In Search of Energy, A Virginia Town Ponders a Third Nuclear Plant

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I live here

Not only do I live at the lake, but fish work and swim here. The area was selected for 4 reactors and only 2 currently exist. the plant has one of the best safety records in the business. As for the lake, the liveable level for fish is approximately twice that of other lakes as the water is aerated by the pumps. There are more fish here than in similar sized lakes, larger, and roughly 3 times the predator fish then in similar lakes due to the more expansive food chain.

Just another lake

My dad lives on the lake and we have our family reunions there each summer. The lake is the same temperature as any other lake. The fish are the same as any other lake fish. After swimming and jet skiing for 7 days straight nobody glows. That should cover most of the myths.

If the nuclear industry spent as much time promoting their safety record vs. coal mine collapses, oil spills, and foreign energy dependence maybe people would get over their fears. Then we could start firing lawyers, and start fixing this country by doing what needs to be done and doing it safely and properly.

North Anna Unit 3

The original North Anna Units 3 and 4 were in early stages of construction 30 years ago and were cancelled after TMI. The cooling system, and the Lake, was designed to support four units, not just two. Dominion(VEPCO back then) constructed Lake Anna, the dam, and over twenty bridges and miles of new road specifically to support the plant.

Gene Grecheck, by the way, was the VEPCO licensing Engineer, when the NRC granted the operating license to Unit 1 over thirty years ago.

(I worked for the Engineering firm that built the plant.)

heated lake sounds like a tourism boon!

A couple years back I was considering competing in a triathlon at Lake Anna. The race brochure advertised the "heated lake" which made wetsuits unnecessary even in the cooler month when the race was scheduled (March, maybe). Sounded interesting, but I hadn't really trained enough to be able to do the event.

America's Long-Stalled Nuclear Industry?

Interesting bias on the description of the US Nuclear Industry as "long-stalled." The article itself states that 104 operating reactors have quietly and safely been churning out 20% of the US electrical generation in an environmentally friendly manner. Hardly seems like "long-stalled," but the media can't say anything positive about nuclear, right? Improvements in operating capacity factors, 18-month breaker-to-breaker runs, and power uprates have all resulted in the equivalent of almost a dozen "new" nuclear plants added to the grid since the 1980s. So the increase in output has kept pace with the demand, holding the nuclear percentage steady at 20%. Long-stalled? How about "long-stalled" perceptions, instead of a "long-stalled" nuclear industry?

Lake Anna

Have son bought home on Lake Anna shore,have visited and find it nice. Article makes me wonder:what kind of fish will prosper in the warmer water ? Using lake water may preclude need for water heater in home. And the thought of "nuclear" danger is brought out by the article .

Lake Anna's hot water

It's interesting that the concerns about the water temperature of the lake are such an issue. For one thing, the power company originally constructed and still owns the lake itself. The residents around the lake use it with permission from the company.

Also, the lake was, in fact, designed to be a cooling source for four reactors, not just two. The third and fourth units were never built as a result of the repercussions of Three Mile Island, however the lake still has the capacity to fully cool four units.