Calc Error Prompts Concern at Nuke Site

CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) -- The federal government's nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico says a calculation error prompted short-lived concerns of a radiation release.

Officials at the troubled Waste Isolation Pilot Plant activated their emergency operations center Sunday night in response to elevated radiological readings.

The agency said that there was no indication of a radiation release underground or anything leaving the site. Plant workers were directed to shelter in place and people in the area were notified.

Officials later said that multiple checks had shown no signs of contamination.

"Radiological control technicians have determined a calculation error caused a false positive," the agency said in a press release. "Based on this information, the event has been terminated. There is no release."

The plant has been closed since a February 2014 radiation release that stemmed from a chemical reaction among waste improperly packed inside a drum.

(KA)