Releasing contaminated water into the ocean or other water bodies could have severe, long-term impacts on drinking water supplies and aquatic life.

In an opinion piece in Governing, LZ Granderson assesses the potential impact of nuclear waste on the world’s bodies of water, just as Japan begins to release contaminated (if diluted) water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean and a Canadian power plant is proposing storing nuclear waste a half mile away from a Great Lake.
According to Granderson, “The prospect of releasing radioactive water into the ocean should scare people more than a little,” adding, “Anyone trying to persuade us otherwise is preying on our flawed old thinking about water and the ocean — that they’re infinite and unchanging.”
While nuclear energy does help reduce carbon emissions, the threat to our drinking water supply and sea life shouldn’t be underestimated, Granderson writes. “In response to the decision to dump radioactive water, China has already banned all Japanese seafood imports, a crushing blow given it’s one of Japan’s top seafood export destinations.”
Granderson concludes with a warning: “Scientists have offered assurance that properly treated radioactive water will have only negligible effects when further diluted in the ocean. But experts also assured us that the Fukushima power plant was safe, until it wasn’t.”
FULL STORY: Nuclear Power Could Save Our Air Quality. At What Cost to the Water?

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Four Reasons Urban Planners Can’t Ignore AI
It’s no longer a question of whether AI will shape planning, but how. That how is up to us.

Bend, Deschutes County Move to Restrict Major Homeless Encampment
City and county officials are closing off portions of an area known as Juniper Ridge where many unhoused residents find shelter, hoping to direct people to housing and supportive services.

High Housing Costs Driving Down Transit Ridership in LA
When neighborhoods gentrify and displace lower-income residents, transit ridership suffers, new research shows.

Iowa Legalizes Accessory Dwelling Units
A new law will allow property owners to build ADUs on single-family lots starting on July 1.
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