Underground Infrastructure - October 2023 - 8

NEWSLINE LATEST INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
Xcel Energy building
underground barrier to contain
radioactive water
The energy company responsible for leaking
radioactive material from its nuclear plant
in Monticello, Minn., in recent months has
announced that it will build an underground
metal barrier to keep affected groundwater
away from the nearby Mississippi River.
Xcel Energy said construction will last several
weeks and should begin between Friday and
Monday, according to a statement posted on
the city of Monticello's website Thursday.
" Constructing the barrier wall is another
step the company is taking to try and ensure
that the small amount of tritium still present
in the groundwater remains within the plant
boundaries and can be safely recovered, stored
and reused on site, " Xcel said in the statement.
Xcel discovered in November that about
400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of water
containing tritium - a radioactive isotope of
hydrogen - had leaked from a faulty pipe.
The utility made a temporary fix but learned in
March that hundreds more gallons of tritiumlaced
water had leaked, leading to a dayslong
shutdown to fix the pipe.
The leaks were contained within the plant's
boundaries and did not enter the river, the
company has said.
Xcel has permanently fixed the source of
the leaks, and the plant has returned to normal
operations, according to the company's
website. About 80 percent of the leaked
tritium has been recovered as of August.
" We will continue recovering impacted
groundwater until our monitoring wells
indicate the groundwater meets the EPA's
Safe Drinking Water Act standards, " the
company's website said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
has said water with tritium is safe enough
to drink if the amount of tritium is less than
20,000 picocuries per liter.
The tritium level was about 5 million
picocuries per liter in November in
groundwater within the plant's boundaries,
the company's website said.
As of August, the highest tritium level was
900,000 picocuries per liter - which is not
considered safe enough to drink - within the
plant's boundaries.
8 OCTOBER 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
In the water adjacent to the Mississippi River,
the highest tritium level was 1,000 picocuries
per liter, which is safe enough to drink.
Leaked tritium still has not been detected in
the river, the company's website said.
Although the utility and health officials
say the leak is not dangerous, the issue has
prompted concerns among residents and
raised questions about aging pipelines.
Leaking milk into city's sewer
system forces closure of
110-year-old creamery
Hastings Creamery, a longstanding dairy
institution that has served Minnesota and
Wisconsin for over a century, has closed its
doors due to an incident involving the release of
substantial amounts of milk and cream into the
city's wastewater plant, the Star Tribune reported.
Earlier this summer, the Metropolitan Council
(Met Council) disconnected the creamery from
the city's sewer system. This action followed an
incident where thousands of gallons of raw milk
and cream leaked into the wastewater plant,
prompting regulators to step in. The situation
has been exacerbated by plummeting milk
prices resulting from market oversupply.
Despite undergoing management
changes and receiving positive evaluations
in subsequent inspections, the creamery was
unable to sustain its operations.
The Met Council, recognizing the creamery's
importance to the region, issued a statement
indicating collaboration with the creamery
and regulatory bodies to " find a solution that
supports local milk producers while protecting
the community water supply. " This underscores
the need to balance the economic concerns
of the creamery with the critical aspect of
safeguarding the water system.
PG&E initiates underground
power line placement
in Magalia, Calif.
In Magalia, Calif., a significant transformation
is underway as power lines are being placed
underground, Action News Now reported.
This initiative has led to the temporary closure
of Dogtown Road for the current week,
marking a pivotal move in a broader endeavor
aimed at mitigating wildfires.
PG&E representative Paul Moreno told
Action News Now that underground power
lines offer a 99 percent reduction in the risk of
wildfire ignition compared to their overhead
counterparts.
Upon the completion of this phase, the
focus will shift towards the installation of
underground lines along Skyway, covering
the stretch between Magalia Dam and South
Park Drive. These combined efforts will
result in the installation of around 2 miles of
underground power lines.
The Magalia project falls within the scope
of PG&E's Butte Rebuild commitment, which
was initiated shortly after the Camp Fire. This
commitment exempts individuals residing
within the fire-ravaged region from planned
customer rate hikes, as these increases will
fund the undertaking's expenses.
While the current cost of burying power
lines is approximately $3.75 million per
mile, PG&E anticipates a reduction to about
$2.8 million per mile by 2026. The utility
company asserts that despite the expense, the
advantages of underground lines in high firerisk
areas are abundant.
Moreno from PG&E highlighted that apart
from fire prevention, this initiative will lead
to future cost savings, as it will diminish
the necessity for extensive tree trimming
and clearance around overhead lines.
Furthermore, PG&E plans to leverage artificial
intelligence to identify optimal locations for
implementing underground power lines.
Kansas to receive
$49.1 million to upgrade
water, sanitary systems
In an official statement, Christy Davis, the
Kansas State Director of the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural
Development, revealed a substantial allocation
of $49.1 million to support the development
and enhancement of clean drinking water
and sanitary wastewater systems across rural
regions of Kansas, KQ2 TV reported.
This funding announcement, specific
to Kansas, is part of a comprehensive
nationwide initiative spanning 35 other states
and two territories.
Within Kansas, the allocation includes a
$6.4 million loan earmarked for the revitalization
of water systems in Perry. This initiative will
encompass the modernization and installation
of approximately 24,000 feet of the collection
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Underground Infrastructure - October 2023

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