Beyond Indian Point
Monitoring the shutdown of a nuclear power plant on the banks of the Hudson that killed billions of fish each year
The challenge
Indian Point Energy Center is a now defunct three-unit nuclear power station located in Buchanan, just south of Peekskill, in Westchester County, New York. It sits on the east bank of the Hudson River, about 36 miles north of Midtown Manhattan.
1 billion
Indian Point’s antiquated “once-through” water cooling system killed more than 1 billion fish and fish larvae each year
2.42 billion
The system withdrew 2.42 billion gallons per day from the Hudson and heated it up to a deadly temperature before discharging
A threat to wildlife
Fish were killed when they were impinged on filter screens, entrained through the cooling system, and scalded by hot water. Evidence indicates that for more than 40 years, such slaughter and habitat degradation contributed to the decline of numerous important fish species in the River.
Impacts to water quality
There have been a number of leaks of toxic, radioactive water from the pools at the plant that house spent nuclear fuel into the ground since the 1990s, contaminating the local soil, groundwater, and the Hudson River.
A potential ecological disaster
Before Indian Point’s spent fuel was moved into dry cask storage in 2024, the scale of an accident at the nuclear plant was unfathomable. Indian Point is situated in an ecologically important area and a far more densely populated area than any other nuclear reactor in the country. The evacuation plan in case of an accident was unrealistic and would have had a disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities.
Sheen at Indian Point
Impinged fish on filter screen
- Focus areas
- Drinking waterWater qualityHabitat and wildlife
What we're doing
In January 2017, Riverkeeper won one of its longest battles, which spanned five decades, when it joined New York State and Entergy, the owner of Indian point, in a historic agreement to close the aging and unsafe nuclear power plant by April 2021.
Indian Point’s Unit 2 reactor, which went into service in August 1974, ceased operating at the end of April 2020, and the final reactor, Unit 3, shut down in April 2021.
Riverkeeper is building on our decades of advocacy around Indian Point to ensure that the decommissioning of the facility is completed safely and with the best interests of the local communities and environment in mind. Riverkeeper is working hard to ensure the prompt, safe decommissioning of Indian Point.
The community has spoken loud and clear that it is unacceptable to use the Hudson River as a dumping ground for radioactive waste.
Tracy Brown
President and Hudson Riverkeeper
Energy for the greater good
In anticipation of the shutdown, Riverkeeper has prioritized efforts to ensure New York will have clean, renewable replacement energy after losing the 2,060 MW generated by Indian Point, and there’s good news on that front, too. The New York Independent System Operator, which coordinates the distribution of our electricity supply, confirmed that New York would have enough replacement power to supplant Indian Point’s output once it closed. Since the closure agreement was signed, enough clean energy and energy efficiency has come onto the grid to replace the first unit.
Monitoring Holtec
Holtec International purchased Indian Point from Entergy on May 28, 2021 and is responsible for the decommissioning of the former nuclear power plant. Decommissioning the plant includes removing equipment and structures containing nuclear contaminants and safely storing spent nuclear fuel onsite. At a cost of approximately $2.3 billion, Holtec estimated the bulk of decommissioning work at Indian Point will be completed by 2033, and is now trying to delay the completion date.
On August 18th, Governor Hochul signed the Save the Hudson bill, which prohibits discharges of any radiological substance into the Hudson River in connection with the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant. This law makes it illegal for Holtec to discharge radioactive wastewater into the Hudson River. The wastewater contains tritium, a radioactive isotope with links to cancer. Riverkeeper is closely monitoring the State’s implementation of and Holtec’s challenge to this groundbreaking law to ensure it is carried out as intended.
Next steps for decommissioning
Riverkeeper holds the “representative of the environmental community” seat on the Indian Point Decommissioning Oversight Board, and provides expertise on issues related to water quality as well as impacts to wildlife and surrounding ecosystems.
As of October 16, 2023 all spent fuel at Indian Point nuclear power plant has been moved to dry cask storage, which means the risk of a catastrophic nuclear accident is now greatly reduced. Since we’re depending on the casks to keep us safe, Riverkeeper’s goal is to increase monitoring. The current “aging management protocol” only evaluates the single most vulnerable cask, which is impossible to identify, every five years.
We continue to call for the secure storage of all contaminated wastewater on the Indian Point site for at least a period of 12 years. This would allow for one half-life to elapse and reduce the radioactivity of the spent fuel pool water, and protect the economic interests of the state while alternative disposal methods are thoroughly evaluated.
Moreover, Riverkeeper is committed to ensuring the full containment and remediation of the contaminated groundwater under the site, and that Holtect manages the public funds from the decommissioning trust fund appropriately.
Updates
In the press
September 6, 2024
Restart Indian Point?
In the press
April 26, 2024
Debate heats up over how to dispose of Indian Point radioactive water
In the press
April 19, 2024
Holtec sues New York state, claims 'Save The Hudson' law is pre-empted by federal law
Blog
August 18, 2023
Hudson River is spared more toxic dumping from Indian Point plant
History
2023
Save the Hudson bill signed
Riverkeeper launches a comprehensive campaign and partners with many grassroots and local advocates to educate the public and advocate against the release of radioactive wastewater from Indian Point. Riverkeeper is instrumental in mobilizing a thunderous public outcry against the releases, which ultimately results in Gov. Hochul signing the Save the Hudson bill into law and rendering all radioactive discharges from Indian Point illegal.
Related campaigns
Saving Hudson River fish
Protecting iconic species vital to our local ecosystems
Protecting and restoring habitats
The Hudson River watershed is home to a breathtaking diversity of life. Protecting and restoring our aquatic habitats is critical for their renewal and for a healthy future for all life in the watershed
Strengthening protections against a changing climate
Supporting nature-based solutions to adapt to the impacts of climate change