Erik Ortiz/NBC News
The owner of one of Minnesota’s two nuclear power plants said it will temporarily power down the facility Friday to repair a recurring leak of radioactive water discovered this week, occurring as state regulators had been monitoring the effects of an initial spill four months ago.
While Xcel Energy said in a news release Thursday that there is “no risk to the public or the environment” with the latest incident at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, the city said it would test the municipal water supply out of precaution.
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But some Monticello residents surrounding the plant — located 38 miles northwest of Minneapolis and upstream of the Mississippi River — say they have concerns about what a recurring leak presents and the delay in finding out about the initial spill.
“I think the general public needs to be informed more about this,” said Megan Sanborn, 31, who lives 6 miles upstream from the nuclear plant.
“My children go to school 2 miles downstream from the power plant,” she added. “If the water levels were safe the entire time like they were saying, then where was the transparency?”
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In late February, the city was informed about the leak. But it wasn’t until March 16 when state officials told the public and Xcel Energy announced it had been taking steps to contain and manage the leak over the past four months.
“After the company told the state, it was a hush-hush situation,” Sanborn said. “No one from the state let residents know we had a nuclear leak, and when we don’t have the ability to overcome a potential impact because no one told us, that’s a big concern for residents.”
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