Concern Over Nuclear Power Plants Near Chattanooga and Knoxville (earthquakes, living)

[crazynip]

I would worry more about coal power plants (see: slurry dam / pile failures) and old dams than nuke plants

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by crazynip

I would worry more about coal power plants (see: slurry dam / pile failures) and old dams than nuke plants

I agree.

Hey, Beretta, that sure is true. Kingsport isn't safe, either.

[Barbara Alger]

op 10
Here are the 10 nuclear power sites with the highest risk of an earthquake causing core damage, showing their NRC risk estimates based on 2008 and 1989 geological data. 1. Indian Point 3, Buchanan, N.Y.: 1 in 10,000 chance each year. Old estimate: 1 in 17,241. Increase in risk: 72 percent.
2. Pilgrim 1, Plymouth, Mass.: 1 in 14,493. Old estimate: 1 in 125,000. Increase in risk: 763 percent.
3. Limerick 1 and 2, Limerick, Pa.: 1 in 18,868. Old estimate: 1 in 45,455. Increase in risk: 141 percent.
4. Sequoyah 1 and 2, Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.: 1 in 19,608. Old estimate: 1 in 102,041. Increase in risk: 420 per


I forgot to note the website but found this when I was googling about nuclear power plants. Somewhere else I read that Soddy-Daisy was #4 among 104 U.S. power plants, but I don't recall where I read that.

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by skinem

I shocked at one thing the OP said...that the one outside Chattanooga is "4th out of 104 nuclear power plants in the U.S. for earthquake risk."

Seriously? I would question the validity of that statement. Given the location of a number of nuclear plants that are actually in for real actual earthquake country, I find that hard to believe. I mean, after all, TN isn't exactly known for it's earthquakes. Tornadoes, floods, ticks and chiggers, sure. But earthquakes? Nah.

If that is accurate, I'd like to know what the basis for that rating is. Does the same list say we're in the top 10 for tsunami risk?

Well, there is a major fault line in West Tennessee along the Mississippi River. Certainly you've heard of the New Madrid Fault. The subsequent fault zone is probably why it's ranked so high.

http://www.greatdreams.com/Charleston1895.JPG

[skinem]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

Well, there is a major fault line in West Tennessee along the Mississippi River. Certainly you've heard of the New Madrid Fault. The subsequent fault zone is probably why it's ranked so high.

http://www.greatdreams.com/Charleston1895.JPG

Certainly I have and that's the reason I figured that if the data is correct at all it was rated that high. Of course, the question is, how likely is the New Madrid likely to go? It will eventually. How likely is it to be strong enough to actually cause a problem at a nuke plant? The last damage prediction maps I'd seen showed slight damage in the Chattanooga area. Even if it happened the things should be able to pretty well shut down. We're very unlikely to see anything like happened in Japan. Those plants made it through the quake in pretty good shape...it was the tsunami that really caused the problem.

The rating still one of those things that is shocking and questionable to me. If the New Madrid goes like it did a couple hundred years ago, how much damage will be done over 200 miles away? While Soddy-Daisy wasn't engineered to be in "earthquake country" per se, none of those plants were just thrown up like shacks and were engineered to withstand quakes several times stronger than were expected to happen in its given area.

There are still many plants within places that are more likely to get an earthquake than here. I still believe the probability of an earthquake strong enough to damage that plant actually happening in our lifetime is pretty slim and not worth getting too worried about.

You're a lot more likely to get struck by lightning here in TN than have any ill-effects from that plant. You're more likely to have a tornado visit. You're more likely to have your house flooded. You're more likely to have termites try to eat your house. You're most likely to be fine.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by CMK10

According to the research, nuclear energy and its power plants, are many times safer than their non nuclear counterparts. If you look over the course of nuclear power you will find very few major incidents and if you dig further, you will find circumstances that were outside normal.

Chernobyl was a miscommunication and sheer lack of education on their part, based on my limited research.

Japan suffered one of the strongest earthquakes in history. Absolutely nothing stood a chance.

If that area of TN were subject to an earthquake of the same magnitude, I would imagine a similar scenario could possibly play out. However, Japan refused to admit there was a problem and because of such wide spread chaos and damage, I'm sure it was very difficult to discern just WTF was going on anyway.

I'd be more concerned about Oak Ridge, personally. Not necessarily because of what they may or may not have housed there but because of it being a big juicy target.

It's a legitimate question but, I wouldn't worry about it. You're going to face risks no matter where you live in this world and I would say they are all relative. People living in the jungle face little chance of radiation poisoning from a nuclear power plant melt down but they might face the prospect of being eaten by a wild animal. It's all relative.

It wasn't the Quake that did the Majority damage in Japan it was the Wave. Honestly i would not worry to much about Nuclear Power plants except a few plants. Non are in that region though , so thats the good news.

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

It wasn't the Quake that did the Majority damage in Japan it was the Wave. Honestly i would not worry to much about Nuclear Power plants except a few plants. Non are in that region though , so thats the good news.

So this one, located 100 miles from Chattanooga, is of no concern at all?

Regulators rate Browns Ferry nuclear reactor least trustworthy | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

[skinem]

Originally Posted by Wmsn4Life

So this one, located 100 miles from Chattanooga, is of no concern at all?

Regulators rate Browns Ferry nuclear reactor least trustworthy | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

Now, you're changing what the concern and topic of this thread is over. This wasn't the point of any of the conversation and I didn't take what Nexix4Jersey said as anything other than pertaining to earthquakes and that issue.

How they are operated my be another issue. (And I'm considerably closer to Brown's Ferry and don't lose sleep over it. Do I want them to run it better? Sure. But again, it's another issue.)

I'm thinking you just don't like nuke plants period. Again, another issue perhaps better discussed on the pointless argument, um, Politics and Other Controversies forum.

[BirdieBelle]

I don't have a problem with nuke plants. I enjoy facts, though. And I think how they are operated certainly is relevant, especially if the OP is concerned about living "near" a nuclear facility. If it's mismanaged, she may not have to wait for an earthquake or other catastrophe to be concerned.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Barbara Alger

the one at Spring city is not that far from Maryville ,

I just caught this. It's not on her "safety concern" list and about a hour away from Maryville.

As I've said, some people look for reasons to be talked out of moving to an area, just like some people are hellbent on moving to a certain area, no matter what you tell them.

As I've said, there is no "safe" area anymore. If I wanted to I could go to every area of CD and bring up "concerns."

I am quite sure that the OP is truly worried and is not doing anything intentional. But at some point you have to realize that no place is going to be perfect. A plane could fly into your house. And the odds are only slightly better that the New Madrid earthquake will happen, let alone that it will negatively affect the Soddy Daisy plant.

The OP asked our opinion and we gave it to her. But continually asking people why they live near a nuclear power plant is non-productive. If they were concerned they would not live there.

Where does the OP live? I bet by the time I dug up stuff about the area I could make it look like a toxic dump.

I use to be in the news business. Here's what happens. Something unbelievably out of the ordinary happens like Japan's triple whammy of a record-breaking earthquake, tsunami and nuclear leak.

Out comes the organizations with an agenda. They dig up some statistics and an article is written where a chance of something going wrong suddenly looks like a given rather putting into perspective the 1 in 20,000 odds.