ML20056B589
| ML20056B589 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Monticello  |
| Issue date: | 03/08/1968 |
| From: | Mcelroy D NORTHERN STATES POWER CO. |
| To: | Tremmel E US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9102070570 | |
| Download: ML20056B589 (11) | |
Text
, oau a s s.t.4143 4+,2-NonTHERO STATE 3 PowrR CoWPANY COPY f
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March 8,1%8 Mr. Ernest B. Trez:cel Division of Industrial Participation United States Atomic Energy Co::rnission Washington, D. C.
205h5
Dear Mr. Tremmel:
An I promised you in y letter dated February 23, 1968, I am attaching a file of clippinga which have appeared in newspapera in the area re-latin; to our application pending before the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to diccharge heated circulating water and 1cra level radioactive waate from our Monticello plant.
I will continue to keep you informed of development es they occur throu,;h this medium.
It van a pleasure to have met both you and Colonel Hill last Friday.
Very truly you.
D. F. McELROY Vice President-Engineering Enclosures Cc: fir. Harold L. Price v
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i;3 GLENNIGLEll on a regular basis. So far his recruitmg The agency estimates Mmnesota munici-I'ditorial Page Staff Writer eHorts have met with little success, Fhd c/ Two Columns mamly because the sta'e csval service palities will have to spend 146 million pay scale is too low to compete with the dollars for the construchon of interceptor The M i n n e s o t a Pollution Cont!01 salaries offered by private industries.
sewers and sewage treatment facihties Agency, which flexes its muscles for the during the next ten years. About 60 treat-first time today, has the authority to get "We can't hire anyone with experi-Mmnesota's waters cleaned ence," Eadaheh said in an interview.
ment plants serving outstate murucipali-up, but it is bomg ham-p "And after we train the new people, in-ties are considered inadequate and m need of replacement or enlargement,31 lack of m a n p o w e r. y a (('g.
pered in its efforts b dustry hires thtm away "
municipalities have sewer systems with The The agency which waScreated by the no treatment, about 350 small outstate agency moves out of the.5 '# -
1967 state legislature, opens its first sa.
municipahties are expected to construct O
preparatory stage of its y hty standard enforcement hear-their first sewage systems, a number of work and mto the action,.. "w. 5 ings at 9 a m today. At these hearings, fairly large municipahties will have to l
stage today with the hold.,,
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mumcipalities and 2ndustries which are add secondary treatment plants, to their ing of its first enforcement [ g-dinharging wastes mto the Mississippi, primary facahties and the facilities m the r
M nnesota and M. Croix rivers win be in-Twm Ciues metropolitan area will be With more than 400 se* h jj z.a formed of the standards they must meet, greatly expanded.
lekler Dischargers who are not already meet-age treatment plants and countless prnate industrial firms dis-ing the standards will be given time Badalich plans to ask the 1969 legisla.
schedules for compliance. The maximum ture to enact a state grant program chargmg e f flue nt s into the state s time allowed for fmal comphanee will be which not on!y would provide state funds
.;treams, the Pollution Control Agency four 3 cars.
to help these municipahties but also imds itself unaMe to pobce all the poter would generate a larger federal contrahu-tsal polluters. It simply doesn t has t-li a municipahty fails to comply with tion. The federal government now ui'l enough surveillance personnel. and it ap-the agency's orders, the agency has the contribute 30 per cent of the cost to a parently won t have for a long time t authority la design proper sewage dis.
municipahty when it builds a sewage C"* C '
posal facihties and have them construct.
treatment plant. If the state provides at This means that although the agency ed at tM expense of the municipality.
least 25 per cent of the cost, the federal has set up quahty standards far. all li an industry does not abate its pollu.
government will contribute up to 55 per Mmnesota waters and has the power.
tion, the agency can stop it from dis-cent.
through court action, to stop a polluter chargmg into the stream through court from discharging wastes mto a stream action.
The Legislature would do wcTI to con-or lake, the Job of pohemg the municipal M
M b W de sider such a program. The largest single sewage treatment plants an<* the pr,iva e pg g
@m M MM ph n-y maintams 87 monitor stdions on state t es a d m ries henise e h le it streams and checks them any time a re.
public examiner, is for sardtation s.sd I
can t.c assumed that most of them will port is doubtful or a complaint is made, waste removal and treatment. The added be horest, the system leases a large the municipalities and industries remain assistance which would stem from a loophole through which a less-than civic.
- the enviable position of being their state grant program would ensure a minded polluter can pour his effluent.
"*." P I'C'**"-
qmcker cleanup of Minnesota's waters.
Cornnussioner John Badahch is aware They simply send their reports to the The Pollution Contro! Agency also is of this loophole and says he would hke to agency for analysis' responsible for the cor. trol of air pollu-hire men for surveillance teams to check tion in the state. The agency's problems I
sewage plants and industrial dischargers CLI'AN water will not come cheap.
in another editorial.
and duties in that area will be discussed 13 i
l
NUCLEAR PLANTS AND MAN 1
Phvs. 3.icisi D.iscutes
.RadioN$NfyIndlYPCA p
t AS IF IT didn'tl~ ave enough trouble with "rou-tine" problems such as sewers and smokestacks, the l
p4 m'
- ion
$ IsiOiliGs young and still under-staffed Minnesota Pollution Con-l
/
l trol Agency (PCA) must decide whether to permit dis-ll -hj m dib.d./
7.2,6 charge of any radioactive wastes into the Mississippi j
l A I a Crosse health physicist 'Mitrch" 12 a decision'on wl.rth,
kiver from Northern States Power Co.'s proposed nu-i
~
has disputed the claim of a Uni-er NSP will be permitted to tace clear power plant at Monticello.
l versity of Minnesota associate water from the Mississippi Riv.
