Executive Summary
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which took place in March 2011, delivered a reminder to the world that nuclear power comes with inherent risks. Over a period of several days, three Japanese nuclear reactors suffered meltdowns. A large amount of radioactive material escaped into the environment over the ensuing months.
Among the risks demonstrated by the Fukushima crisis is the threat of water contamination – including contamination of drinking water supplies by radioactive material. In the wake of the Fukushima accident, drinking water sources as far as 130 miles from the plant were contaminated with radioactive iodine, prompting cities such as Tokyo to warn against consumption of the water by infants.
In the United States, 49 million Americans receive their drinking water from surface sources located within 50 miles of an active nuclear power plant – inside the boundary the Nuclear Regulatory Commission uses to assess risk to food and water supplies.
Airborne contamination in the wake of a nuclear accident is not the only threat nuclear power poses to water supplies. Leakage of radioactive material into groundwater is a common occurrence at U.S. nuclear power plants, even if the amount of radioactivity released is tiny compared to that released at Fukushima. In addition, U.S. nuclear power plants draw their cooling water supplies from critical waterways nationwide – making those water supplies the natural destination for spilled or dumped radioactive liquid, and putting them at risk of contamination in a Fukushima-type accident.
Because of the inherent risks of nuclear power, the United States should ensure that all currently operating nuclear power plants are, at the latest, retired at the end of their operating licenses and the nation should move toward cleaner, safer solutions such as energy efficiency and renewable energy for our future energy needs.
The Fukushima nuclear accident contaminated a large area, and threatened drinking water over an even larger area.
According to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans in 35 states drink water from sources within 50 miles of nuclear power plants. New York has the most residents drawing their drinking water from sources near power plants, with the residents of New York City and its environs making up most of the total. Pennsylvania has the second most, including residents of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg.
Table ES-1: Top 10 States by Population Relying on Water Intakes within 50 Miles of Nuclear Plants
Rank | State | Total Population Relying on Water Sources within 50 miles of Nuclear Plants |
1 |
New York | 9,974,602 |
2 |
Pennsylvania | 6,651,752 |
3 |
Massachusetts | 4,821,229 |
4 |
North Carolina | 3,753,495 |
5 |
New Jersey | 3,286,373 |
6 |
Ohio | 2,844,794 |
7 |
California | 2,362,188 |
8 |
Virginia | 2,022,349 |
9 |
Michigan | 1,521,523 |
10 |
Connecticut | 1,511,605 |
The Indian Point plant in New York is close to the water supplies of the greatest number of people; 11 million New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey residents drink water from sources near the plant. Twenty-one different nuclear plants sit within 50 miles of the drinking water sources serving more than 1 million people. Of these plants, six share the same General Electric Mark I design as the crippled reactors at Fukushima.
Table ES-2: Top 10 Plants by Population Receiving Drinking Water from Intakes within 50 Miles
Rank | Plant | State | Population |
1 |
Indian Point | New York | 11,324,636 |
2 |
Seabrook | New Hampshire | 3,921,516 |
3 |
Limerick | Pennsylvania | 3,901,396 |
4 |
Vermont Yankee | Vermont | 3,114,882 |
5 |
Salem / Hope Creek | New Jersey | 2,900,971 |
6 |
San Onofre | California | 2,295,738 |
7 |
Perry | Ohio | 2,132,775 |
8 |
Beaver Valley | Pennsylvania | 1,878,905 |
9 |
Shearon Harris | North Carolina | 1,686,425 |
10 |
McGuire | North Carolina | 1,646,516 |
(Italics indicate reactors with GE Mark I containments.)
A total of 12 million Americans draw their drinking water from sources within 12.4 miles (20 km) of a nuclear plant. All land within 20 km of the Fukushima Daiichi plant has been mandatorily evacuated to protect the public from exposure to radiation. Some areas within, and even outside, that radius may remain uninhabitable for decades.
Table ES-3: Top 10 Plants by Population Receiving Drinking Water from Intakes within 12.4 Miles (20 km)
Rank | Plant | State | Population |
1 |
Indian Point | New York | 8,359,730 |
2 |
Limerick | Pennsylvania | 923,538 |
3 |
McGuire | North Carolina | 895,538 |
4 |
Surry | Virginia | 422,300 |
5 |
Oconee | South Carolina | 378,899 |
6 |
Three Mile Island | Pennsylvania | 262,149 |
7 |
Peach Bottom | Pennsylvania | 243,368 |
8 |
Shearon Harris | North Carolina | 206,414 |
9 |
Waterford | Louisiana | 103,818 |
10 |
Beaver Valley | Pennsylvania | 80,626 |
Major cities, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, San Diego, Cleveland and Detroit receive their drinking water from sources within 50 miles of a nuclear plant. New York City receives its drinking water from within 20 km of the Indian Point nuclear station.
Table ES-4: Largest Water Systems with Intakes within 50 Miles of Nuclear Plants
System | State | Population Served | |
1 |
New York City System | NY | 8,000,000 |
2 |
MWRA (Boston and Southeastern MA) | MA | 2,360,000 |
3 |
Philadelphia Water Department | PA | 1,600,000 |
4 |
Cleveland Public Water System | OH | 1,500,000 |
5 |
City of San Diego | CA | 1,266,731 |
6 |
City of Detroit | MI | 899,387 |
7 |
Aqua Pennsylvania Main System (Philadelphia Suburbs) | PA | 820,000 |
8 |
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility | NC | 774,331 |
9 |
United Water NJ (Bergen County) | NJ | 773,163 |
10 |
City of Fort Worth | TX | 727,575 |
Table ES-5: Largest Water Systems with Intakes within 12.4 Miles (20 km) of Nuclear Plants
System | State | Population Served | |
1 |
New York City System | NY | 8,000,000 |
2 |
Aqua Pennsylvania Main System (Philadelphia Suburbs) | PA | 820,000 |
3 |
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility | NC | 774,331 |
4 |
City of Newport News | VA | 406,000 |
5 |
Greenville Water System | SC | 345,817 |
6 |
United Water of New York (Rockland County) | NY | 270,000 |
7 |
Town of Cary | NC | 149,000 |
8 |
Chester Water Authority | PA | 124,649 |
9 |
Harford County D.P.W. | MD | 104,567 |
10 |
United Water of Pennsylvania (Dauphin County) | PA | 97,645 |
Water contamination is not only a threat in the event of a major nuclear accident. 75 percent of U.S. nuclear plants have leaked tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen that can cause cancer and genetic defects. Tritium can contaminate groundwater and drinking water, and has been found at levels exceeding federal drinking water standards near U.S. nuclear power plants.
The Fukushima nuclear reactor used seawater as a source of emergency cooling for the stricken reactors, with large releases of radioactivity to the Pacific Ocean. U.S. nuclear reactors draw their cooling water from a variety of important waterways, including:
The inherent risks posed by nuclear power suggest that the United States should move to a future without nuclear power.
The nation should:
In the meantime, the United States should reduce the risks nuclear power poses to water supplies by: