Trenton, NJ -- This morning NJDEP announced that new test results found groundwater contamination from Exelon's Oyster Creek nuclear plant was greater than expected, having spread to the Cohansey aquifer, a major drinking source for South Jersey. NJDEP also announced it was ordering Exelon to take aggressive action to address this growing problem as the contaminant, tritium, was found at over 50 times the federal drinking water standard.

"The bad news is Exelon's Oyster Creek plant, already a major contributor to Barnegat Bay's degrading, has now become a major threat to South Jersey's drinking water. The good news is NJDEP Commissioner Martin is taking aggressive action to safeguard our water and hold Exelon accountable for this leaky 40 year old plant," stated David Pringle of the NJ Environmental Federation.

"We're pleased NJDEP is picking up the ball that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has dropped by ordering immediate action by Exelon because this contamination occurred months ago, no clean-up has occurred to date, and those most vulnerable to tritium exposure are pregnant women and fetuses. ," said Janet Tauro, GRAMMES (GRAndmothers, Mothers and More for Energy Safety).

Oyster Creek and Exelon have a history of failing to adequately prevent, monitor, inspect for, and disclose problems stemming from at Oyster Creek. These range from decaying safety equipment to leaky pipes and reluctance to comply with the federal Clean Water Act to use best available technology to minimize the damage to the environment and risk to public health and safety from the plant's operations.

"It's a sad day when the 'wait and see' approach taken in response to yet another 'trust us' from Exelon results in exactly what we feared -- contamination of one of the most significant aquifers in the region. We appreciate NJDEP taking the lead today and shame on the NRC and Exelon for letting it come to this," added Julia LeMense of the Eastern Environmental Law Clinic.

"NJDEP's actions today are more than appropriate and it's long past time for Exelon to stop dragging its feet. We call on Exelon to operate in good faith in response to NJDEP's and the public's concerns, something they've been reluctant to do historically, and aggressively comply with DEP's directive," concluded Pringle.

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