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Navy: Small valve leak found on nuclear sub

A small radioactive leak aboard the fast-attack submarine Houston was confirmed during testing July 24, prompting submarine officials to notify federal authorities, according to a Navy spokesman.

The boat was in dry dock for scheduled maintenance when the leak was discovered, said Lt. Cmdr. David Benham, spokesman for Naval Submarine Forces Pacific at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. One of the shut valves associated with the boat’s propulsion system was “weeping” water at a rate higher than design specifications, he said.

“At no time was there any risk to the reactor plant, the safety of the crew or the safety of the public,” he said.

For context, he said the amount of radioactivity released was “less than the quantity of naturally occurring radioactivity in a bag of common lawn and garden fertilizer.”

“The design specification is set very low to ensure we fix any problems while they are small, before they grow into bigger problems,” he said.

Benham said officials are looking into the duration of the leak, and added that officials notified the state of Hawaii and the Departments of Health and Energy after it was discovered.

“That’s the standard for us; anything out of the ordinary, no matter how miniscule, we notify proper authorities,” he said.