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Group: Nuclear Power Too Risky For Water Supply

DETROIT (WWJ) - A local group is raising concerns about a potential risk to our drinking water from nuclear power.

In its just-released report titled "Too Close To Home," the Public Interest Research Group in Michigan's explains concerns about a threat to the safety of drinking water -- especially in Detroit.

PIRGIM spokeswoman Megan Hess said the city of Detroit uses water taken from within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant.

"The Fermi 2  nuclear power plant in Monroe provides power for, you know, a lot of southeast Michigan, and it draws its cooling water supply from Lake Erie and from the Detroit River area," said Hess.

"So, it has a possibility of contaminating the drinking water source for the city of Detroit," she said.

PIRGIM nuclear power report
(WWJ Photo/Pat Sweeting)

PIRGIM, together with the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, are supporting a plan to retire nuclear power plants when their licenses expire.

"And if there is any need for additional electricity, that can be taken care of through efficiency," said GLELC executive director, Nick Schroeck.

"The cheapest kilowatt of electricity is that kilowatt that you do not have to generate. And spending perhaps $15 billion or more in real dollars on a new nuclear plant at Fermi just doesn't make sense," said Schroeck.

PIRGIM reports that 1.5 million people in Michigan drink water from sources too close to these plants.

- More from PIRGIM's report on their website -

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