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N0KFQ > NEWS 20.06.11 05:36l 62 Lines 2651 Bytes #999 (0) @ USA
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Cooper Nuclear Station declares "Notification of Unusual Event"
Nebraska City News Press
Posted Jun 19, 2011 @ 10:30 AM
Brownville, Neb. _
Cooper Nuclear Station, an electric power plant in southeast
Nebraska, declared a "Notification of Unusual Event" this morning
at 4:02 a. m. The declaration was anticipated throughout Saturday
by the power plant's operators, who closely tracked the river's
steady increase in elevation due to the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers' releases from dams upstream.
The notification was made as part of safety and emergency
preparedness plan the station follows when flooding conditions
are in effect. The plan's procedures dictate when the Missouri
River's water level reaches 42.5 feet, or greater than 899 feet
above sea level, a notification of unusual event is declared.
There is no threat to plant employees or to the public; the plant
continues to operate safely. Appropriate local, county, state,
and federal agencies were also notified.
Cooper staff continuously monitors the river's water levels as
part of normal operations. However, on May 30, site personnel
began additional preparations in anticipation of the Corps'
release of higher volumes of water. Personnel have been proactive
in preparing the station for flood conditions by filling
sandbags, constructing barricades, procuring materials and
supplies, and reinforcing the access road plant staff use to get
to the station. More that 5,000 tons of sand was brought in for
constructing barricades, such as Hesco barriers placed around the
station's switchyard of transformers and other electrical
equipment.
Should the river's level increase to 900 feet above sea level,
plant personnel will also barricade internal doorways as another
layer of protection for facility equipment. If the river's level
increases to 45.5 feet or 902 feet above sea level, plant
operators would take the station offline as a protective safety
measure. The plant was built at 903' MSL, which is 13 feet above
natural grade.
A Notification of Unusual Event is the lowest and least serious
of four emergency classifications established by the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission for nuclear power plants. If placed on a
scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being the least serious level of an
emergency and 4 being the most serious level of an emergency, a
"Notification of Unusual Event" would equal a 1.
Cooper Nuclear Station is located three miles southeast of
Brownville, Nebraska, near the Missouri River. It is owned and
operated by the Nebraska Public Power District, with headquarters
in Columbus, Nebraska.
Copyright 2011 Nebraska City News-Press. Some rights reserved
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