Level 4 nuclear emergency in Nebraska?

[iamtechus]

I don't see this reported on the mainstrean outlets but it was just reported on Thom Hartmann. At Ft Calhoun, north of Omaha, flooding is creating big problems at the nuc plant there. Some water is getting into the plant and it is expected to rise another 5-7 feet. Plant is surrounded by water and they have to use a boat to get to it.

I'm not familiar with that area. Can this be true?

[bigwillq]

1. Oh man.

My buddy flew out there yesterday for the College World Series.

[MineralMan]

2. Yes, it can be true. It is true.

The plant was shut down in anticipation of this. What hazards remain, I do not know.

[Ian David]

3. Flooding causes alert to be issued at Omaha nuclear plant

Flooding causes alert to be issued at Omaha nuclear plant
Story Created: Jun 6, 2011 at 10:15 PM CDT
Story Updated: Jun 6, 2011 at 10:15 PM CDT

While we here in Central Nebraska are battling the heat, on both sides of us, Nebraskans are in a water fight with the North Platte and Missouri Rivers.

The Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant has declared a low-level emergency because of flooding on the missouri river.

The river has reached a level where the Omaha Public Power District declared a "notification of unusual event."

That is the lowest of four standard emergency levels.

More:
http://www.khastv.com/news/local/Flooding-causes-alert-to-be-issued-at-Omaha-nuclear-plant-123295683.html



Ft. Calhoun Flood Defenses
The Ft. Calhoun Nuclear Facility is an island right now but it is one that authorities say is going to stay dry. They say they have a number of redundant features to protect the facility from flood waters that include the aqua dam, earthen berms and sandbags.

More:
http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/Ft_Calhoun_Flood_Defenses_123878599.html?storySection=comments



OPPD Addresses Fort Calhoun Rumors
Posted: Updated:

Fort Calhoun, NE - The Missouri River flooding is bringing waves of concern nationwide about the safety of the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant.

As the flood waters continue to rise, a spokesman for Omaha Public Power District says the plant is at a "notification of unusual event" classification because of the flood.

That is the lowest level in an emergency, and no radioactive releases have happened. Company officials say there has been no release of radioactivity at Fort Calhoun Station due to the flooding and none is expected.

The utility company addresses more rumors about the plant on its website, you can find the associated link on this story page.

More:
http://www.action3news.com/story/14918987/oppd-addresses-fort-calhoun-rumors

[Cleita]

4. Yes, and it's not anywhere on MSM.

This is serious and our Congress should have decommissioning our nuclear power plants, none of which are safe, on the top of their agenda, not Weiner's penis.

[MineralMan]

7. Google News says you're wrong.

Odd, huh?

[Cleita]

20. Does Google News have a cable or broadcast outlet?

I think not. I didn't mention that you can get news on the internet if you bother to "google" it. Why do you not read exactly what I say but always jump in to "get me"? Most people just watch TV on mainstream feeds. They don't bother to Google news that much. It's the duty of our MSN (mainstream media if you don't know) to keep the public informed of breaking news and newsworthy items and they don't. They would rather concentrate on Weiner's penis and that's the truth. I only heard of the flooding on Thom Hartmann, which led me to google. Not CNN, not Fox News and not MSNBC, nor ABC, CBS or NBC are carrying this news. I hope they pick up on it though because it's very important.

[MineralMan]

21. It's a local story. It's on the local TV stations, where people

who might be affected will see it. A level 4 alert isn't national news, to be quite frank. This doesn't rise to the level of something that either deserves or warrants breaking national news coverage.

Sorry, but there are level 4 alerts all the time at the many nuclear power plants in the USA. All of them are local news, unless they grow worse. In reality, the people near this plant are far more effected by the rising waters of the Missouri river.

You did know that a Level 4 Alert was the lowest level of alerts at nuclear power plants, right?

[Cleita]

22. Sorry, but Fukushima started out as a local story, but

it's affecting more than the locality as you well know if you haven't been living in a cave. What is a local story is about that child whose mother is being tried in Florida for killing her, but yet it's on national news 24/7. I have a legitimate beef with our corporate media and you should too if you give a damn about what is happening in this country and how they are affecting it.

I live in the wake of a nuclear plant and I don't take any level of alert lightly. They are dangerous m'fuckers and all of them should be shut down, but I guess you won't get it until it hits close to home to you, when those dear to you get cancer from radiation poisoning or the land you love can't be lived on for 50,000 years.

[MineralMan]

23. Right. I lived 10 miles from an experimental plant that

melted down in 1959. Later, I worked to keep the Diablo Canyon plant from opening, and was part of the intervening team. You know nothing about me, yet you're willing to say untrue things. Nuclear power generation is not safe. It has never been safe and cannot be made to be safe. I've been fighting nuclear power generation since I was 16 years old.

All the same, I do not elevate minor incidents into something they are not. If you looked at the nrc.gov site, you'd learn that the plant you're talking about is currently in cold shutdown, and was before the flooding began. If you actually did some research, you'd find out that this is purely a local story and hasn't the potential to become a disaster.

But, you did not do that research. I did, two days ago when this threat of flooding started. I found out what was actually happening and that it did not pose any real risk of a disaster. So, I turned my attention to other things.

