A Pembroke company with a record of contaminating soil and water with radioactive tritium, made a case for its continued operation yesterday.
SRB Technologies, which makes glow-in-the-dark signs with the radioactive element, presented new data to a Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission hearing, to indicate it is making strides toward a better environmental record.
A recent study conducted by the company showed reduced emissions and contamination of groundwater and wells.
Many, however, do not believe SRB should be allowed to let its radioactive waste flow through Pembroke’s sewage system into the Ottawa River.
The company’s licence expires Thursday, and a renewed licence would mean operations would extend for 18 months.
Groundwater on the plant’s site was previously found to contain up to 80 times the maximum allowable radioactive tritium level for drinking water.
SRB president Stephane Levesque said his company has a plan to improve standards.
The plan, issued under the Nuclear Safety Control Act, requires the company to: stop processing tritium during periods of precipitation, install a precipitation diversion system, analyse sources of contamination and do routine sampling and assessment of water that drains from downspouts.
Meredith Brown of Ottawa Riverkeeper, a group that aims to protect the river, urged precautions in dealing with tritium. “The public has had no input on what consists of an acceptable risk level. Any tritium-handling facility should operate as a closed system with internal capture and recycling of emissions generated,” she said.