V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Fairfield County, SC. (Image: SCANA/SCE&G)
Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- SCE&G officials say they detected a leak of slightly contaminated water during an inspection at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station.
Employees of South Carolina Electric & Gas say they found the leak on July 7, contained it and isolated the problem. They say repairs are underway.
According to Rhonda O'Banion with the SCANA Corporation, SCE&G's parent company, power officials voluntarily reported the leak to the Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
O'Banion said investigators with DHEC worked with SCE&G, and their initial investigations "found the situation to have no adverse effect to public safety, site personnel or plant equipment." She said service from the nuclear station was not interrupted, and its normal operations are still ongoing.
Mary Nguyen Bright with the Department of Health and Environmental Control said the leak began in piping inside the facility and caused water to land on a concrete pad, posing no immediate concern. As a precaution, DHEC officials took soil samples at the site. Officials with DHEC expect to have results from their tests by the end of the week.