Black Fox Nuclear Power Plant Rocked by 5.6 Oklahoma Earthquake

Black Fox nuclear power plant released 52,800 gallons of radioactive water into the Verdigris river when a 5.6 earthquake struck the region. 

A pump seal failed releasing the demineralized water containing trace amounts of radiation.

As spent radioactive fuel comes out of the reactor, it sits in an auxiliary bay, where the demineralized, or filtered, water circulates to cool it down.

At some point before Sunday’s accident, the pump seal failed, and water leaked into a groundwater sump well that, once full, emptied into the Verdigris river.

There is no danger to area wildlife or to human health, OG&E spokesman Ted Gruetzner said, noting the maximum increase in radioactive tritium levels was 0.56 becquerels per litre, keeping levels within the normal range of 6-10 becquerels per litre.

The standard for tritium in drinking water is 7,000 becqerels per litre, though the Oklahoma Drinking Water Advisory Council has recommended a substantial reduction, to 20 becquerels per litre.

OG&E said that "the shaking from this weekend’s earthquakes had nothing to do with seal ripping apart and wreaking havoc on Oklahoma."

[ed. Note: You can thank Carie Dickerson, and all those who followed and helped, that THIS story is NOT appearing the Tulsa World this week. Black Fox nuclear power plant was never built due to the committment of Carrie Dickerson, and all those who made and auctioned quilts to sustain the costly legal battle to stop Black Fox, as well as many others. 

The details in this story are drawn from two real nuclear disasters elsewhere, one of which "coincidentally" happened in the aftermath of a 4.6 earthquake (substantially smaller than the earthquake in Oklahoma this weekend)]