On the one hand are the company and a host of cf radioactivity will be dis-plant's cooling system and then; scientists assuring the agency that contemplated ra-
. j professor that dangerous levels er to use in the MonticellY charged from the N o r t h e r o discharge it back in the river.
dioactive discharges are miniscule,less than are found Stztes Power Co. nuclear sta-The plant is due to be opera.
in drinking water, beer or milk and well under the sup-tion at Monticello, Minn, tional in May 1970.
posedly safe standards of the Atomic Energy Com-He is Thomas A. Steele,3431 Steele moved to La Crosse in mission. On the other hand are some scientists, also i
Chftside Drive. who is health January from Illinois where he with impressive credentials, conservationists and poli-i and safety engineer for Dairy-; worked at the Argonne National ticians who urge the discharge permit be denied.
land Parer Cooperative's Genoa, Laboratory near Chicago. He The opposition scientists say there is no such i
nucletr generating plant.
o eo and his wife, Joanne, have two thing as a truly safe level of radiation, that there is Dr. Charles W. Huver, asso. children, Jeff,14 months, and a straight line correlation between the level of radio-ciste professor of zoology, has Carolyn, who was born Feb. 9.
activity and cancer, leukemia and genetic defects in predicted an increase in leuke-He as a natsve of Hudson and the population thus exposed. They argue that NSP mia and birth defects directly (eceived his bachelors degr" should be required to operate a " closed-cycle" sys-pro l
})ls tem at Monticello which would prevent both radio-ate t am
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er te si ity. 11
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d l its way into drinking water. He!got his master of science degree active and thermal (heated water) discharge into the has said that a study of fish at the Uruversity of Washing.
- river, i
subjected to the discharge of a ton, Seattle, in radiological sci-The PCA lacks the expertise on its staff to resolve 5
l ' nuclear plant suffered "100 per ence with a mmor in nuclear the scientific dispute. It is considering hiring a con-I cent mortality."
'"jineering.
sultant, and it should, we believe, do so. It should 1Ye ex laine at t$e IIar' ford also require from NSP an estimate of what it would in 11 re t t om e Pr u health physics involves protect-Operation, Hanford, Wash.
cost to build and operate the plant on a year-around,
ing man and his environment 5 t e eIe says that although CIOSCd CYCIC-i from radiation hazards, and many universities offer degrees The problem of balancing risk against human 1 that health physicists are em 8" health physics there is a benefits, as the Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc., points played at nuclear installations, h age o gr ates. "The fe.
out in a booklet on atomic power, is not new. We
?
a un e s ies a a big problem,**
s id.
rnight, for example, save 53,000 lives a year by out-sesrch programs, by the Atomic aMng automobiles; but we accept the risk and the Energy Commission and at state benefits of living with autos. If the price of protection agencies concerned with radia.
from increased radiation-no matter how small-and tion control.
from thermal pollution is penny-cheap, like electricity, l
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,g w
l fhg, L Statements ti.at the Twin-
- fg Point of No Return it seems likely the customers will be willing to pay it.
Cities drinking water will be unsafe due to the operation of To the Editor: In this age whe7 it is ob-r.- -
the NSP f:cihty can be disprov.
vious that we can destroy the entire earth en by scientific investigation al.
with atomic blasts or pollution of our air, ready completed, Steele said.
water and land, we Imd Northern States bicele said has profession has Power pleadmg to give our already polluted i
existed since the Manhattan Mississippi River another shot of pollut-(
ants. This time it is radio-active wastes from Project in the early 1940s and today every nuclear power sta-a nuc! car power plant.
tion employs at least one health Sure. their studies show that what little i
physicist
- they will spew mto the river isn t really harmful, but that is hardly the point. It is like the straw that broke the camels' back.
"His job a. to ensure that ra-s All we have to do is look at the streams on diosctive (Ouents are below the Atlantic Coast to see the ultimate limits est&.IM.ed by federal result.There is a point of no return.
agencies suen as the Atomic En-ergy Commission... limits If we are ever going to start the cicanup
)
of our already polluted streams, now is the I
which are based on, millions of time to start saying "no." Our own state of dollars of research.
Minnesota could have said. *no" to the j
water plant that is now spewing billions sa la tors ullt in the es-t tzblished limits. He said that it of gallons of hot water mto the St. Croix has been. scientifically proven River and will be changing the environment of that beautiful river in the future.
an als can con inu -
Brooklyn Center.
-Roy A. Johnson.
ly caposed to low levels of radio-activity.
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The Minnesota Pollution Con-trol Agency has delayed until:
. ~ -
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If present flans proceed according tosche.
l dule the first.NWuclear plant will go into operation at FTaine Island. a few miles above Red Wars, sometime in 197.
While constrvction of C e plant will give the area a tremendous econ nic boost, fears are now bemg erpressed rt,;*rding possible contamination of air and wac'r from the in-stallation.
Questions have also been s;ised about the nuclear plant at Monticello, whic. is only alnut half the size of that pla:med fr t the Pralrie Island construction.
r There appear to be two r.ajor fears. Dis-charge of heated water in'i the river could prove inimical LL fish and plcat life. And there could be danger to area residents from radioactive contaminants in air and water.
Danger.from heated water is apparently minimal since cooling towers will control tem-perature of discharred mater. Careful ir: spec-tion and a strict set of rules should easily resolve this doubt.
Pollution from radiation raises more se-rious quesuons.Suchcontamination-ifpersnitted to exist-could adversely affect residents ofboth Minnesota and Wisconsin. Fears concerr.ingpol-lation generated by the plant have already been expressed to the Graphic by some area residents.
1 The average newspaper editor is not equip-I ped to deal with scientific matters of this sort. Newspapers have no way of measuring the hazards of radiatiorHhough they are not slow to report on pollution when inforrnation is received from reliable sources. Readers may recall that some years ago farmers in this area were asked to take their cows off, fresh pastures and put them on old hay be-cause of the danger associated with radioac-1 tive fallout and possible contamination of milk.
Only the Atomic Energy Commission is competent to handle such matters. And it would
! seem reasonable to expect that stringent mea-
) sures will be taken to assure safe operation of the plant. It seems equally important that the public should be informed of the men-sures taken to assure their protection from i
possible radiation hasards. Several state and federal Egencies will be involved in the opera-tion, and a clear-cut statement from some of them might help to quiet the fears of those who are more and morv concerned about pol-lution of our natural environment-end in par-ticular of Lake Pepin and of the air me breathe bore in Lake City.
