BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT.
ARCHIVED PHOTO-BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT.
(Non Staff)
A newspaper reports that radioactive water leaked from a tank at an Alabama nuclear plant, releasing tritium into the environment.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that the leak occurred last week at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant near Athens.
A spokesman for the Tennessee Valley Authority, which operates the plant, said the leak was quickly contained and presented no public risk.
The TVA said a drain line leaked 100 to 200 gallons of water containing tritium levels above acceptable drinking water standards.
In a report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the TVA said it increased monitoring of water around the plant but hasn't detected elevated tritium levels outside the plant.
Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen that occurs in nature and also as a byproduct of nuclear fission.