sign a bill requiring companies to report any unauthorized spills of radioactive material within 24 hours. The company reported one such leak earlier Thursday afternoon. They say tritium escaped from the plant in a release of steam. They claim it was a minor incident that poses no health risks.

Ok boys.... we could talk all day about the water, but the scary stuff is what they will leak into our ground water. Below is the latest of leaks the great state of Illinois is dealing with. Not sure how many of the Exelon plants up there has had leaks, but I know for sure it's more than one. Would anyone like to drink that stuff? Some of you raised the question about the quality of water. I think you boys are right. I agree with pittink though..none of us can say for sure if we will or won't run out of water.

SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has issued a violation notice to Exelon Generation – Quad City Station due to a release of tritium from its facility in Cordova.

On October 12, 2007, Exelon Generation reported an ongoing release of water containing tritium that had leaked from an underground pipe, causing groundwater contamination in excess of the state standard. The leak was identified as part of a study being conducted by Exelon Generation to verify the integrity of its system.

The release was disclosed to the Illinois EPA as the result of an amendment to the Environmental Protection Act requiring nuclear power plants to report releases to groundwater, surface water, or soil to the state environmental and emergency management agencies. The Illinois EPA must be notified in cases where the release could migrate off-site and threaten private wells or private property. The Agency would ensure the public is notified. According to available data, the contaminated groundwater has not migrated off site, and there is no public health concern.

Exelon Generation has 45 days to respond to the notice, and propose corrective actions to the Agency. The response should include a monitoring plan and a proposal to determine the source of the leak.

Exelon has investigated the source of the leak and is beginning to clean up the contamination in order to minimize the impact to the environment. Ongoing monitoring and pipeline testing are part of the work being done now at the site. The affected area is estimated to be about 1000 square feet.

With the new law in place, the public is better informed of this type of release from a nuclear generating site.

Ok Whistle Britches, you seem pretty sure of yourself, and although I agree with your statement about the GBRA, I do not agree with your statement about putting it in stone that we won't run out of water. Only God knows that, and if we keep messing with the enviroment (i.e. the spent fuel, and where it goes) He will take our water, and you can put that in stone. I applaud your extensive research and exepertise, but you seem to be starting to eat your own dogfood. What do you know about Nuclear Waste, do you think that problem is solved?

JD -A well respected local political figure told me this morning that I knew more about the Lower Guadalupe Water Supply Project than anyone in Victoria. What's wrong with that statement? You may think you know that there is enough water, but can anyone be for sure? It's not just about what happens in Victoria that puts a stress on the water supply. There is an entire region depending on the water source.
Good point you made about the quality of that water. It is terrifying when I learned what is actually allowed in the water when they put back in the river. But a more important point you raised, is the fact that Victoria gave up the senior rights to the water. Could you explain more about that. In layman terms, does that mean that the city of Victoria is second in line after the Exelon plant? JD,you are obviously in the know about the water situation there, so your information is appreciated and respected, I just wished they would get a totally independent engineering firm to do a study on it, with the focus on totally independent of Exelon and GBRA, with only the truth to the citizens of Victoria as the priority.

If the city was forced to revert to ground water from its wells...how long would they last? I believe that should push come to shove, the nuclear plant will definitely and always get its water first, because without there will be major problems. Lastly, if you want to see the type of economic boom a nuclear plant can bring with it, just travel up the road to Bay City and take a look around at that wonderful city.

The drought of the late 40s and early 50s was certainly more than 2 yrs.

Sure Exelon is going to say there is enough water. Why wouldn't they. But...they still didn't answer the question. In the event of a severe drought, who will get the water first. That have not answerd that, maybe because they haven't had their lawyers and spin doctors come up with what they feel is a good answer.

has Exelon stated what kind of water it's going to use? Maybe they can use salt water? I'm very excited about the prospect of the plant being built here I only wish I was younger so I could work and reap the benefits of this project!