West Cary - Nuclear plant and Waste Water

[duckintheface]

Originally Posted by capt chill

Again we the people accept this stuff, we allow it by buying homes that we know are built way to close to these plants. If they were so safe you would be able to buy insurance if something happened. YOU CAN'T!

Exactly right. Nuclear is inherently dangerous and humans are inherently incapable of maintaining long-term vigilance in supervising such technologies. The probability of nuclear disaster is small in any given year, but the consequences of an accident are huge. Risk= probability X magnitude of consequences. But people have short attention spans so we tend to underestimate the risk.

Bottom line: The Price-Anderson Act gives power companies immunity for damages caused by nuclear accidents. I will believe Sharon Harris is safe and affordable when Progressive Energy buys insurance to cover the risk and adds that cost to its rate base. Immunity for damages represents a HUGE government subsidy to an industry that couldn't exist in a competitive free market.

[capt chill]

Originally Posted by KCfromNC

Which means you'll end up driving a lot more to get to other parts of the Triangle, which is orders of magnitude more likely to get you killed than an accident at a nuclear power plant.

Yep its dangerous out there in the cars, BUT I know its an irrational fear in MY head. I make no bones about it.

[RaleighLass]

There's a piece in today's Raleigh News & Observer, pg 4b, Triangle & Co section, the article heading is "Harris Plant Leak Contaminates Soil". A water leak of 1,000 gal of water contaminated with tritium, occured 15' from the water treatment building and 2 miles within the plant boundary. The plan is to allow the soil to dry out for the tritium to disperse into the air via evaporation.

[bellasformas]

Originally Posted by capt chill

Again we the people accept this stuff, we allow it by buying homes that we know are built way to close to these plants. If they were so safe you would be able to buy insurance if something happened. YOU CAN'T!

You can't buy the sky is falling insurance either.

I live in the 10 mile zone...have for 17 years. There is no issue with air quality associated with the power plant, that I've ever noticed. They do take it off line anytime anything remotely weird happens. I'd think the air quality would be much worse near a major road (540 or the beltline), but people just get freaked out thinking they are soaking up radiation from a Nuke plant. Breathing noxious gases from cars isn't quite as scary to some...but I'd rather deal with the plant, myself. The five eyed fish in the lake are so cool, and are goooooood eatin'!