Northstar Vermont Yankee,An inspection Friday by Vermont Yankee engineers and technicians revealed a dime/quarter size hole at an elbow in a 1 to 1.5 inch diameter AOG drain line, according to a statement released late Friday afternoon. Water and steam Could be seen coming from this hole. Concrete blocks at the junction of the Advanced Off Gas pipe tunnel and the OG-100 drain line connection have been removed allowing telescopic camera and Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) inspection of the tunnel.The ROV inspection of the Advanced Off Gas pipe tunnel and the AOG drain pipe identified to be leaking water continues today, with completion expected tomorrow. The inspection will allow engineers to determine the source for the small amount of leakage remaining internal to the tunnel and develop additional remediation steps that can be taken to completely eliminate the leak. As previously reported, water coming from the pipe is not reaching the environment. The water is being collected in a sump for processing through plant systems as designed. Preliminary planning for both soil and groundwater remediation actions has commenced.Also, the installation of a new groundwater monitoring well is expected to be completed today. This well will help to further characterize groundwater flow at the site. Tritium levels in test wells have been going down. The Vermont Department of Health and Nuclear Regulatory Commission personnel are at Vermont Yankee monitoring the investigation.Ongoing engineering activities include pipe identification and locations where guided wave technology can be used to inspect piping; inspection options to confirm the integrity of the Condensate Storage Tank; and the installation of two new monitoring wells. One well is to be located between GZ-10 and GZ-7, very near the CST. Installation of the second well, to be located between the Containment access Building and the Construction Office Building will commence this weekend. Down hole geo-physics testing of five wells is complete; the final well will be completed next week. The purpose of this testing is to determine the structure of the bedrock and will help engineers and hydrology experts to better understand how groundwater flows beneath the site.While this investigation continues, it is important to note that there has been no detectable tritium levels found in any samples taken from drinking water wells or the river.For more details on the tritium investigation, the Vermont Department of Health has a thorough status report on the investigation at this web link: http://healthvermont.gov/enviro/rad/yankee/tritium.aspx(link is external)Source: Vermont Yankee. 3.5.2010