Indian Point and Us: Where We Stand Now

In light of the tragic events that have unfolded in Japan, there is renewed concern over nuclear power plants in the U.S. One plant in particular has gotten a lot of attention, Indian Point, just 24 miles from Scarsdale.

This plant built in 1962 is among the oldest in the U.S. In recent weeks much has been made about the fact that it is situated near larger than initially believed fault lines. A report from the Earth Institute at Columbia University says the Indian Point sits at the intersection of two active seismic zones. It took many by surprise that of all the nuclear facilities in the U.S,. Indian Point is reportedly the most vulnerable to an earthquake.

That report from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University is enough to terrify anyone. I spoke to the co-author, John Armbruster. He told me that the last sizeable earthquake in the New York metropolitan region was in 1884, which registered about a magnitude of 5. Even then, the earthquake did reportedly little damage. He says that while it appears that the region is overdue for a quake, in the worst case scenario an earthquake could be a magnitude of a 7. However, it seems unlikely that it would be anything along the lines of what was experienced in Japan, Haiti or Chile in the past year. Entergy, owner of the site says the Indian Point facility has been designed to withstand a magnitude 6 earthquake.

Armbruster also tells me the threat of a tsunami, which caused much of the damage is about nil, but that does not mean there aren’t risks.

Over the past decade there have been several environmental and safety risks and lapses, which have been well documented by the watchdog, group Riverkeeper as well as the NRC. In 2010, 600,000 gallons of mildly radioactive steam vented after an automatic shutdown of Unit 2. It should be noted that the tritium (toxic) levels in the steam were well below the maximum allowed by the NRC. Also last year, an explosion occurred in the main transformer for Indian Point 2.

Governor Cuomo has ordered a full review of the Indian Point power plant and said at a March 16 press conference that while he was Attorney General he had concluded that the plant should be closed.

This past Sunday, U.S. Energy Secretary David Chu told Fox News that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will inspect the safety and evacuation plans of Indian Point and will determine if the reactor should remain open. Chu, measuring his words, added that they do not believe the reactor is currently unsafe or poses similar risks to the reactors in Japan.

On Monday, Westchester County lawmakers and Entergy officials held an informational meeting exploring disaster preparedness.

For it’s part, Entergy released a statement saying that it will review the plant’s ability to respond to a catastrophic event.

It should be noted that Indian Point supplies about a quarter of the power used in Westchester and New York City. And even if a strong earthquake isn’t in Westchester County’s future, images out of Japan should still be a warning to this area. Human error or worse, a terrorist attack could trigger a potential meltdown at Indian Point. American Airlines Flight 11 flew near Indian Point, though for its part, Entergy, says that the facility could withstand an airline crash without reactor damage.

However, at issue is how to evacuate the region. U.S. officials have told Americans in Japan to stay at least 50 miles away from the Fukishima plant in Japan. As Peter Applebome points out in his New York Times article Fukishima, Indian Point and Fantasy, if that 50 mile radius was applied to Indian Point should a disaster occur, it would include all of Westchester, Rockland, New York City except for Staten Island, Nassau and parts of Suffolk County, all of Fairfield County and all of Bergen County. In other words: millions of people who would all need to evacuate their homes and leave the area on short notice.

To anyone who has seen the Hutch, 287 or 95 on a regular Friday afternoon, this should send chills down your spine.

As the devastation and tragedy in Japan continues, the news has already begun to shift away from it. In time, people, save for a few in this area, will become complacent about Indian Point. The NRC’s decision about Indian Point is a few months away and whether or not an earthquake in this region is imminent remains to be seen. However, the more information that comes out about the nuclear power plant to our north, the less safe it appears. It’s nearly impossible to imagine a nuclear crisis here. The people of Japan probably felt the same just a few weeks back.

Jen is a freelance journalist who has covered the economy and markets for over a decade at a major financial news outlet. She lives in Scarsdale with her husband and 2 children. Jen has yet to bake a successful batch of cookies.