Nuclear power plant in Chattanooga (Knoxville, Oak Ridge: real estate, lease, movers)

[Pixelpie]

We're visiting Chattanooga and were seriously considering moving there! We are even meeting with a realtor and the plane tickets have been bought. while looking at google maps Tonight I came across a nuclear power plant. I've googled which means I have plenty of scary stories and plenty of no big deal stories. I'm trying to consider the sources of these stories as well. I thought I'd ask you fine folks if you have any concerns worries or fears living near a power plant. I'm from Texas and we don't live anywhere close to one. So it has me freaked out... Not sure if I should cancel our plans. Or if this this is a needless gut reaction panic... Thoughts?

[An Einnseanair]

You're talking about Sequoia up in Soddy Daisy. Is there danger? Of course there is a small amount of added danger versus it not being there. If you don't like the idea then move west of there. Up on Signal mountain you'd be protected by the prevailing westerly winds plus the escarpment of Walden's Ridge.

But I've worked in the nuclear industry before; every calculation is quadruple checked and triplicated; safety factors are extreme; after Fukushima all plants got significant upgrades to take multiple contingencies into account (Fukushima was the result of an earthquake taking out all off-site power followed by the tsunami taking out the on-site power, causing the loss of cooling towers and subsequent melt down). All nuclear plants in the US have been retrofitted with elevated and redundant on-site generators. All up-stream dams could rupture and the generators would still be above the flood stage. The buildings are designed for a direct hit by an EF-5 Tornado. Even a full-size car thrown at the building by that tornado.

There's also Watt's Bar up between here and Knoxville and the super-secret Oak Ridge National Laboratory south-west of Knoxville where they still make nuclear material. Plus Brown's Ferry in east Alabama (no visible cooling towers), and plants in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Mississippi.

For what it's worth, even in Texas you probably either lived nearer a nuclear plant than you thought (they don't all have the huge passive hyperbolic cooling towers), and/or you were near an official nuclear transportation route. The transportation routes are far more dangerous than the plants because trains and trucks can wreck.

[Wingz]

The Sequoia Nuclear Plant came online in 1981. Since then about 3,900 people have been killed by tornadoes in the U.S., hundreds of them in Texas. The death toll from nuclear power plant accidents in the U.S. stands at ZERO, and that's since 1964. Severe weather should be more of a concern.

Have you ever seen what comes out of the smoke stacks at a coal fired power plant? That yellowish smoke. Conventional power production is not without health risks. I would feel safer living downwind from a nuclear plant than a conventional one.

Also, the plant is northeast of Chattanooga. The prevailing wind is from the west. A radiation leak would blow away from Chattanooga except on a very few days per year.

[Whiskey Tango]

We also wondered about this on our first visits to the area. We did further research into the safety records of these plants in the area and put our concerns to rest.
We have since purchased a tract of land in the area NE of Chattanooga and look forward to the day that we can move there.

[Pixelpie]

Thank you for taking the time to reply! Makes me feel better!

[shinestx]

Not to mention there are over a dozen security stopgap measures before there's even a remote risk of a meltdown.

[Jumeby]

Personally I will not live near a nuclear reactor or any nuclear materials source. I have done much research on the subject and found that nuclear industries, government agencies and mainstream media will suppress information on nuclear events and risks to the public.

[SPLIT]

P,: WELCOME,, Years ago during our New York move to central Fla, we also saw big power plants along the Indian river near Port St John..Just like our Tenn river here wind usually is West to east, but sometimes
blow back over land..We have some church friends that work at the nuclear plant and many comments are that if you can not see the towers, then a few miles is enough for smoke smell..

Like other movers from long distance I would mention the tree pollen in this region seems to be high if
you may have children that could be sensitive to Pine allergy for example... On the local TV news they started to post #'s today for spring blooms.. . Not sure if you are looking right in Downtown city .?? The more north one searches they find more county trees, and also less $$ Real estate prices..

This area has really grown over the past five years and roads are trying to keep up with the increase traffic.

[Pixelpie]

Our tree pollen here in Texas is horrific... We get months and months of Cedar Fever. Cedar trees aren't even pretty!! Not sure how we will react to pine... Hope it's not as awful as cedar! At lease pine trees are pretty!!

[Creekcat]

Never heard a pine tree called pretty, at least, not around here. There have been days, when I could watch the pollen being blown from the pines in the back yard. Those days are upon us now.