Water sampling at Pilgrim and Markey's expert panel on the horizon, officials say
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PLYMOUTH — Sampling of the one million gallons of contaminated water still left at the now-closed Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station will begin soon, officials said at a Sep. 26 Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel.
"We must hold Holtec accountable to the commitments to listen to our stakeholders, and we must protect against any unsafe release of this water," Jim Cantwell, state director for U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, read from a statement from the senator. "The public must have a say in how Holtec's waste is disposed, and it is imperative the public be fully informed about both the contents of that waste and the potential impacts of its disposal."
At a field subcommittee hearing in May hosted by Markey about the plans for Pilgrim's wastewater, Holtec CEO and President Kris Singh agreed to halt any plans of discharging the water into Cape Cod Bay until third-party experts agreed upon by both sides could weigh in on the contents of the water.
From the archives: Holtec dumping of radioactive water at NJ plant spurs questions about Pilgrim's future
Since the hearing, Markey's office has been identifying possible experts, Cantwell told the citizens panel on Monday.
These experts will include people with experience in radio chemistry, physical oceanography and radiological health services, he said.
Markey's office has also secured a promise from Holtec that the Department of Public Health will be allowed to be at the sampling of the wastewater, and conduct their own testing of the water.
Cantwell said they are still finalizing the list of experts, but should have more information in the coming weeks.
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Holtec will present independent results at next meeting
Holtec Senior Compliance Manager David Noyes said at Monday's meeting the company will also provide its own wastewater data at the next panel session on Nov. 28.
That will include historical data of radionuclides in the treated wastewater from past discharges when the plant was still active, and live data from recent samples searching for any illegal contaminants outlined by the EPA.
These are not the tests Holtec agreed to in May, Noyes told the panel, but data it will provide independently, alongside those tests.
From the archives: All 15 Cape towns say 'no' to Holtec's plans for the bay
Noyes also said Holtec is prepared to schedule a time for the Department of Public Health to take wastewater samples.
At the meeting, Jack Priest from the radiation control program at the Department of Public Health and Seth Pickering from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection said they would contact Holtec to set up a time to collect the samples.
The exact contents of Pilgrim's wastewater have been under scrutiny by nuclear organizers, who voiced concerns and criticisms at Monday's meeting about the presence of contaminants in the water even after it is treated — tritium in particular.
The next Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel will take place on Nov. 28 at Plymouth Town Hall.
Contact Sarah Carlon at scarlon@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @sarcarlon.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Pilgrim wastewater sampling and Markey's expert panel on the horizon
