The water that is in the cooling towers for any commercial nuclear plant in the US is non-radioactive. Some plants don't even have cooling towers and use either ocean or river water for cooling. The water for cooling the turbine is two loops of water removed from the radioactivity in the plant. This is a problem for the plant only because the temperature of the Connecticut River (the usual source of cooling water) is too high to keep the plant operating at full power. The cooling towers are only a back-up at Vermont Yankee. Yes, it's a big mess, but there is no radioactive threat to the public.
Thanks for your comments anon, and for taking the time to add them.
Yes, it is a big mess.
Commenting by HaloScan