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..f /( f Radiggvg. D,umpjng Opposed To the Dliter: Americans have, chopped down entire g
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i forests, allowed the crosion of rich farr. 4nd, scarred the
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,j k{}e b,p g countryside with junked car lots. and turned their rivers
.hsaU W' W j and streams into open sewers.
4 s
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liere in Minnesota, we will have started the next j
phase of our country's desecration if Northern States Power Co. is allowed to dump radioactive waste into the i'
Ph R
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Mississippi River. Can you imagine what will happen as future nuclear plants in other states bordenng the Mis-
' g ph '** T T *h M *l w
g sissippi begm to disgorge their "small amount" of radio-4 j
active waste into this body of water?
The Tribune's Feb. 6 editorial mentioned that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, by its own admis-p*
sion, is not equipped to set radioactivity limits. Might e
I suggest that there should be only one radioactivity limit JJ Q,
5 g
g for all industrial water returned to our rivers, and that g
s is, tero.--Mrs. Martin Bruhl, Minneapolis.
is J
Pollution Likely to Continue A quart of beer, milk or whis-In any event. Furber ex.
j key all carry more radiation pleined, the Prairie Island plant To the Editor: Despite the m. ereased alarm of many I than will come from Northern will be under strict and con.
citizens over the rapidly accelerating rate of pollution Stcles Power Company's nu-tinuous supervision by the AEC of air and water, this trend can never be reversed be-clear plant on Prairie Island. which has authority to close' cause of a fundamental flaw in our present methods of i
This, an NSP spokesman dt-it down at any time.
dealing with the problem. The amount of pollutants dis-clared here Wednesday, shows The plant itself will contain charged into our air and water is not determined by con-just how safe the Prairie 15-six different safety factors. in-siderations of the public good, but rather by the pol-
- land plant will be.
cludmg a number of monitors
'$atfis e' polluters who determine the quahty of R. R. D. Turber, NSP's vice both inside and outside the president for information. ad plant. The outside monitors -
our water was agam illustrated.by the recent appearance of Northern States Power Co. before the state Pollution
, dressed a Red Wing Industrial some as far as 50 miles away
! Development - sponsored lun - will be put into operztion Control Agency. NSP is seeking a license to discharge cheon for community leaders one to two years before the large quantities of heated water and significant amounts
] et the St. James llotel.
plant begins generating electri-of low-level, radioactive wastes into the Mississippi River Furber named a number of CD' from its new plant at Monticello.
It was shown that the thermal pollution could be commonly used liquids and list. A delegation of NSP technical
' eliminated and the radioactive pollution could be sub-ed the amount of radioactivity rnen is in Washington right stantially reduced by recycling the water through cool-contained in a single quart of now, Furber said, for 10 days ing towers, rather than discharging it directly into the each, as follows:
of explaining the Prairie Island river as NSP proposed to do.
. plant to AEC officials. NSP When asked why they did not plan to use continu.
Tap water.
20 picocunes must get one AEC permit to ous recycling at their Monticello plant. NSP spckesmen Beer.
130 picoeuries build the plant and another to said it would be too costly and NSP felt an obligation 2
- Whiskey........I,200 picoeuries operate it.
to their customers to keep rates as low as possible.
I Milk.........I,400 picoeuries NSP hopes to have the first I suggest that, given the chance, most customers Furber said w uld choose to pay a little more. Citizens must demand of these by July 1'g cuemoniy Salad oil.. 4,900 picoeuries Ground - breakin that the power to make these vital decisions be trans-In comparison, he said, the are planned around Wy 1.
ferred from the polluters to public bodies which have as their only purpose the preservation of our waters and the
' discharge water from NSP's NSP must also et M.
coming plant on Prsirie Island nesota Conservation departm t
will have only five picocunes. permit to take water out of (A picoeurie is one trillionth the Mississippi, Furber told of a curie of radioactivity.)
Wednesday's luncheon audience, Approaching the same point and a Minnesote Pollution Con-from another direction, Furber trol Agency (PCA) permit to 4
explained that everybody picks return the wa:er to the river, i up smcIl amounts of radiation NSP will use cooling towers i all the time - from the air, as tecessary to cool the re-
) from cosmic ra;.5. from homes turning water to whatever tern-and build 4rgs, trom food and erature the Minnesota PCA p
cm' specifies. It has set 87 degrees Taking all these sources to-for NSP's new St. Croix plant gtther, the average person but hasn't determined a tem-picks up about 200 mi!!irems terature for Prairie Island yet.
1 of radiation per year, whlie the The Prairie Island plant will Atomic E n e r g y Commissionneed 1,300 cubic feet of river
, has established 5 000 mith-water per second out of an rems es a permissible occupa average Mississippi flow here tional level.
The Prairie Island plant is,of 9,500 cubic feet per second.
Rollie Evtrts. *1Yenton resort designed to put out not more perator, raised the only criti-o t!.an five millirents per year. cal note at Wednesday's lun.
Furber said, and in actual op.'cheon. He feared the plant's eranon it probably woni ex discharge of warm water would cred one millirem annually.
Injure the fishing below the dam, but Furber denied that this would happen.
1.
av'-"=
Icet the prugram shonid be started m 1970 if the first plant ig to d
Editor. ids lu w.y gn inin operatarin in 1972. That way we would have a two year nicture efihr envi,enmeni aithe s*te before the >>>ni berins producing power. Frnrn that point on, it would be a simple thNuclearf'fp/4 How Sofe?
matter to keep up the program. If at any point radiatio 9 hegan lonts:
to m-e na the anr we. ihe viaai cauid be sh"i do a-Q4/
A L N7 To further case any fears that rnight develop, NSP mithf the que Z ravd etmut uIh. 6tagnuckar plant want to consider an independent report directiv to the public smely must %c firodormg wmc new thoughts and esen some on the results of monitoring programs. Here in Red Wing we al-fou s in Red Wmg After all. uc'll be p4 a feu mdes down.
l Mream fiom an mstaLtion that will tie at 1 cast twice the me ready have monthly reports on the purity of our city water sup-of the Monticello runt.
ply. Why not the same sort of report on the purity of our en-vironment?
