Media Release June 28, 2006
Water and Nuclear power do not mix!
Friends of the Earth Brisbane are concerned by Dr Mike Clarke's promotion today of nuclear power as a solution to Queenslands water crisis. Dr Clarke has been reported saying that a nuclear power plant 200km from Brisbane could power a desalination plant and fix our water woes.
FoEB spokesperson Kim Stewart says that besides being too slow to be a practical solution today, “the nuclear industry will only introduce further water problems. The nuclear industry uses massive amounts of water and has contaminated local water sources all over the world, causing cancers and illness.”
“The entire nuclear chain, from uranium extraction to power output uses massive amounts of water. The Olympic Dam uranium mine in South Australia currently uses 33 times more water in one day than the average Brisbane consumer uses in a year! And tailings dams at uranium mines everywhere are contaminating local ground and surface water. In the US 70% of groundwater in the area inhabited by the Navajo Indians is contaminated by uranium mines and the local population is ravaged by cancer.”
“Nuclear power plants are a source of intractable contamination: once nuclear material contaminates a water source it is very difficult, nigh impossible, to clean up. And they continue to pollute after their useful life has ended. In January 2006 the Union of Concerned Scientists petitioned the US nuclear Regulatory Commission to do something about the millions of litres of contaminated water leaking from it's many reactors, some leaking for as long as 12 years and who knows how many undetected leaks that are ongoing. ”
“The intractable waste left over from creating power by nuclear means is causing havoc wherever it is kept. In France this year two of their major waste facilities have been found to be contaminating groundwater, in one case the radioactive water was being consumed by dairy cows and in another, the water used to make Frances famous champagnes has been contaminated.”
“Like Howard's suggestion that nuclear power could solve climate change, once again we are hearing a totally inappropriate response to a problem. What miraculous things can the nuclear industry do next? Solve world hunger? Poverty? There seems to be no limit to the insane things the pro-nuclear lobby will say to get us to accept nuclear power!”
“Keep the nuclear industry aways from our precious water resources! There are many sustainable ways to fix our water problems, nuclear isn't one of them.”
Media 0413 397 839
Notes:
Union of Concerned Scientists MR January 25, 2006 http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/coalition-seeks-government.html
Greenpeace Report May 30, 2006 http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/reports/nuclear-waste-management-the