‘No reason for alarm in submarine leak’

The Fitial administration received assurances yesterday from the U.S. military in Guam that the amount of radioactive water that leaked from the nuclear-powered submarine USS Houston while docked on Saipan in December 2007 was “very, very minimal” and that there is no reason for alarm.

Press secretary Charles Reyes Jr. told Saipan Tribune that Gov. Benigno Fitial was pleased to get the report from the U.S. military, particularly the assurance that there was very minimal environmental impact.

The USS Houston was on Saipan Dec. 19 to 23, 2007.

The U.S. military’s report states that the cumulative amount of radioactivity released to the environment as a result of this port visit was less than 0.095 micro curies.

“At no time was there a risk to the reactor plant, the safety of the crew, the safety of the public, marine life, or the environment as a result of this port visit,” the report says.

It indicates that the amount of radioactivity involved is extremely small.

“The amount of naturally occurring radioactivity in the seawater of a harbor is millions of times greater than the radioactivity released during this event,” the military says in the report.

The total amount of radioactivity reportedly released into the environment as a result of all port visits from June 2006 to July 2008 is less than the amount of radioactivity contained in a common household smoke detector, the report says.

The U.S. military determined that a shut valve in the USS Houston’s engineering plant has been steadily leaking a small amount above the stringent design specification from June 2006 until Houston was placed in dry dock in July 2008.

“This weepage was so small that it was below the limit of detection by personnel on the ship and was indistinguishable by the ship from no leakage at all,” the military says.

Reyes said the administration is interested in getting more information about the leak incident from any other source or any other party that may have more information.

This is because what they got was only from the military, he added.

“Right now, the only major information that we received is from the U.S. military. According to the military, there is no reason for alarm. So far, no environmental group has stepped forward to alert us to any other impacts,” the press secretary said.

Reyes noted that Japan, which was also affected by the leak and is a very advanced nation with more technical expertise, is apparently satisfied with the U.S. military’s report.

“Based on the news, Japan seems to be satisfied with the assurances given by the U.S. military and government. If Japan is satisfied [considering] they have much more technical expertise, much more resources, I think the CNMI may be reasonably satisfied, unless we receive anything else to the contrary,” he added.

The U.S. Navy first notified Japan on Aug. 1 that the USS Houston had leaked water containing small amounts of radiation when it was docked in Sasebo and Okinawa in March and April. The leak was reportedly discovered on July 17 when the Los Angeles-based fast track sub was docked in Hawaii.