As was prnten in the NSP dhpute on the St Croix. power i
plants can get to be rmghty emotional issue. The first thmg necessary is a precise listing of the issues Me see two major g
l ones in the Entscello dnpute.
- 1. Discharge of heated water into the riter.
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2 Dacharge of radioactive contammants mte the water and A
Us 44 7 J u v Us mr.
Tbc first issue is so easily resolved it's no realissue at all.
i y
The Pollution Control Agency (PCA) need do nothing more 1
than lay down a set of rules These rulas should spell out the Onf e
Orme proper temFrature of the riser to sustain fish and plant life.
The rules alsn *,hould specify the monitorirg methods and the Radioactivity levels in wat. would have on the environy times uhen coohng touers must be used. Next there should be er discharged from Northem ment.
l an iron. clad program Inr policing the rules-States P o w e r Company's IIOWEVER, even the small NSP has said it will meet any rules laid down by the PCA.
planned nuclear generating increase in Mississippi River So therei nothing really left to argue about.
ant radioactivity above the Tv;in We would expect the same sort of thing to happen on
, t an n or na ta Cities could be avoided if Prairic Island.
water, a consultant for the NSP would operate a The only part of this issue that micht remam. in doubt in the company said Tuesday.
" closed" system, a Universi-ty of Minnesota scientist PCA's ability. due to budget and staff limitations. to provide the The consultant James M-proper police force up and down the river for att the power Smith Jr., an em, ployee of said. In such a system, water would be constantly recycled, plants when thr atency has a few thousand other problems fac-General Electric Co.,
said and ar.y of it contammg,
ing it - hke figurmg out how to treat all the seware in the radioactivity added to the t
metropohtan area. But this is a legislative matter. and one that IMississippi River at Monti-radioetive wastes would be, is likely to change only when things get so bad that the public '
haulod away from the plant ;
Imd* them mtolerable.
a eo aximu le is al-a ed e Abr ha sor In the case of Prairic Island (not Monticelloh the federal lowed by the Atomic Energy NSP lans to use the water pollution control agency also becomes invoked. The Commission, which licenses Prairac Island site is withm the confmes of the Upper Mississip-and regulates nuclear power.. closed" system only occa-plants.
s onally, when the river is so pi enforcement project. And thus any discharges from the plant low that big water quantities must be considered withm the announced standards for swim-Smith was one of a battery can't be drawn from it for ming nuahty water above Red Wing. Wisconsin. as a potential jof experts and NSP officials the plant, said A. V. Dienhart.
miured party, could be counted upon to keep some pressure on
, who presented the company's the company's manager of the feds.
case for the power plant yes, engineermg.
In short, we think the problem of hot water can be effectively terday in Minneapolis to a TIIE MINNESOTA Pollu-large group of municipal, tion Control Agency, which handled (possibly more easily than the attendant hot air 1.
l l
The No 2 issue is a Cond deal less clear. cut. In the first county and state officials. has not yet granted NSp a i
l plart. the PCA should not even be considering the problem of The meeting was called by water discharge permit for s
NSP to explain how the nu-the plant, is not convinced
! radiat#on. It has no technical competence in the field and it's in no poution to gain such competence. The federal government clear power plant would op-that NSP shouldn't le re-crate and what effects it quired to operate the closed has designated the AEC as the agence to rule on safety of nu-clear installations. Those who oppose'the Monticello plant (and system year round, said Rob-!
! Prairie Island, too) should go to the AEC to argue their case.
ert Tuveson of Albert Lea, The AEC already has held its hearing (in Buffalo. Minn.1 on chainnan of the agency.
l Jhe Monticello plant so it could argue that it need not listen to The agency will make fur-anything further until the time arrives to grant an operating ther study of the question.
i permit for the plant. But since the issue has been brought into said Tuveson, who was not the public eye, perhaps the AEC would be willing to send a at yesterday's presentation.
{
delecate to the riext PCA meeting.
The power plant issue was i
j In effect, the critics of the klonticello plant art saying the discussed at an agency meet.
' AECis makmg a barrible mistake. We think the AEC should be ing last week, where Abra-tilling to meet the challenge head-on hamson, a nuclear physicist, levded several critiasms at We think it unkkely that two militant professors and a lay the NSP plans, and said any conservationist who are tpcarbeading opposition to the plant) increase in radioactMy fmm can prove the ACC wrong. But they should be given full oppor-any s urce is undesirable.
tunity to be heard
{
E a r1 Ewald president of Red Wmg will be in a fortunate position to deal with the NSP, told yesterday's meet-question v6en a srises on Prairie Island. We have a mayor who mg that the company has is not only leau.ed in atomie energy. but one who's business is
$$,'rs {ed e sP nse or ut interrningled with the businesses of those who handle radioactive anterials on a day-to-day basis-tory requirements and that No doubt Mayor Jelatis will be able to take a leading role in the company is greatly con-GMking wre the pro;wr precautions are taken on Prairie Island.
cerned about environmental The one thing that seems most important to us is that a pmblems."
8 roper mnmtoring program he set up on Prairie Island and in tarby areas. NSP has agreed such a program is needed. We 5
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L au-whnt her Pei MINNEAPOLIS - Municipal erating plants with a capacit '
le:dcrs were told Tuesday the of more than Kio,0uo kUowatts
- #b " *'""
acter dischargt4 from North Ewald said.
to 50 radiadon units per year.
The cochng water cycle is de-crn State's Power Co.'s Monti-Itad osctivity from the Monti-miUlrem,,I. he said.
"#""**"I I8 signed with a high degree of ce!S, Minn, nudear generating cello plant win present m dan-a ung fMWty s,o NSP plant ciU have a lower level ger, the group was told by l Seahng this down, the Atomic win be able to o;rrate the sysd of radioactive concentrations James M. Smith, Jr., ra6o.
pera Commissized has set tem to maet all enteria esd than an equal amount of or logical engineering consultant
,a limit per year of 5,000 mil-tablished by the Pollution Con-dinary tap water.
- for Ger/fal Electric Co.'s Nu.
trol Agency.
The pint was ernphasized clear hugy Dnision.
