Winter WSST Newsletter
Page 7
WSST MEMBER SUBMISSIONS Historian’s Corner: WSST Stories: Field Trip Memories
with his 35mm film camera-when the developed film came back there were spots on the film from the radiation and the spent fuel rods looked green! He was amazed to see how the nuclear By Karyl Rosenberg power generation worked. As planning for the 2022 Six years earlier, I also visited the same power Comeback Conference plant. In 1988 it was only about two years since moves forward, the field the reactor was shut down and the long term trip plans are developing “mothballing” of the plant was just getting startquickly. Be sure to check ed. We were required to wear goggles, shoe covthe conference informaerings, and the radiation badges were the very tion section of this issue first protective item we got when we entered the to learn more about this building. We did not get into the fuel storage year’s plans. area because the spent rods stored there at that Looking back over some memories of past time were still too radioactive! How things can field trips, it turns out that Rod Dymesich and I change with the passing of time. have a common field trip memory from two difWhat other field trip stories are out there? Let ferent conferences; we both visited the reactor at us know where you have been! Send your stothe Dairyland Power Cooperative Nuclear Power ries to historian@wsst.org. Plant at Genoa, WI! Rod visited the plant while attending his first WSST Conference in 1994. One of the first things he noticed was that the reactor was built by Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company of West Allis, WI - a company better known for its farm tractors. In fact, the reactors came to be nicknamed “tractor reactors”, something that caught Rod’s attention because he knows a lot about tractors. He remembers visiting the control room, learning about the safety procedures, and then receiving a radiation badge before visiting the reactor room. Once in the reactor room, the specific reactor operation was explained as well as the storage of “Genoa Generating Station and La Crosse spent fuel rods. The rods looked silvery in color Boiling Water Reactor - Wisconsin” by Tony and were stored under water. Rod took pictures Webster is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
What other field trip stories are out there? Let us know where you have been! Send your stories to historian@wsst.org
