East coast earthquake raises questions of preparedness, safety
Recent seismological activity along the east coast brings into question society’s plan of action should an earthquake stronger than the one this past Aug. 23 rock the territory again. Years may go by between similar episodes in this area of the country, but concern about the region’s earthquake potential prompted Virginia Tech to establish the Earthquake Engineering Center for the Southeastern United States (ECSUS), in 2000.
James Martin, the director of ECSUS, claims the southern Appalachian highlands have the potential for even larger earthquakes than have occurred to date.
Like Fukushima, Japan, earthquakes can lead to the leaking of toxic waste products. Damage to facilities, such as the North Anna and Surry nuclear power stations, both in Va., can have deadly consequences.
Robert Alvarez, director of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), said, “According to a statement by a representative of Dominion Power, the two reactors were designed to withstand a 5.9 to 6.1 quake.”
He stated, “The spent fuel pools at North Anna contain four to five times more spent fuel than their original designs intended.” This is the largest stockpile in the nation.
The IPS has warned the National Regulatory Commission (NRC) of this, and the Academy of Sciences seconded the warning. There is speculation from Robert Alvarez that Congress has failed to exercise proper authority over the NRC.
The dam that contains Lake Anna, the reservoir built to cool the reactors, received a “D-” rating by the American Association of Civil Engineers.
According to a report by Bill Dedman, map consensus data shows a 17 percent population increase within a ten mile radius of Lake Anna in the past decade. Charlottesville is approximately 20 miles west of North Anna.
Should necessary improvements not be made, the results could be devastating.
Image via Dominion Power
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