1. A sunny morning will give way to increasing clouds today, with a 20 percent chance of rain during the day and a 40 percent chance of rain at night. Weather.com predicts a high temperature of 63 degrees and an overnight low of 47 degrees.
2. After the tsunami-triggered disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi reactors in Japan last March, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission established a Japan Task Force to evaluate needed changes at U.S. nuclear power plants.
The Task Force issued its near-term recommendations in July, but the Commission also asked NRC staff to follow-up with a prioritized list of recommendations that should be implemented “without delay.”
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The recently-released recommendations suggest that the following be top priorities: Seismic and flood hazard re-evaluations; station blackout (loss of off-site power and on-site emergency power) regulatory actions; assessments to ensure there are reliable hardened vents for Mark I and II containments; and spent fuel pool instrumentation.
The big question for Waterford is how will this affectMillstone nuclear power plant? And the answer is, it probably won’t have much affect at all, at least not yet.
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Millstone has no Mark I or II containments, so that recommendation is a moot point. As for the rest of the priority areas, Millstone spokesman Kenneth Holt says Dominion is still waiting for the NRC to come out with specific recommendations.
However, Millstone already has backup diesel generators in place for Units 2 and 3 capable of providing power for 24 hours. That’s well above the nuclear industry standard of eight hours. Flood control measures, such as flood barriers that were used most recently during Tropical Storm Irene without even batting an eyelash, are in place, as are systems designed to handle seismic events.
“We’ve done seismic and flood hazard reevaluations and walk-downs. We do have flood barriers and watertight doors,” says Holt, adding, “The site is designed for a certain level of flooding.”
Within days of Fukushima, Holt says Millstone put together a team to come up with a specific plan on how to deal with natural disasters. That team is still in place, he says, and is working to make sure the plant is prepared for every eventuality.
“We are working with the NRC to ensure that we’re making the changes that we need to make to continue to protect the health and safety of the public,” Holt says. “As new information comes out and new regulations come out from the NRC, we’ll continue to upgrade our plans and our process.”
3. Halloween, my all-time favorite holiday, is nearly upon us and there are tons of events going on to celebrate the spooky, candy-filled day. Check out what’s going on this week and in the event listings. If I may, however, I’m going to put in a plug for the Hygienic Howling Halloween Bash at the Crocker House in New London this Friday. (Full disclosure here: I’m one of the volunteers who helps with decorations.)
If the past couple of parties are anything to go by, the event promises to be a great time with food by Tony D’s, music by What Up Funk—a Bridgeport band that really knows how to get the party started—a few surprises, and big cash prizes.
There’s $1,000 grand prize this year, with additional prizes for the scariest, funniest, sexiest, and most original costumes. The $40 ticket price is lower than it has been in previous years and, because this is a fundraiser for the gallery, it’s tax deductible!
4. Municipal elections, which will be held November 8, are fast approaching and so is the deadline to register to vote. The deadline for mailing voter registration cards is October 25, although eligible voters have until November 1 to register in person.
The Registrars of Voters office is open at Town Hall Monday through Friday from 9:30 to 11 a.m. For more information, call (860) 444-5836. If you need absentee ballots, call (860) 444-5831.
5. On this day in 1901, Annie Edson Taylor went over Niagara Falls in a barrel. The 63-year-old retired school teacher was the first person to use this technique and her survival inspired others to give it a try, although not all had the same success. Newly-widowed after the death of her Civil War veteran husband, Taylor hoped that the fame of her stunt would lead to fortune. It didn’t, but at least she lived to tell the tale.
Quote of the Day
“An election is coming. Universal peace is declared, and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry.”
-George Eliot (from Felix Holt)
Trivia of the Day
Modern-day Iraq was once part of which ancient country?
Yesterday’s Answer: President George W. Bush announced the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003. The Associated Press puts the number of U.S. military deaths at 4,478. The Defense Department also notes that 32,213 U.S. service members were wounded during the nine-year conflict.
