FPL nuclear plant canals leaking into Biscayne Bay, study confirms

Radioactive “tracer” detected at up to 215 normal levels near canals

Editor’s note: It has been two months since Florida Power & Light C.E.O. Eric Silagy reveled his company’s plans to seek approval from state regulators for a $1.325 billion rate hike. The Press Journal and TCPalm.com have yet to report this story, despite the fact that the vast majority of TCPalm’s readers are customers of FPL. The publisher of the Press Journal and TCPalm.com is married to a FPL vice president. Given their refusal to report on FPL’s proposed rate hike, the Press Journal and TCPalm.com are unlikely to inform their readers of problems at one of FPL’s nuclear plants. The following story appeared three days ago in the Miami Herald.

JENNY STALETOVICH/MIAMI HERALD

Florida Power & Light Turkey Point Nuclear Plant

A radioactive isotope linked to water from power plant cooling canals has been found in high levels in Biscayne Bay, confirming suspicions that Turkey Point’s aging canals are leaking into the nearby national park.

According to a study released Monday by Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, water sampling in December and January found tritium levels up to 215 times higher than normal in ocean water. The report doesn’t address risks to the public or marine life but tritium is typically monitored as a “tracer” of nuclear power plant leaks or spills.