Exelon Nuclear Commits $11.5 Million for Municipal Water System in Godley
November 13 2006 - 3:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Goodwill gesture to resolve long-standing water problem caused by
septic tanks, runoff BRACEVILLE, Ill., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ --
Exelon Nuclear has set aside up to $11.5 million for the Village of
Godley to build a municipal water system, a step in resolving
long-standing water quality problems caused by shallow wells in the
community that have been infiltrated by non-industrial pollutants,
the company announced today. The funds will be placed in an escrow
account and are sufficient to cover construction of any of several
water system options that the Godley Water District selects. The
district will be responsible for ensuring the municipal water
system is built and operational by the end of 2009. Exelon Nuclear
publicly committed to help Godley build the system during a meeting
with residents on Feb. 27. The village has faced water quality
problems for decades from septic infiltration, fertilizers, street
runoff and other health-threatening contamination not associated
with the operations of the nearby Braidwood Generating Station.
Most homes in the village use shallow sand wells that often are no
more than 10 to 15 feet deep, making them especially vulnerable to
septic and runoff contamination. "Our neighbors in Godley have been
living with this drinking water problem for a long time, and we
decided it's time someone stepped up to help," said Exelon Chief
Nuclear Officer and President Chris Crane. "We are doing this
because we want to help. "Godley now has several possible sources
of clean drinking water to choose from, and this escrow amount will
cover whichever system the village decides to build," Crane said.
"We do not want to be in the business of choosing a water system
for Godley -- we want to give them the resources to solve the
problem in the way most suitable to them." Construction will begin
after Godley officials make a final determination on a water
source, which has been under discussion for several months. Options
include an independent deep-well system or extensions of existing
municipal systems in Braidwood or Wilmington, both nearby towns.
Exelon Nuclear will continue a free bottled water program for
Godley residents until the end of 2009 or until the water system is
operational, whichever comes first. Exelon launched the program in
March to ease concerns over possible tritium contamination in
Godley, although extensive testing by Exelon and the Will County
Department of Health has since shown there is no tritium
contamination in Godley's wells. Exelon will continue the program
as a goodwill gesture. Under the proposed agreement between Exelon
Nuclear and the Godley Water District, escrow funds can be drawn to
pay for any costs associated with permitting, designing and
building the water system. Exelon is reserving the right to have
the system designed so that Braidwood station has the option to
connect to it in the future for a drinking water source. As an
incentive to keep costs down, half of any remaining funds at
completion of the project would go to the water district and half
would be returned to Exelon Nuclear. Exelon Corporation is one of
the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.2
million customers and more than $15 billion in annual revenues. The
company has one of the industry's largest portfolios of electricity
generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions
in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to
approximately 5.2 million customers in northern Illinois and
Pennsylvania and natural gas to more than 470,000 customers in
southeastern Pennsylvania. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and
trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC. DATASOURCE: Exelon Nuclear
CONTACT: Neal Miller of Exelon Nuclear - Braidwood Station,
+1-815-417-3184 Web site: http://www.exeloncorp.com/
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