The EastCoaster

by: Grace Brogioli

Recently, it was discovered that Holtec International plans to dump contaminated wastewater into Cape Cod Bay. Neaby Cape Cod, the town of Plymouth used to have a running nuclear power plant until it was decommissioned by Holtec International, who “received a decommissioning trust of more than $1 billion to cover the cost of dismantling the reactor.”¹ The power plant contains over 1 million gallons of nuclear waste just sitting on the property.

This raises the question of how to get rid of the waste. Holtec plans to dump the water into Cape Cod Bay, posing an enormous threat to the environment. When news sources discovered this possibility, the EPA “warned Holtec that unauthorized discharges into the Bay would be a violation of the Clean Water Act.”² Since the warning, Holtec is trying to obtain a discharge permit that would allow them to legally discharge this hazardous material into Cape Cod Bay.

The reason for dumping the waste into the bay is that this option is more cost-effective compared to other options, such as, long-term storage on the site it’s at currently or the transportation of the waste to other facilities. This raises the moral question: To what extent is money more valuable than the environment? Holtec received over a billion dollars to dispose of the waste and the company is choosing to just dump it into Cape Cod Bay because it’s the most convenient option. Is that ethical? This could affect the wildlife population in Cape Cod, it could affect the health of whales, the stripe bass population, people who have charter businesses, and the seafood industry—extremely prevalent in Cape Cod. Just recently there were two highly critically endangered Northern Atlantic Right Whales passing through Cape Cod Bay. How would this waste affect this population? This option puts a lot of people at risk for water contamination as well making this a potential health issue and environmental justice issue. 

¹ Matt Haeffner, “Company Plans to Dump Radioactive Wastewater into Cape Cod Bay – on the Water,” On The Water – The Angler’s Guide to the Northeast, 20 Feb. 2023, https://www.onthewater.com/news/2023/02/16/company-plans-to-dump-radioactive-wastewater-into-cape-cod-bay. 

² Matt Haeffner, “Company Plans to Dump Radioactive Wastewater into Cape Cod Bay – on the Water,” On The Water – The Angler’s Guide to the Northeast, 20 Feb. 2023, https://www.onthewater.com/news/2023/02/16/company-plans-to-dump-radioactive-wastewater-into-cape-cod-bay.