Radioactive water leaks into Mohawk River

NISKAYUNA, NY, Nov. 9, 2010 -- According to the New York DEC, radioactive water from a cleanup site at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory spilled from a drainage pipe into the Mohawk River last month.

Over 600 gallons of contaminated water overflowed into a culvert as a result of a failed sump pump system. The culvert drains directly into the Mohawk River.

A DEC spokesman pointed to heavy rains in late October as the cause of the overflow.

DEC maintains that the spill did not present any immediate threat to public health but the water reportedly contained a number of chemicals including Cesium-137, Strontium-90, uranium and plutonium.

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