19, totaling more than 84,000 gallons.Įdison officials say the radioactivity of the discharges remained low and within regulatory limits. The amount jumped to 92,200 gallons for discharges on Oct. The number of releases and the amount expelled from the plant has sharply increased this year as dismantlement activities ramped up.īetween May and mid-October, about 19,000 gallons were discharged into the ocean 11 separate times. As part of the decommissioning effort, SONGS restarted its water batch releases in December 2019. SONGS officially shut down in June 2013 and earlier this year, Edison and its contractors began an estimated eight-year project to tear down the facility. From 2000 through 2011, SONGS averaged 171 releases per year. When the plant generated electricity, discharges from SONGS were common, since water plays an important role in operating a nuclear plant by cooling and shielding the facility from radiation. In each case, the wastewater must be cleaned up and highly diluted before going into the ocean.
Radiological discharges are governed by the license SONGS has with the federal government’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Non-radiological releases, such as sewage, have to meet the standards set by the National Discharge Pollutant Elimination System, which is implemented by the State Water Resources Control Board. Traveling though long conduits, the wastewater at San Onofre is sent more than one mile offshore and about 50 feet below the surface. Just like any other industrial operator, Edison officials must acquire permits to spit out wastewater from the nuclear plant, known as SONGS for short. “It’s good to be able to have an external, independent testing option, just to be a watchdog and clarify the true level and have more confidence in what the exposure is.” “All the reporting and testing right now is done by Edison,” said Katie Day, staff scientist for the foundation based in San Clemente.