No. I-08-065 

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 

December 24, 2008

NRC TO CONTINUE ENHANCED OVERSIGHT OF INDIAN POINT IN 2009 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will continue to perform additional inspections 

at the Indian Point nuclear power plant throughout 2009 to ensure issues associated with on-site 

groundwater contamination are being properly addressed. Entergy Nuclear Northeast owns and 

operates Indian Point, which is located in Buchanan (Westchester County), N.Y. 

Overall, the NRC considers Entergy’s operation of Indian Point to be acceptable, with 

both units at the site currently in the category of oversight that would typically result in a 

baseline, or routine, level of inspections. The agency’s Action Matrix, which can be found at 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/actionmatrix_summary.html , shows both 

Indian Point 2 and 3 as currently listed in the “Licensee Response Column,” or a category of 

plants normally warranting routine oversight. 

 However, NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins, in a request to the agency’s 

Executive Director for Operations, Bill Borchardt, wrote that a higher level of oversight is 

needed for Indian Point so the staff can “appropriately monitor licensee efforts to address the 

groundwater contamination issue.” In September 2005, the NRC was informed by Entergy that 

low levels of radioactive contamination were found in the vicinity of cracks identified on the 

exterior of the Indian Point 2 spent fuel pool building. Subsequently, groundwater at the site was 

found to be contaminated with radioactive leakage from both the Indian Point 2 spent fuel pool 

and the decommissioned Indian Point 1 spent fuel pool. 

“To date, Entergy has demonstrated satisfactory performance in addressing the 

contaminated groundwater conditions by completing a comprehensive site characterization, 

enhancing the sensitivity of its environmental monitoring program, determining the sources of 

contamination, and establishing remedial actions,” Mr. Collins wrote. “... However, some 

processes and procedures, important to the overall effectiveness and quality of Entergy’s longterm monitoring program, were not sufficiently developed and implemented in time for the NRC 

to assess effectiveness in CY 2008.” 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region I 

475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 

E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov
Mr. Borchardt approved the formal request, in the form of a “deviation memo,” on Dec. 

18. 

The deviation memo marks a continuation of additional NRC oversight at Indian Point 

that was first approved in October 2005 and then renewed in December 2006 and December 

2007, providing more resources for inspecting the plant during those years. 

In the December 2007 memo, plans were included for the NRC staff to continue with 

reviews of ongoing work on the installation of a new siren system for the plant. However, that 

system was placed into service in August 2008 and reliability tests were successfully conducted 

in September, October and November. Therefore, the criteria for the closeout of enhanced 

inspections involving that system have been met. 

A copy of the deviation memo will be posted on the NRC web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/plant-specific-items/indian-point-issues.html . 

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