"Unusual event" at Waterford nuclear power complex

WATERFORD, Conn.—Operators at the Millstone 2 Nuclear Power plant in Waterford say they detected "an unusual event," the lowest of four emergency classifications, during preparations for a shutdown Sunday.

The plant is beginning a shutdown process for refueling and maintenance.

A spokesman for Millstone owner Dominion Nuclear Connecticut says that in preparation for the refueling outage, water has to be moved through the system.

In Sunday's incident, about 1,000 gallons of water from the reactor coolant system flowed into a 500,000-gallon refueling water storage tank.

Spokesman Peter Hyde and the NRC say the leak was stopped and none of the water had been released into the environment.

Some low-level radioactive gas was released through the tank's designed vent but Hyde said it was within allowed federal limits. The NRC said is evaluating the release and sent inspectors to the plant to monitor the company's actions.

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Information from: The Day, http://www.theday.com