If you don’t speak up, who will?
As a citizen of the Guadalupe River Basin, you should be aware of the impact the proposed Exelon nuclear power plant near Victoria will have on our community and our future. The site of the proposed nuclear power plant will critically impact our region’s water supply. The plant introduces economic risks without truly exploring alternative energy options. Whether you are pro- or anti-nuke, we cannot afford to be short-sighted as we navigate difficult economic times and complex energy choices that require a sustainable and long-term plan. This issue is bigger than one backyard and as Texans, we share responsibility for the stewardship of our land and natural resources.
Key Issues
The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority recently asked residents to curtail their water use, but the proposed nuclear power plant has reserved 75,000 acre-feet of water anyway.
- How will this affect our supply?
- Does the GBRA even have enough water rights to be promising this water to Exelon and supply all the other regional water needs like the Lower Guadalupe Water Supply Project?
- What long-term effect could a nuclear power plant’s reservation and use of this water have downstream on the bay, wetlands, estuaries, fish and whooping cranes?
The NRC requires that nuclear waste be stored safely for 1000 years. Currently, there are no facilities for permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste in the United States, yet Exelon is proposing new plants without a long-term storage solution in place.
- Where is all the nuclear waste going to go?
- If the waste is stored on-site, how long will it be stored there and what impact will that have on safety?
- Do we know that the site of this proposed nuclear power plant geologically sound or does it have unstable faults? Could contaminated water leak into the groundwater?
Accidents happen. As recently as July 2008, Uranium-bearing liquid leaked from a broken underground pipe at a nuclear plant in southeastern France, a leader in nuclear power generation.
- What are the dangers and safety concerns? If there is a nuclear accident, how will area residents be evacuated – especially those in schools and medical facilities?
- What is the safety record of the technology? Can it be secured?
- Do we know that the site of this proposed nuclear power plant is geologically sound or does it have unstable faults?
Nuclear power plants belong to a category known as “undesirable facilities” and are often referred to as LULUs, or “locally unwanted land use.”
- Will a nuclear power plant effect the reputation of the community as a safe place to live?
- How will it impact property values and other businesses considering Victoria?
- Will there be enough water for future economic development?
Exelon leaked radioactive tritium at its Braidwood, IL nuclear power plant and did not publicly disclose the contamination for years.
- Can you trust they won’t do the same here?
- Can we trust an employer who ignores security-related warnings from its own team only to acknowledge failure when a video tape surfaces?
- Is this the kind of neighbor and employer we want?
News & Events
As Guadalupe River Reaches Critical Level, TSEPA Contends: Not Enough Water for ExelonWith the Guadalupe River reaching critical levels, members of Texans for a Sound Energy Policy Alliance (TSEPA) today question how the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) and Exelon continue to believe that there is enough water for the proposed Exelon nuclear power plant near Victoria.
Victoria’s Choice: the nuke, or the Guadalupe and the whooper?I suppose I can respect why the city of Victoria thinks its water needs are covered by spending millions of dollars on water rights - it’s their job to make sure they’ve secured enough water for the city - at least on paper. But those rights have little value if there is no water in the river.
Guadalupe River Reaches Critical LevelWhat’s the outlook for the Guadalupe River?
“Unfortunately, it’s not real good,” said Mark Lenz, a National Weather Service hydrologist.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported that much of the Guadalupe River was running at less than 10 percent of its normal flow.