nuclear-news

Uranium remains in Logan County groundwater decades after nuclear facility closed

Nearly five decades after an Oklahoma nuclear facility closed its doors, clean-up efforts still aren’t complete.

KOCO5 News, 1 Feb 24

It was 49 years ago when a nuclear fuel production facility near Crescent, made famous by the movie “Silkwood,” shut down. To this day, records from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission show that radioactive material is still present at the site.

Groundwater remains contaminated by uranium, which was once produced at the facility. Clean-up efforts began after the plant closed in 1975. That work is expected to last until at least 2040 – 65 years after it ceased operations.

We are reviewing proposals for the final groundwater cleanup for the site. So that’s the one piece that’s still under license under the NRC,” said Amy Brittain with the Department of Environmental Equality in 2019.

That was five years ago when KOCO first investigated the contaminants at two Oklahoma facilities once owned by the Kerr McGee Chemical Corporation. Five years after that interview, a plan has yet to be finalized to treat that groundwater contamination near Crescent.

But as decommissioning was still not complete in Logan County, Oklahoma lawmakers discussed the possibility of bringing nuclear energy back to the state……………………….. https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-nuclear-plants-kerr-mcgee-crescent-plant-uranium-contamination/46618779

February 4, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, USA