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The Alliance For A Clean Environment (ACE) Is Urging The Region’s Citizens To Help Prevent Join Our Campaign To Protect Public Water What’s At Risk?
The Schuylkill River
For Over 1 ¾ Million People From Pottstown to Philadelphia Limerick Nuclear Power Plant Is
Jeopardizing The Schuylkill River! How?
What Are Potentially Harmful
Consequences?
Water Contamination Water Depletion Damage To Ecosystems Public Health Threats Harm To Wildlife The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) Is Scheduled To Approve Dangerous Exelon Requests By December, 2008 DRBC Approval Of Exelon’s Requests Would Allow Increased Pollution While Reducing Safeguards
To Protect The Schuylkill River, A Vital Public Water Source, DRBC Must:
1. REQUIRE FILTRATION of Mine Water by Exelon Or;
2. DELAY APPROVAL Until Completion Of A Comprehensive Independent Study,
Followed By An On-The-Record Public Hearing.
What Will Be Further Jeopardized If DRBC Approves Exelon’s Requests? Schuylkill River Water Quality and Ecosystems, Wildlife, Water Treatment Plant Operations, And Public Health
8 Exelon Requests To DRBC Are Listed Below: Comments That Follow Each Are Based On ACE’s 2 Year Investigation
1. Massive Water Withdrawal From The Schuylkill River For Limerick Nuclear Power Plant Operations
56.2 Million Gallons Per Day =
20,513,000,000 Gallons Per Year
Limerick Nuclear Power Plant’s extraordinary water withdrawal is depleting the public water supply. 2. Continued Discharge of Radioactive and Heated Water From Limerick Nuclear Plant
Only ¼ of Limerick’s water withdrawal is returned to the river – and that is radiated and heated. This is a major threat to Philadelphia’s water supply and quality.
3. Reduce Low-Flow Restrictions
Concentrations of contaminates pumped into the river increase as flows decrease. 4. Modify Monitoring Requirements
Safeguards related to Exelon’s Demonstration Project are already inadequate, with no truly independent Reducing Exelon’s monitoring requirements, while allowing Exelon to increase threats is a recipe for disaster. 5. Eliminate Temperature Restrictions
Temperature restrictions are an important safeguard for the health of the Schuylkill River ecosystems. Comprehensive independent monitoring is imperative before any decision is made to eliminate temperature restriction. Evidence suggests Exelon’s testing and claims must be independently verified to protect the
6. Continue UNFILTERED PUMPING of Over 1 Billion Gallons Each Year Of Contaminated
Wadesville Mine Water In the 6 Lowest Flow Months (May to October)
Almost 6 Billion Gallons of contaminated Wadesville Mine Water were pumped into the river at 24,300 Gallons Per minute, 24 hours per day, during the 6 lowest flow months of the year, each year since 2003. There are obvious harms, a fact admitted by Exelon, stating there is “little harm”. However, after 6 years and 6 billion gallons, there has still never been a comprehensive independent study to determine the extent of harm. The testing protocol and data are controlled by those with a vested interest in the outcome. 7. More Contaminated UNFILTERED Water Added From Other Mine Pools
Additive, cumulative, and synergistic harms over time from adding more and more contaminated mine water to a river that is continuously being depleted are unavoidable and could result in devastating consequences. Before allowing more mine pools to be pumped into the source of drinking water for over 1 ¾ million people, there must be a comprehensive study of what has already happened, and predictions of what could happen in the future, by an independent public interest expert. 8. Eliminate Public Participation In Future DRBC Decisions
As additional contaminated unfiltered mine waters would be added to the Schuylkill River by Exelon, all future decisions would be made exclusively by the head of DRBC. Help Stop These Serious Threats To the Schuylkill River! ACE Is URGING The Region’s Residents To Contact ACE Don’t Count On DRBC Or DEP To Protect
The Schuylkill River Or Public Health
They Already Allowed The Schuylkill River
To Become Highly Contaminated
A 1997 Report Shows These Agencies Allow The Schuylkill River To Be A Toxic Dumping Ground: “Poisoning Our Waters; How the Government Permits Pollution” The Schuylkill River Ranked 11th In The Nation In Receiving Toxic Chemicals Call ACE Today And Join Others If You Don’t Want This To Get Worse! Unfortunately, Both DRBC and DEP Support And Defend Exelon’s Deliberate Contamination Of The Schuylkill River They Ignore Common Sense At The Public’s Expense - The Reality Is: 1. Harms are inevitable
Threats do not magically disappear through dilution. Dilution doesn’t remove toxics.
2. Harms to the Schuylkill River will increase if DRBC approves Exelon’s
requests
Exelon donations to a fund to restore the river ignore harms caused by Exelon’s deliberate contamination.

3. Exelon is choosing to pollute the Schuylkill River, a vital water source for 1
¾ Million People From Pottstown to Philadelphia. Exelon can filter mine
water to prevent harm.
PRIOR to pumping contaminated mine water into the Schuylkill River, DRBC and DEP can and must protect the
river and require Exelon to use the most effective filtration to attempt to meet “Safe Drinking Water Standards”.
4. Exelon is choosing to pollute the Schuylkill River, a vital water source for 1
¾ Million People From Pottstown to Philadelphia. Exelon can filter mine
water to prevent harm.
PRIOR to pumping contaminated mine water into the Schuylkill River, DRBC and DEP should require Exelon to
use the most effective filtration to attempt to meet “Safe Drinking Water Standards”.
5. Exelon is choosing to pollute the Schuylkill River, a vital water source for 1
¾ Million People From Pottstown to Philadelphia. Exelon can filter mine
water to prevent harm.
PRIOR to pumping contaminated mine water into the Schuylkill River, DRBC and DEP should require Exelon to
use the most effective filtration to attempt to meet “Safe Drinking Water Standards”. 6. DRBC and DEP have put on blinders to obvious harms, as have those
receiving Exelon’s donations. They blindly support and defend this unprecedented threat to the Schuylkill River. The public’s water supply is not being protected by those with a mission and expectation to do that. 7. DRBC can and should stop the intentional contamination of the Schuylkill
River and stop Exelon from shifting the burden of costs to the public. For More Detailed Information Call The Alliance For A Clean Environment (ACE) (610) 326-2387

Source: http://acereport-archives.org/actalert_09sep08.pdf