Many folks have shared concerns about reports of a planned water discharge into Plymouth Bay as part of the Pilgrim plant decommissioning process. This is obviously a matter of significant concern for the entire region, including our local aquaculture industry. Our state and federal representatives, including Congressman Keating, Sen. Markey, Attorney General Healey and my colleagues in the legislature have been actively engaged with Holtec about this. We appreciate those efforts and are pleased to see a statement from Holtec today committing to no discharge of water through at least 2022. My view is that there should never be any decommissioning effluents discharged in the bay so this is welcome news and will give us time to properly consult with the NRC, EPA and other appropriate federal regulators. Here is the full statement from Holtec:
“Since the November 22nd Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory meeting there have been questions and concerns around the final disposition of processed water on the site. We have been consistent in our messaging since that meeting that over the next year we will be evaluating the regulatory approved options available and no final decisions have been made. The EPA and NRC have strict regulations regarding the disposition of all effluents from any decommissioning site and Holtec confirms that these requirements will be followed in all states where we conduct operations. We wanted to share that in the near term the decision at Pilgrim has been made that the processed water will remain on site, safely stored, and that we will not discharge any processed water in 2022 while this evaluation is undertaken. We appreciate and understand the public’s questions and concerns and remain committed to an open, transparent process on the decommissioning of Pilgrim Station focused on the health and safety of the public, the environment, and on-site personnel.”
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