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IPEC Siren System Q&A
Q. What is the latest on the emergency siren notification system?
A. The NRC has imposed a $130,000 fine on Indian Point for repeatedly failing to meet specific operational deadlines with regard to the installation of a new emergency notification system. The latest deadline is August 24, 2007. The new, state of the art, system includes a complete replacement of the computers and related software and 150 new sirens, each with a back-up battery, located within a 10-mile emergency planning zone (EPZ) that includes parts of Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and Orange counties.
Entergy publicly acknowledged that the older notification system, based on World War II vintage technology, was "unacceptable" after several highly publicized failures occurred during routine testing and, in once instance, during an electrical storm which knocked the sirens out for nearly six hours.
Entergy told the NRC in a public meeting on Monday, July 9, that it expects too have the new system in operation by the committed August-24 due date.
Q. Does the public have a forum to air its concerns about the sirens?
A. Yes. There have been several opportunities and, in fact, on Wednesday, July 10, 2007, the NRC held a special meeting on the emergency notification and sirens near Indian Point. (Note: The meeting was poorly attended.)
Q. What are the chief concerns with regard to the new siren system?
A. There are two chief concerns:
- The loudness/coverage area of some individual sirens in certain areas of Rockland and Westchester County
- Building a new radio signal transmission infrastructure that can activate the sirens in a zone known for poor radio and cellular coverage.
Entergy is conducting extensive sound propagation studies to ensure coverage meets (or exceeds) requirements, as well bringing in additional consultants to address radio transmission issues.
Q. Where does Sen. Hillary Clinton stand on the siren issue?
A. From the outset, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has been a highly vocal critic of the company's handling of the sirens and a strong advocate of backup power to run the notification system; which in turn led her to insert a backup power requirement into the Energy Policy Act of 2005 covering all nuclear plants.
Q. Has Entergy addressed the backup power issue?
A. Yes, in fact, Entergy has gone well beyond the installation of backup power to improve the system. The new system includes features such as multi-directional speakers on the sirens and back-up capabilities for every feature and component, not just the sirens themselves. Entergy also provided the counties a Code Red notification capability utilizing landline and cell phones, emails and text messaging to alert the public of an emergency. These features may be used by the counties in the event of any potential emergency; not just in the highly unlikely event of an emergency requiring an evacuation at Indian Point.
Q. How many sirens are there at Indian Point?
A. There are 156 sirens located within a 10-mile circumference of Indian Point, known as the 10-mile emergency planning zone (EPZ). The EPZ includes parts of Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and Orange counties.
Q. What are the sirens used for?
A. The sirens would be activated to alert people to turn on their radios or televisions to learn about a possible emergency at Indian Point. They are not a signal to evacuate. Instructions to take protective actions, like evacuate or take shelter in your homes, would come from your local county government leaders and would be broadcast on emergency alert system (EAS) television and radio stations.
Q. How are you going to ensure the public that the sirens will work in an emergency with the problems you've had during testing.
A. Entergy technicians do testing on a daily basis in addition to automatic continual testing throughout the day of the communication connection to each of the 156 sirens. Entergy also conducts quarterly testing that you hear when the sirens sound. Past problems during siren testing have been addressed, with the exception of one feature that monitors the siren's rotation. Other monitoring indicators in the siren system reliably report when a siren operates or not, however. The unreliable rotation sensor does not affect operation of the sirens.
Entergy invested about $4 million several years ago upgrading and improving the reliability of the sirens, adding the capability for the counties to determine from their emergency operations centers if the sirens actually sounded in an emergency, a capability that the counties previously did not have. Several failures of parts of the siren system were related to problems in the new computer software and communications equipment in the telephone system, which have been fixed.
Q. What are Entergy's long-term plans for the sirens?
A. Entergy is replacing the sirens primarily because the existing sirens don't have back-up power that would be used if local electric power is lost during an outage. With input from the counties and New York State, and approval of the NRC and FEMA, Entergy is installing a state-of-the-art alert notification system, which will be completed by the end of this year, well ahead of a previously estimated two-year timeframe.
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