For persons living adjacent The cooling water cycle will ct a sprial briefmg session in to such a plant, the AEC scales add only heat to the river andl NSP's general office buildmg
- "Y 'adoach wade water its lirnits down even further to this thermal addition will be in Minneapohs attendmg by Imn De plant, incluing any about a tenth of that for plant kept within the Umits prescrib1 water removed from the plants wo-kers, or 50 minirems per M by law, Smith said.
I Twin City, suburban. county and township officials from the el sal circuit system, will te year.
metropolitan area and state of-collected, treatN1 to minimize
. The GE design level for Dr., Warren Lawson, deputy fleials ad members of various radioactive materials, tested, eweutive omen & me dak committees and agencies.
and then returned to the river Montido's twighbors is five millirems per year and we ex-depadment of health ard chief Northern State's construction ;ria its cooling water discharge, pect that it adually will te of W sedion d rahn W project has bwome controver-jhe said.
about one," Smith said.
occupational health for the saal in recent weeks as the i The average concentration of Dept. of IIcalth, discussed the MonticeDo reactor nears com ' radioactive materials from the He added that some radio' departm e n t 's environrnenta pletion l plant to the river will be only active gases will be released monitoring activities.
Conservation groups have op ;a small fraction of the amount from de plant, and these wiu psai the stonue pcwer plant ermitted under limits of the le closely monitored and con-r c.a herJth hazard to both people iU. S Atomic Energy Commis-trolled for radioactivity before and wild!!fe.
sion. Smith sad, being released and dispersed A University of Mmpesota "These limits are based on from the stack at the site.
scientist said even the smau U* assumption that a person ! D. F. McElroy, NSP's vice inervase in radioactivity in the n u es all of his drmking. president of engmeering, out-wate imn De plans ds-Mississippi River above the Twin Cides could le avoided Chrge canal, which no one Ltned the regulatory senttiny to if NSP would operate a " clos-w uld, and contan substantial which NSP's MonticeDo plant ed" tydem.
safety factors, he said has been subjected by falcral W date erida Smith said people Neelve The pwer plant is being built two miles upstream on "far greater concentratics of Initial planning includal,the m nly consume., liquids wv com-rad oectivity in Atomic Energy Commission, the Mississippi from the first Minneston Pollution Contm!-
access point of the sourte of St. Paul's water su; ply.
Accortling to Smith, the fol. Agency, Minnesota Depart-lowing common ligtJds contain ment of llealth, Minnesota De-
- +
Criwes have feared the higher perecctages of units of partment of Conservatiert, the amount of radioactivity that radioactivity: domestic tar U. S. Corps of Engineerr,, the may ta in De capital cdy's water has five units (pico-U. S. Fish and Wildlife S and the U. S. Public H_ervice; 1
drinking water rJter the plant l key,130 units, milk,1,400 units curiesh 4.0 beer,20 units, whis-ealth tegir.s operations, and fear the,
Sernee.
I wermer water caused from and sa!ad oil, 4.9W units.,
l ccoling operations in the plant Since these are radioactive
A lengthy series of STitlen' t4H kjD fishhle and spred the levels that occur naturaDy ex-submittals and meetings has hfe of harmin! green algae in cept in the discharge canal
- been condue.t-d to comply with the rinr.
lthe human body's liquids have g-oi g aspects of federal and state Robert Tuveton, chairman of a natural radioactivity gg cg_
the Minnesota PoUution Control agth
!r ed that radio, cemd agencies and their staffs Agency, said the agency isn1 convinced that NSP shouldn t activity and radiation occur of the design of the Monticello te required to operate the c
'where in r.sture, la fact, plant," McElroy said., h M
tk n&be a pg.
Public hearings, wit sp-clued system year around.
son would receiro from livig propriate public notice, hsve "he agency has yet to grant immediately adjacent to a trJ. been held, and interested citi-N5P,a water dr.cnarge permit clear power plant would be zens have made their appear-and w,em said at would con-about half what the average ances and received attention."
tu p v.udy the quealon.
American receives imm justi McElroy said there had been Em Ewald, NSP prendent said the rapid growth an the' watching television-no element of secrecy nor any attempt to withhold any facts metmpoLtan agra and the of data conecming the Monti-granth in the use of electricity other sources of natural cello site.
in the area in the past 20 3 tars background radiation are the A V.
ad, W,s man-has increamt the demand for materials used in home con-clectr2 city 330 per cent.
,struction - alcut 50 radiation "E" d *"E*"***E' N "In order to provide the ade-units for a frame house and O' M'"U*d' PI""I "N*
- Date and depeadable service slightly higher for brick or fccilities, with particular at-tention to the condenser cool-thit our customers are ac-7eone -- five unita in the air I Ostomed to, NSP must build we breathe and 25 in the fonds "E *"# CYCIC-He poirded out Wat W cd and place in acryice every we est-other year throur.h IIr!4 gen.
ing water cycle is separated Cosmic radisuon from the,from the radioactive portions s.ky adds to this total, and of the plant.
Smith said the amount varies
.i.,
,my3 m
fr/ STATE AGENCY
-/ /bb boh. / IA~"'
t for twn h armr.s. o* u al he gp nn powihte p,Ilutmn nf Lake P.o uh.on Curas :==nforcec
/h#
Supermr anri its tributaries; gar==
1 Ity Joll\\ P. HAllAl.lCil
+nta. res tainly has generated mission and the State Board state authority to form a To state that the Mmnesota a considerable amotml of in-
, sanitary distr ct. pike Lake l
s of Ilealth. This Agency cer-4 is just outside Duluth.
l'ollution Control Agency has terest, confusq rn a s t a U-madequate laws to cope' uith ments and misunderstand-tainly does not have or cannot water pollution matters err- '" k afford the expertise necessary IN ANOT1IER development to evaluate the p o t e n t i a l s csterday, federal water pel-tainly indicates a lack of un-lution control officials said
~
At the outset let me 3 tate health hazard of radioactivity l they would be glad to send derstandmg or complacency that this Agency and the for, and must depend on experts on the part of the editorial mer Mmnesota Water Pollu. or agencies nationally recog-
' the NSp nuclear plant plans I their esperts in to evahiate
{
writer. This Agency has al-tion Control Commission have nized in this facid.
