An “unusual event” was recently declared at the Salem 2 nuclear reactor in New Jersey, after a relief valve improperly opened during troubleshooting, allowing the release of approximately 25 gallons of water from the plant’s cooling system. The coolant system itself contains more than 90,000 gallons of water.
The leak was halted in less than a minute, but because the leak was greater than 10 gallons a minute, federal rules mandated the declaration of an unusual event. This is the lowest of four emergency classifications that can be declared at a nuclear reactor as defined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. According to Joe Delmar, spokesman for the plant’s operator, PSEG Nuclear, no employees were injured in the incident and there was no threat to the public outside of the plant. There was no release to the environment of the slightly radioactive water; it went into a holding tank.
The reactor is one of three operated by PSEG Nuclear at the Island. The plants — Salem 2 and its neighbors, Salem 1 and Hope Creek — produce enough electricity to power three million homes. Together, the three plants comprise the second-largest nuclear generating complex in the United States.