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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