ready been branded by others been well aware of the pro-It was m ost unfortunate Murray Stem of Washmg-l if Ihe state agency wishes.
as being too strict and with posed nuclear power plant that the Northern States Pow-ton D.C. chief enforcement s cry rigid water q uality and have worked with the er Company did not request g ffrer for the Federal Water standards and rules and regu-technical people of NSP since i
n lations that base already been late 1966 cn this project. The the MPCA for a permit for Pollution Control Admmis-i Northern States Power Com-waste disposal prior to the tration, said that, generally tested in the Courts and unli start of their construction of speaking, my position on
.,,,...u-c m., y. %',a,,
pany has also been informed the power piar.t f acilitie5.
f**d'oactive pollution is to-d.,n
.- g.
of the rigid standards regard-This Agency does not have keep it out at the snurce.
h:,r
\\
ing thermal pollution adopted jurisdiction over the construe.
He said this wnuld mean a
/
(
k by this Agency and submitted g"
k to the Secretary of the Interi-tiors or buildmg of structures closed system. but he woul f
t t
or for a;iproval as Minneso-other than waste disposal sys-lnot comment specifically nn tems. The required plans for the NSp plant.
L, ta's interstate water quality the construction of these dis-The Atomic Energy c.om-7 d',
.y4 standards. The secretary's posal facihties have been sub-mission held a hearm;: on
(.W (d
_.1 apploval is pending.
mitted and reviewed and the i
j p
ad ut p
7; p
The Northern States Power necessary permit authorizing hm m I
[1[J 1
.. O.."k Company, because of the riv. their construction and opera-
,{
a i
j udd it j
e r temperature criteria, was tion is the matter now under r deral pollutmn e
p *,-s G' I
I compelled to invest a con, consideration by the Agency.
[ control officials did nnt at.
',,.,f*r. q siderable amount of addition-tend that bearmg. They und j
It certainly would be desira-ig
\\.. j f z j al monies so as to construct ble to coordmate the efforts of
, "vited,
. vesterday they weven't in.
g; i
a rooling ia eilities to meet
,' :) these rigid t e m p e r a t u r e local and stata governments
'i p
before construction or build-p,.
'j, Lq standards. The operation of
'j these cooling facihties will be ing permits are issued by the e
local authorities so that all l
- governed and controlled so g
fl g;
that the heat content of th other necessary permits of F MI r
rM.a ~.'."
{"' *]j cooling waters will not exceed other agencies, whether local.
]>
m state or federal, be issued l
{
h[
i the temperature limits speci-prior to start of any building V
t John fodolich facd in the interstate water
. (Bodolich, direcfor of fAe quahty standards. If this re-construction. If this were the Minnesofo Polhrfion Control quires the full use of the cool-c a s e, the misstatement of I
"doesn't know what is going
(
) h<.
~'
Agency rofe this orfic/c is mg facilities a majority of the on" c ert alnly would have g
respon:e to fAe Feb.15 Pio-time, or 100 per cent of the
~
o a
been uncalled for.
gI Press, ediforio.',
"Is time to meet the rives stand.
A nocl powe d electric.
ricer 1Aere Poflu f,on Contro ? )
ards. this will be carried out ln cDnCIusion il should be generating plant under Con-and enforced by this Al.ency. stated that the MPCA has the j struction by Northern Stater
- he att.u ked tmther at forth-statutory authority to estab-Power Co. at Monticello mai
- ,omme enf orcement hearmgs-lash modify or alter such rea-l criticized today by Leonarc TIIE It A D1O ACT1YE sonable pollution standards J
Levine, candidate for the St l Montic(!!o nurlear generating T5c pr oblem at hand. the wastes will be treated or con-for any waters of the state in
. Paul City Council l
trolled, or disposed of in con-relation to the public use to p; ant bric constructed by the formance with the applicable which they are or may be put i
L,ID' 4 oted Prof Cnarles i
i Nartnern ntates Power Com-requirements of the United as the Agency deems neces-
\\lluver g " e m, M d j pany, nr ar Monticello, Mmne-States Atomic Energy Com. sary.
Mmneso s
j
,n e Ts n Cat es are j
FOR NSV NUCLEAR PLANT the plant, thus assurmg that els approved by the $r'li
- 1' '* 0 ? ' * "'d ' '** ' * "
- l State OHiaal Wants
=no" r '"~ '"-
L 'gw=*
radioact:vity would bc llealth Organization and will s
TIIE CONSULTANT would River.
C C
f3 I look at the entire NSP plant e
L.Xper O JGe riOn5 desi n and see whether it Levine said he has sent tele-~
i grams or protest to sens Eu-ggg
} yL would endancer natural re-gene McCarthy and B: alter 8
The c. airman of Ihe Mm*
Tuveson, who wants an sources or health m the state, l
sota Pollution Control Agen*
M o n d a1e and Eep. Jo{P h
he said.
cy Robert luveson of Albert out-of-state expert who wil1, Ka h le n crit i ed lea, said Mednesday he wdl present a " fresh viewpomt,,
said he will ask an agency he doesn't have a specific I;1 cials saying they failed to at-
,3 ask the agency to hire a na-vote on the idea when it pesen in mind-tend 'a hearing last year when s
u h Ws weeb The agency will meet i n I
a license to construct the hd Duluth Triday and Saturday plant was granted.
e luat b the St c 1
Per Co.'s plans for its nu-One of ;he key question pencratmg plant on the that must be resolved is w;.pt River at Monti-whether NSp would use a i
( c" '
" closed system" for water in 4
b
\\'
} {^W%mg {
I Smith sul the pl.mt u d eht
(
NT PTt 1, l>ISPNICII Thurs.. Feb. 22. 'CR about 5 picocuries per hfer, tompared to the Airs teil-l t
ang of 10,u00 picocunes.
L
)
[ [f* p2p 2n No radiation count w as es-
.Ub bul Ull tamated for waste materials E
from the primary drne sys-FTOm lac lat*lOn "I*lSe
)
tem-separate from the cool.
\\
\\
' ing waters-which unll be pe.
