S.C. Awaits Test Results on Uranium Leak Near Columbia

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Federal regulators say radioactive uranium has leaked through the floor of a nuclear fuel plant in South Carolina but state health officials say they don't think the material has threatened water supplies.

The State newspaper reported the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the material leaked through a 3-inch (8-centimeter) hole in the concrete floor where acid is used at the Westinghouse plant south of Columbia. The NRC learned of the leak July 12 and says the hole is 6 feet (2 meters) deep.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control says there's no reason to think the uranium has moved away from the plant or threatens water supplies. But the agency is awaiting groundwater tests on the Westinghouse property.