| A few questions concerning Greenville's drinking water |
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| Written by Joe Whetstone | |
| Thursday, 03 May 2007 | |
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Beth Padgett
Liv Osby Dear Ms. Padgett and Ms. Osby, In a recent editorial your newspaper suggested that the Barnwell low-level nuclear waste dump should remain open to the nation. Are you aware that those of us who live downstream from this facility regularly receive on average more than 500 picocuries per liter of tritium in our drinking water? Our water comes from the Savannah River after it flows by Plant Vogtle, the Savannah River Site and the Barnwell nuclear waste dump. Our provider, the Beaufort Jasper Water and Sewer Authority (BJWSA) tests our water for tritium on a regular basis. Tritium from the Barnwell facility has made its way to Mary’s Branch which flows to Lower Three Run’s Creek and then into the Savannah River. A memorandum from BJWSA states: Tritium levels from the Duke Power facility are not detectable near Augusta, upstream of SRS. So I did not include Duke’s three Oconee reactors as a tritium source for the Lowcountry. I hope that you understand our concern for the safety of our water supplies here and will consider asked the following questions of the Greenville Water System in the Upstate:Dear Ms. Padgett and Ms. Osby, How often is the water that is taken from Lake Keowee analyzed for radionuclides? What radionuclides are there in the water taken from Lake Keowee? What are the radio nuclide levels after the water has been treated? Who does the analysis? My research shows the following: Duke Energy – Oconee: An agreement exists between the Greenville Water System and Duke Energy that allows up to 150 million gallons of water per day to be taken from Lake Keowee. Two reactors were brought on line in 1973 and the third in 1974. The licenses for these reactors were renewed in May of 2000. Because there is no more space in the spent fuel pools at this site, there is on-site outdoor nuclear waste storage. (Know technically an “Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation.” Source Nuclear Regulatory Commission) Tritium in Drinking water: In March of 2006 the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) established a Public Health Goal (PHG) of 400 picocuries per liter for tritium in drinking water. This goal was set using the EPA document “Cancer Risk Coefficients for Environmental Exposure to Radionuclides: Federal Guidance Report 13”. (1) Although the tritium “standard” for California is still 20,000 pCi/L, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment Public Health Goal of 400 pCi/L should not be trivialized. The PDF (1) at the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment WEB site provides information on how the health-protective value of 400 pCi/L was calculated. Note that the “standard” protection model often does an inadequate job of protecting the most vulnerable among us. (3) In 2005 the Beaufort Jasper Water and Sewer Authority reported the average level of tritium was 547 pCi/L.(2) Obviously, the level of tritium being consumed by those of us whose drinking water comes from the Savannah River is already higher than the California Public Health Goal of 400 pCi/L. The citizens of South Carolina and Georgia are already paying a heavy price for the environmental damage from the existing nuclear facilities located near the Savannah River. 1. - Link to information on Public Health Goal of 400 picocuries per liter for tritium in drinking water in California. 2. - Link to the 2005 Water Report for the Beaufort Jasper Water and Sewer Authority stating the average level of tritium was 547 pCi/L in 2005. 3. - Link to an IEER request to change the federal radiation protection standard from an adult "Caucasian" male who is 20 to 30 years old to the most at risk. (1) http://www.oehha.ca.gov/water/phg/pdf/PHGtritium030306.pdf (2) http://www.bjwsa.org/pdf_files/2005waterreport.pdf (3) http://www.ieer.org/campaign/letter.php Sincerely,
Joe Whetstone
Bluffton, SC |
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