I p
i siodically dumped into the 2"#DniEsf
' =;a..."c a " " o " e d 3o 'ution Unit Uraec Staff Writer J. x s Testimony before the Pollu-
- p 4
i Northern States Power Co.* tion Con trol Agency i
last A University of Minnesota and commercial use.'
The claimed Tuesday that the week indicated some scien-medical scientist today urced nuclear powered electric gen 1 tists' belief that AEC stand-the Minnesota Pollution Con. plant is the Northern States i,
eratmg plant under construc.
Power Co. plant at Monticel,
tion at Monticello will dis-! ards are too liberal' trol Commission to p r o t e c t the
", 33 lo.
- M. TIIE resah, tion also states l chstge coolmg water mto the!
L,wald said there will be million persons
' 'g) j charged ifrom the plano w Mississippi River with radia-several plants built in the im-in the Twin Cit j that the coolant water dis-l tion (cntent less than that mediate Twin Cities area. in.
ics a r e a from!
contained in normal drinking cluding at least two at Monti-an increase in'
~ i contain r a d i o a e t i v e sub-istances that will increase the l water.
, cello, one at Prairie Island radiation in
(
A" Iionizing radiation burden of St. Paul and Minneapolis! and several others at undis-t h e ir drinking 3, : more than a million persons.
I draw drinking water from the closed locations to f ake care vater.
.J tO ! "Although it is recognized riser about 35 miles down. of growth in the demand for D r.
Maurice WT h !that every possible precaution stream from the plant site.
electricity.
B, Vi s s c h e r.M n,1 ' acainst accident will be tak-l There were arguments pre,.
All of the effluent would professor and Visscher en." Dr. Visscher's resolutinn
- ented to the Mmnesota Pol. jom before it reached Lake head of the ph.isiology depart-continues. "nevertheless ma-I lution Control Agency last Pepin. but the officers denied snent of the College of Medi
- jor accidents in atomic power
! week that the cifluent'would that concentrations would be tal Scinces at the university. plants have occurred and cer-i he radioactive enough to sufficient to do aoy damage inade the request in the form tainly will recur.
cause a significant rise in to human or marine life.
of a resolution.
Tile RES0tfTl:IN aisn I
genetic mutations and leuke.
Dr. Visscher stated that the nntes that discharge of the
, mia among the people who drinking water could be pro coolant water into 'the river i
! drink the water-tected from radioactive sub would heat it to a degree a es d I 5 h a r g e d from Dr. Charles Huver of the which will alter the plant and l University of Minnesota foohnt b re J Eg animat hre of the river ater d
l charged that such physical
- C
- 8'#*
' disorders do not occur onlV disposal of higher radioac.
" Lives waste by other means po e rahac-
,i after a certain threshhold of Pol ut. ion Cont ol than dumping in the Missis than dilution in the Mississip-
- * " *
- I radiation level has been sippi niver water.
i O fr(eiais og fM 4 t reached, but that the inci-HE URGED the commission N dence increases on almost a ee to require atomic piants to it is ros5'bie to 'hmm*te l straight hne basis to the 41 -
the world nealth orcaniza I"' @' *ges of heatmg e
ahaMa conform to the standards of l amount of radiation in the With Le ander
- " 8 ""d "
! water.
tion for maximum radioactiv c.icimg at and to dispose of Gov.I arold LeVander has ity in drinking water supplies higher a ctivity radioactive H
James W. Smith Jr., NSP's I
i radiological engineer said asked the chairman and di-for large metropohtan areasawastes by other means than iTuesday that while such a rector of the Minnesota Pol-The resolution was presentidIIUti "i th' MISSIS 5iPPi U ed by Dr. Visscher at a DFL er water."the request states
' relationship does exist.
lution Control Agency to re.
ineet with him next week to l cent studies indicate that the discuss several decisions fac-Club meeting in Minneapohs.
resolution urges the lower levels of radiation are and passed unanimously. It commission in regnire that tePresented b7 a curve
- ing the agency.
was made public today after large nuclear pow er plann utibze rec 3 cling of enolant in other words, it takes, The agency must consider bc['
uater to pr e ve nt dama;c It he cc m s n more radiation, proportion-interstate water quality stan-o stely, to cause birth defects dards, how to handle sewage the Iarge atomic power gener from temperature elevation of plant to be located rivers "and th.it such plants-and cancer at lower levels of in the metropohtan Twin a in i a s i s s i p pi River,on 34 ired to conform at all Gmission than at higher lev. Cities area and how to con.
Ie times to the standards of Ihe els, he said.
trol radioactive wastes from mMes from the intake of wa gg g i
Northem States Power Com.
ter for metropolitan domestic
- g3 g
, NSP3 prepared presenta-Klion to the news media, pub-pany's planned atomic power ma m u m radm.actpyin lic officials and others, stress-; plant at Monticello* Minn.
drinking water supphes for 7
large metropolitan areas.
pd that the Montice!!o planti An Albert Lea attorney, j;
pill dischar;c radiation lev.I Robert Tuveson, is chairman pis into the Mississippi river' of the agency. John Bada.
q Utr below the maximums al.-
lich of South St. Paul is di-Oowed by the Atomic Energy: rector.
fommission.
s l Spokesmen, including NSP's-S iresident. Earl Ewald, claim-
)d that the coolmg system prater - which will be taken 4
sem the Mississippi River,
,.j Nm through condensers to hool the primary drive steam.
a
>he river - will have littlei nd then discharged back intoi lcdiation put into it because v
f the nucacar plant.
2 li z
St. te L.
s.
a an aet b,wn h,adiation t im.,mmeeus sm w
m
, Limit, U.S. Official Suggests safe radiation level. he said.
j
,,c,n _.M-.n.
today to meet with the ofh-cials of the state agency and By PETER ACKEMBERG told the state agency that a the Minneapohs St. Paul San-niinneapniis star start writer small amount of radiation itary District.
a........
v..
... i..... u** to keep the levels as low as would be added to the Mis-emb he
(
A federal anti-pollution of. possible.
sissippi River from the plant's s,
facial said today "i would
, g be very appropriate',t Stein made his remarks operation. The spokesman last month in Washington, for the Mmnesota Pollution Control after saymg "I don't want said the amount would be D C., in an effort to case re-Agency to consider adoptinE to prejudge the state.'
