Sub leaked radioactive water

A U.S. Navy nuclear submarine that had visited Saipan for four days in December last year has been found leaking trace amounts of radioactivity for months as it traveled around the Pacific.

The leaking radioactivity was found when the USS Houston was undergoing routine maintenance in Hawaii last month, according to an Associated Press report. Officials told AP the amount was “negligible” and “an extremely low level.”

While it was docked in Guam, Hawaii and Japan, less than half of a microcurie (0.0000005 curies), was leaked. The amount is less than what is found in a 50-pound bag of lawn and garden fertilizer, officials told AP.

As of Saturday, the CNMI’s Governor’s Office has not been notified about anything, press secretary Charles Reyes said.

Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo released a statement Saturday, saying officials from the Naval Reactors Office in Washington, D.C., contacted her Friday about the leak.

“I was informed that the leakage may have gone undetected for over a five-month period and that the leak was discovered during a scheduled overhaul,” she said. “I have been informed that the amount of leakage was at a negligible level, but I remain concerned about this news. I have asked for officials to brief me about this matter in greater detail as soon as possible.”

Bordallo said she would continue to work with the Navy to ensure a thorough review is conducted on the leak.

“We want all the facts to be known so that we can ensure that there has been no harm to the residents of Guam, danger to the crew, or damage to the environment,” she said.

The leak was discovered July 17 when the Los-Angeles class fast track sub was docked in Hawaii. A buildup of leaking water popped a valve, pouring water onto a sailor’s leg, a CNN report said. Water from a valve was slowly dripping from the submarine’s nuclear power plant, although the water did not make contact with the nuclear reactor. The sailor tested negative for radiation.

The Navy notified the Japanese government the sub might have been leaking while it was in port in Sasebo, Japan, in March.

Angelo Villagomez, a community member active in environmental organizations, said he expects more cases like this will arise with the U.S. military buildup in Guam and the CNMI.

“I hope the military in CNMI mitigate those problems and future problems,” he said.

But, Villagomez said, he does not want the incident to stop other ships from docking here.

“The [CNMI] wants those ships to come here because they offer great economic benefits,” he said. “They pump thousands of dollars into our economy when they stop here.”

The Houston is based at Apra Harbor in the U.S. territory of Guam in the Western Pacific.

It visited a U.S. naval base in Sasebo, Japan, in late March, and then stopped in Guam from late May to mid-June. The submarine sat in Pearl Harbor for about three weeks before it was dry-docked in mid-July. [B][I](With AP and CNN)[/I][/B]