Pilgrim Nuclear

The process seems to be moving much slower than at Vermont Yankee, according to a Department of Public Health representative on the state's nuclear panel. At Pilgrim, a dispute over the disposition of radioactive water has led to delays.

A state appeal over the proposed discharge of radioactive water from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is about to get underway.

Newly published research shows water from Pilgrim would likely remain in Cape Cod Bay for a least a month, and seasonal differences in wind and currents would influence the movement of the water.

The fuel, which is still radioactive, is stored outdoors on the Plymouth site in steel canisters, encased in concrete containers called casks.

The question of whether radioactive elements in the water would pose a threat to human health or the environment has sparked protests and heated debate at meetings of the state’s Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel. The panel invited the scientists to speak.

The contingent included members of environmental groups, along with associations representing fishermen, charter captains, and the real estate industry. They asked the Healey administration to stop the ongoing evaporation of reactor water from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.

A state appeals officer ruled Thursday that local residents, organizations, and two town governments will be allowed to participate in the appeal — some more actively than others.

Cape Cod and South Shore activists should know by Thursday whether they’ll be allowed to participate in a state appeal regarding the discharge of radioactive water from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.

The Association to Preserve Cape Cod is leading one of several efforts to gain legal standing to participate in the administrative appeal, which is similar to a court case.

Marine radiochemist Ken Buesseler's written comments on water test results at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station became a hot-button issue recently at the state's nuclear advisory panel, but he wasn't there to respond. Now, he's talking with CAI's Jennette Barnes.