Great Lakes-Nuclear Waste story | The Modesto Bee

Company stands by plan to bury nuke waste near Lake Huron

A Canadian company that wants to bury waste from nuclear power plants less than a mile from Lake Huron says a study of alternative sites has found none better than a location already being considered

By JOHN FLESHER

AP Environmental Writer

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A Canadian company that wants to bury waste from nuclear power plants near Lake Huron said Tuesday a study of alternative sites had found none better than a location already targeted, which has drawn strong opposition on both sides of the border.

Ontario Power Generation said it had submitted additional studies ordered nearly a year ago by the Canadian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, which twice has delayed a ruling on the company's underground disposal plan. The agency said recently it expects to make a decision this summer or fall.

The company's preferred site is on the grounds of the Bruce Power Generating Station near Kincardine, Ontario, the world's largest nuclear power complex, which has eight reactors. The proposal calls for burying low- and intermediate-level waste such as clothing, brooms and discarded machinery — some of which could remain dangerously toxic for thousands of years — about 2,230 feet underground.... [more]

… "Water is Life," said Beverly Fernandez, the group's spokeswoman. "No matter what process is followed, burying radioactive waste beside the Great Lakes, the irreplaceable drinking water for 40 million people, will always be a bad idea."

FULL ARTICLE: Correction: Great Lakes-Nuclear Waste story | The Modesto Bee