FW: SONGS Alert Update

["Edgerton, Patricia (DHS - RHB)" <PEdgerto@dhs.ca.gov>]

Some information we have been following here about the bomb scare at San
Onofre Nuclear Generation Station (SONGS):

Trisha Edgerton, MS, CHP
California Department of Health Services
Radiologic Health Branch
pedgerto@dhs.ca.gov
Voice:  (916) 322-6268
Fax:     (916) 324-3610

> Suspicious pipe puts nuke plant on alert
> 
> SAN ONOFRE, Calif., March 5 (UPI) -- A Marine Corps bomb squad from  Camp
> Pendleton was called to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station after a
> worker discovered a device that resembled a pipe bomb on the plant's
> grounds. California Edison spokesman Ray Golden said the worker was taking
> a  break about 10 a.m. today when he noticed a foot-long section of pipe
> with caps welded on both ends lying behind a sealed cargo container. 	The
> bomb squad determined that an explosive device of that size and  distance
> from Unit 2 would not be able to damage any critical parts of the plant.
> At about 11:30 a.m. the bomb squad determined that the device was not  a
> bomb. Golden said the section of pipe may have been related to a schedule
> of maintenance and refueling that was carried out at Unit 2. Unit 2
> returned to service today after a 54-day outage. Edison  reported before
> the alert that the refueling outage was the shortest ever undertaken at
> San Onofre, which provides power to 2.5 million residential customers in
> Southern California. During the outage, workers replaced and overhauled
> parts and  assemblies within Unit 2 and did a variety of inspections.
> Golden said none of the plant's 2,000 workers were evacuated during  the
> alert, and both Units 2 and 3 continued to operate at 100 percent power.
> Unit 1 was shut down in 1992. 	He said there was no release of
> radioactive materials.  Edison says an alert is declared when plant safety
> levels could be  reduced. The plant also notified federal, state, and
> local emergency organizations as a routine matter.