Company that leaked radioactive material will build barrier to keep it away from Mississippi River

By TRISHA AHMED
MINNEAPOLIS

MONTICELLO, Minn. (AP) — The energy company responsible for leaking radioactive material from its nuclear plant in Monticello, Minnesota, in recent months has announced that it will build an underground metal barrier to keep affected groundwater away from the nearby Mississippi River. Xcel Energy said construction will last several weeks and should begin between Friday and Monday. Since November, a faulty pipe at the company’s nuclear plant has leaked more than 400,000 gallons of tritium, which is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The company said the tritium did not enter the river and was contained within the plant’s boundaries. Xcel has recovered about 80% of the tritium it leaked as of August.