Highest readings yet of radioactive tritium found in test well at Vermont Yankee nuclear plant

Tritium levels at Vermont Yankee the highest yet

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Officials at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant say they have found the highest readings yet of radioactive tritium in a monitoring well at the Vernon reactor.

Plant spokesman Robert Williams said Tuesday that a recently dug monitoring well has turned up a reading of 80,458 picocuries per liter. That is up nearly 10,000 from a reading reported Monday morning and is four times the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety limit for tritium in the drinking water.

The new reading is the highest since tritium was first reported in a monitoring well at the plant nearly a month ago. Plant officials say it hasn’t reached drinking water supplies or the Connecticut River and poses no threat to public health.