This is a local news story. It is being covered locally. If you like, you can visit www.nrc.gov at any time and follow the incident reports at nuclear power plants. I visit the site at least once a week to see what's going on.

There is news and there is alarmism. I do the first, but not the second.

This is a low level event that hasn't the potential to become a serious incident. The plant is in cold shutdown.

If you want to know about me and nuclear power generation, read this: http://journals.democraticunderground.com/MineralMan/133

[Cleita]

31. Diablo is still open and there is a group of us still trying to

shut it down. btw, you aren't qualified to decide whether this incident is minor or not and I prefer to know if there is any danger of a breach in any nuclear plant nationally and we all deserve to know. I also lived down river on the Missouri from there in Leavenworth, Kansas for two years. One of those years was a flood year and I know what devastation the river can cause. There is a saying about water being soft as silk and yet hard as steel.

What you are really objecting to is that someone can have an opinion that differs from yours, because you are always right and anyone whose truth is different from yours is a liar. Your posts reek of that smugness, so dear sir, I'm done with you. Your posts will be ignored by me because you are not interested in discourse but oneupmanship.

[hootinholler]

32. But, but, MM prevented it from opening!

Gosh, how could that be operating if it never opened?

-Hoot

[MineralMan]

24. Fukushima started as a 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami.

No such event has occurred near the plant in question, which has been in cold shutdown for some time. Fukushima was never a local story. It was a story of global importance the moment that earthquake hit. A flood on the Missouri river is not a 9.0 earthquake or a tsunami, and the plant is designed to handle such a flood. Besides, it's in cold shutdown. There is no major hazard. Thank you for your attention.

[hfojvt]

25. you know what I saw on the news a few days ago

"Spider man, the musical". Somehow that was "national news" for a five minute story on ABC and a longer story on PBS.

[glinda]

11. +1

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Well, here we go again...

hopefully it will stay where it is.

(My apologies, my spelling sucks and it is gonna get worst... dang spanish keyboard and the os is set for spanish... not gonna change it)

[MineralMan]

15. Most likely, it will. Low level alerts are pretty common

at nuclear plants. From the news reports, it looks like this is under control. The plant was already shut down, due to an earlier problem. No earthquake. No tsunami. Just a high river. It's not time to panic yet.

[FLAprogressive]

6. It would also be nice if someone put the term "Level 4 Alert" into context....

[MineralMan]

10. Yes. It's the lowest alert level.

The plant is already shut down, due to an earlier problem. The flooding is unlikely to make that problem worse. This is a LOW-LEVEL alert.

[FLAprogressive]

12. What a shock.

Not surprised see people taking something that sounds completely dire like "Level 4 Alert!11!!!11!!1!!!!!11" and making a mountain out of a molehill.

[hootinholler]

30. No it's not the lowest alert level.

I is the lowest alert concerning an 'accident' but it is a serious alert and certainly outside of the no big deal category.

Here(PDF) is the IAEA INES (International Nuclear Event Scale) definition.

This is a mid level alert, there has been a release within containment, a radiological death or another criteria met.

-Hoot

[iamtechus]

8. According to the report ...

Water may be backing up in the drains. The plant is shut down but still must be cooled. If water gets into electrical system, safety systems will be screwed up and cooling pumps can't be powered. If radioactive material is exposed to flood
water, there is the fear that it will drain back down into the Mississippi river.

[Cleita]

33. Bingo!

That's the report I got and it could have consequences. There's nothing to sit back and feel comfortable about.

[riverwalker]

9. No fly zone over site

heard them talk about this on C2C last night.


http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/4573

[iamtechus]

16. Good link (nt)

[Ichingcarpenter]

18. No fly zone because its considered a HAZARD'

I hope people understand that. Its not about terrorists.

[Matt_in_STL]

13. This guy was just on and said everything was fine

D'oh!

[Gold Metal Flake]

14. Don't worry. The nuclear energy industry knows what it is doing.

They always tell the truth and they always have everything under control.

[Frosty1]

17. Oh great! They are not mentioning this either.

Electrical Fire Knocks Out Spent Fuel Cooling at Nebraska Nuclear Plant




Not too good.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=electrical-fire-knocks-out-spent-fuel-cooling-nebraska-nuclear-plant

[Parker CA]

26. From your link: "Workers restored cooling in about 90 minutes...

and plant officials said the temperature in the pool only increased by two degrees."

Sounds like things are okay now.

[MineralMan]

28. Yup. Thanks for posting the relevant information.

The plant is in cold shutdown. The flood will be dealt with. Then, they'll finish refueling and get it back online. It's still not safe, but there's no disaster. Just a low level alert, issued as a standard alert when something isn't right. It's a local story.

[meow mix]

19. GE and exelon dont want this discussed.

and so it isnt...

[MineralMan]

29. www.nrc.gov

www.nrc.gov

You can read all about this incident and every other incident at every nuclear plant in the country. I check the site once a week. That way, I know what's actually going on. You can, too.

[RedEarth]

27. Here's a link from Google on Ft. Calhoun

http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=Ft+Calhoun&btnmeta_news_search=Search+News