Virginia Earthquake Brings Attention To North Anna Nuclear Power Plant

by Colby Hall | 2:27 pm, August 23rd, 2011

» 22 comments

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered just northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt throughout the Eastern seaboard and iron belt region of the United States. In the wake of the much more powerful Japanese earthquake of earlier this year, and its effect on the nearby Fukushima nuclear plant, this is certain to bring attention to the Virginian nuclear plant that may have been effected as well.

While there are no reports yet on the integrity of the local plant, reports of the epicenter being based in Mineral, Virgina suggest that the North Anna nuclear plant is located just a short 10 miles away.

The North Anna plant was built in the late 1970s and the two reactors went online in 1978 and 1980. According to not always reliable Wikipedia entry, the plant is located in a relatively rural area:

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.[2]

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of North Anna was 21,396, an increase of 15.7 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 1,912,015, an increase of 22.6 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Richmond (40 miles to city center).[3]

Expect to hear a lot more about North Anna and the U.S. nuclear power industry as a hot-button topic in the coming days and weeks.

Susan P

“ this is certain to bring attention to the Virginian nuclear plant that may have been effected as well.”
Affected would be the correct word to use there… way to go.
Guest

Was just about to say that.
Samdogdamndog2

And what the article does NOT tell you is that there is a geologic fault line running dead center beneath all four reactors. There are even photographs taken during the excavation of the reactor’s foundation that prove this, VEPCO was warned, yet they built it anyway. http://books.google.com/books?id=YKP_KZGD7dwC&pg=PA418&lpg=PA418&dq=geologic+fault+beneath+north+anna+nuclear&source=bl&ots=-KbNQZlNQd&sig=PXlOyeFbgS1_lUotG1rPu0TaQtY&hl=en&ei=pvRTTq7JGZKBsgKGy_SYB
Tolearysr

Affected is effectively correct.
VenCain

This is what I care about but if you watch CNN it’s all about how the buildings shook in D.C. and N.Y.

-VenCain
Bbb_e

WOW OCD much??? Were not in school anymore do we really need to see people correct other peoples grammatical errors? GET A LIFE!!!
JP

I grew up in Bumpas right next to North Anna. I recall my mom telling stories about how a researcher warned them about the fault line prior to construction, but the man was murdered before he could publish his report.
Anonymous

EVERYBODY FREAK OUT RIGHT NOW!!!

OK, naptime. Wake me when Mothra shows up, k?
Anonymous

People who get paid to write ought to be able to do it.
Moderate

Not to worry, they are designed to shutdown.
Jooce

well played!
Jooce

well played!
Anonymous

Nuclear alarmism inbound. Correction. I see it’s already infected the thread.

To those still counting – or rather – to those still influenced by logic and reason…

-death toll in the great Touhoku earthquake and tsunami? 20,335
-death toll from the 4 nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi? 0. Zip. Nada. None. Some cows died when their owners ran a way, though.

Not that they shouldn’t have left the evacuation zone. And, to be sure, there’s an economic impact from loss of property and wages. Not to mention the probability of a statistically measurable increase in certain kinds of cancer in nearby regions. But whatever heath issues these people are faced with will be immeasurably more survivable than if they were suddenly confronted with a 30 meter high wall of water.

Which is all to say the unforeseen impact of disastrous events – even mundane life – are relative. More (and more serious) health complications arise from coal based energy production than from nuclear based energy production. Without doubt, far more have died from natural gas explosions than when the roof literally blew off a nuclear power plant in Japan. For that matter, more die in a year driving themselves to the gas station than have ever died heating water by nuclear decay.

I return you to your emotional argument.
Anonymous

Notice the people that have their panties in a bunch about nuclear power don’t really have alternatives. What are they going to offer up, coal? Really? Maybe just a bunch of wind farms, lol.

Life is a risk, people.
Snowball96

You are right. The contractors poured tons of concrete into the crack of the fault line and continued to build. I was waiting for something to be said on the news but there was silence.
Snowball96

I remember in 1988 in Surry Virginia, a WV construction work received more than his lifetime dose in an hour or so. He conveniently committed suicide the following day.
Anonymous

Alternatives? Phsaw! Back to the stone age, some argue seriously.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XS6ONL5TGRKYRKVG4DC6GHP7KE Hendrokilse Smith

This year has become bunch of earthquake attacks. In the same year in Japan, and now northwest of Richmond. But, it was good news for them, nothing happened with plant. Thanks God..
http://www.zimbio.com/member/AndreaWilson/articles/iR99Pdx668D/Meratol+Review+Acquire+Abundance+Good+Health
http://twitter.com/Staciisa_bitch Staci Chase

I feel bummed out that I didn’t feel the big shaker.
http://twitter.com/Staciisa_bitch Staci Chase

I feel bummed out that I didn’t feel the big shaker.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3A7ALWT2GYKYZWHH4HBGXIGM7Y Shantacarry Smith

Hey! Fantastic blog! I happen to be a daily visitor to your site of this website. Just wanted to say I appreciate your blogs and am looking forward for more to come!
http://allabouthairsolutions.com/silkn-sensepil-review-smooth-and-silky-that-is-your-skin.html
caconservative

Why so much concern for a nuclear power plant the government tells us are perfectly safe?