"truly insignificant."
strictions on the amount of its own radiation standards pollu t a n t s that can be-for state rivers.
He was referring to an ap.
The state anti, pollution dumped into the Mississippi pl cation by Northern States unit has no radiation stand-River.
, Frnm our point of view,,, Power Co. TNSP) pending be-ards of its own, but uses said Murray Stein, chief en-fore the state anti-pollution those set by the Atomic agency. The power company Energy Commission (AEC).
forcement officer for the Federal Water Pollution Con-is asking permission to build a nut ear - ueled eWthcal Charles W. Huver, Univer-trol Agency Administration "it's best not to add radia' generating plant at Monti-sity of Minnesota zoologist, tion to the rivers. We don't C*U
- M *"*
told the state agency last week that the AEC standards always get that, but we aim A spokesman for NSP has are lax. "There's no really 4
J r
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.'l
~
" 'l.
~
s
.c.
- p I'..h,%,[e
~
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'4h ] m! %2c{3,p?; 43,;{i 4,'T;f- *{
,ep-
'2 r:
.y;._, 7,
- ap 1
i._
._. f gg J <;-. ;
~
y e
E Ugj (' fly -...M 7
~
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j-y
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-l
p'<;.
M i
almost a J r wU hw he s to t:
}gf, N.r 2 u t IN ~l111 me a nt m.c. 14bei t Tus eson nf Albert 1.ca, chair-man of the Mmnesota Pollus i
tion Contr ol Agency w hich.
y
_g. A g hn not 3et granted Northern e
States Pow er a u ater dis ~
UC U7 O1 iharge permit for the Monti-'
Q
]
v.I cello plant said he will ask g
. his agency to hire a nationally 11y KATilftVN IIDAllDil AN I known consultant to evaluate
~
Staff Writer
- the Noithern States Power
. Co/s plans for the Montice!!o M L 1 Normal drmking uoter that; plant.
Jq (g.]
tomes from taps m $t. Paul Tuveson said be wants an and Mmneapchs is abnormal-out-of-state ewert who will ly high now m radiation, a present a flesh viewpoir.t. lie Unayersiiy of Mmnesota said he uould ask the agency' Iscientist said today.
to vote on this suggestion at I
I I sts meetmg in Duluth Friday' i Dr. C.har le s iluser made l and Saturday.
.the comment m connection!
tuith a statement gnen out at IN ANOTIII:It deselopment l a Tuesday c o nie r e n c e by M u r r a y Stein. Washmgton.
I Nor t hern States Pow er Co D C., t hxf enforcement olh-
!about (onhng water that us!! eer for the Federal Pollution
'bc dischat god fr em its nuq Control Admitustration. said (Icar-poutred electrg gener, that genera:ly be beheses m atm:' plant under construction' stoppm; radioactne poilution at Monticello on the Missis-at its source.
sippi Rn tr.
The Atomic Energy Com-NSP raid the plant udl dis-l mission held a hearmg on the j l proposed Northern States.
charge into tha rner coolmg water which has a jad,ation; P uer Co. nuclear plant last s car and granted NSP a h-content less than that con.
tamcd m normal drirkmg ua.
conse to build it Federal pol-lution control officials did not-ter.
attend the hearing.
Dil, IllTI:ll sad today that; St. Pa ul's Water Depart-the tap water in the Twin Cits ment general manager, Chf-ics area is already hich(r ini ford Hambhn Wednesday ex-radiation levels than the safe-pressed complete conhdence
, tv standards appros ed by the m Northern States Poweri
' World Health Orgamzation.
safety assurances a
!! any radioactn e mate.
11 Oliti.IN said 9he regula.
I rial is added to it. it u tl] m.
tmy autt crities <m h as the l crease the amount it now con-Atom!c Enero Comm:ssion tams.' he said. "This is not ' State IIcelth Department and
, desirable '
I the State Pollution Cor; trol -
! Arency. are certain1v m the.
- j. Drinkmg water for St. Paul know.' We don't had techni-l
'and Mmneapohs comes fram ca! information about atomic
! Mis s e s s ip r>i Ener intake 5 r aiat on. we t :n e to rt!y on' i
labout M miles dow nstream' the AEC.
finm the Montiet!!a p! ant site and dounstream from the nu j Commimm Pet rard Hol-d H t>
Pub:n 1 tiMies, elcar powered electric gener-N th W M M PM atmg plant at Lik Rner. The has a d ami aratr<t it latter plant is owned by the Hural Cooperatne Pouir As-
+ radioactn ity abas e stand-ards) smcc it has a cutoff
,sociaien sahe to switch its water sup.
TilEltE a some radioactive ' p!y from thc Mosissippilintr material m all rner water to the northern cham Of lakes i
ltestmasnurces could be from thel startin;at Lake Vadnais.
.from natural causes. Other:
V "In case NSP does have
/
jesperb say. Nuclear reactors l trouble at the M o n ticello of nuclear weapons.
g p' ant," Holland said. "we can such as the one at the Elk hve on lake w ater for 30 lRner ; f ant produce radioac-days." lie added the Minne.
' ' ~ j];
f
- 7
- QLp
'4
+
tivo material that imds its, apohs is not so fortunate since 9
!way esentumly to the river,l st has to rely crtirely on river d.e,
acentdmg to studies made byj u ater.
]% %w{?.T;s C
- 3..
,.g Q-,; < '
(.g.
a:
- O g JL '
3;]pshy f'
tacencies monitormg the Mis-llambhn added that m, addi-4 4 ;4,
. jy' D;y g,,
sissippi Rn er.
tion to the cutoff, St. Paul ah,o sof tens and filters its ua.
t '~
Dr. Iluver said earlier that-ter which, he said, further re-f~ p. *p
,the majority of studies show dures any radioactivity.
. A Ch v MA; mary "
lthat the mcidence of genetic
-ng Q pyg; mutations and of leukemia, a!
',.: q. 7.r form of cancer, increases on
,e n.
.