California IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Fuel Rods’ Removal Delayed by Leak

Federal regulators have delayed the removal of radioactive fuel rods from the Rancho Seco nuclear reactor because of a mysterious leak in the pool used to store spent fuel at the closed plant. The leak through the pool’s stainless steel liner has been measured at up to a half-gallon an hour. Divers recently checked the pool for several days but could not detect the source of the seepage. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission delayed the removal of nuclear fuel, scheduled to start Saturday, for several days while plant operators search for the leak. A Sacramento Municipal Utility District spokesman said none of the contaminated water reached the outside environment. Shortly after the plant was shut down by voters last June, utility officials said they hoped to have the fuel moved into the pool by this month.