Southern California Edison recently unveiled thousands of new images from inside the massive concrete vaults beneath San Onofre, where 3.6 million pounds of high-level radioactive waste are entombed beside the Pacific Ocean.
The company proudly announced that its latest inspection found “no leaks,” describing the storage site as “dry as a King Tut tomb.”
It’s a catchy phrase. But the truth is far from comforting.
The radioactive waste buried at San Onofre will remain hazardous for hundreds of thousands to a million years. The stainless-steel canisters holding it are only about five-eighths of an inch thick, and were never designed to last beyond a several decades. In a marine environment filled with salt air and moisture, corrosion is inevitable.
Edison’s recent inspection images, by their own admission, show scratches, rust and marks on the canisters. The company assures the public that “no leaks” were detected. But an absence of visible leakage does not equal safety. Much corrosion may occur beneath the surface or in places a camera cannot reach.
A false sense of security
Calling the site “as dry as a King Tut tomb” implies a kind of ancient permanence. Yet these canisters are anything but eternal. Once a single crack penetrates the steel wall, there is no proven method to repair or repackage the waste on-site.
A single failure could release radioactivity into the soil, groundwater or the Pacific Ocean, endangering over eight million people who live within 50 miles. Unlike an oil spill, radiation cannot be cleaned up; it must be prevented.
Edison’s photo release was less a scientific revelation than a public-relations exercise. The company’s duty is not to reassure but to protect. True safety requires transparent, independent verification of canister conditions and a credible long-term plan to move the waste away from the shoreline.
The federal government has long failed to create a permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel. But that does not absolve Edison nor the State of California from planning responsibly. Continuing to call the site “safe for now” is a dangerous flaw in their thinking.
The path forward
The Samuel Lawrence Foundation and other concerned organizations are calling for a three-step plan:
- Full independent inspection of all canisters using state-of-the-art non-destructive testing, not just video imaging.
- Repackaging the waste as necessary into better designed canisters suitable for long-term containment.
- Relocation of the material to higher ground or federally approved interim storage until a permanent geological repository exists.
This is not alarmism. It is prudence. San Onofre sits on a seismic coast, bordered by rising seas and eroding bluffs.
No responsible engineer would design a new nuclear waste facility there today. Why should Californians accept one by default?
Edison has the technical expertise and financial resources to lead in transparency and innovation. Instead, it continues to lean on slogans. “Dry as a King Tut tomb” may comfort shareholders, but it won’t protect our children.
True leadership means acknowledging the magnitude of the problem, and acting before nature or time makes the decision for us.
Until this waste is moved, repackaged and secured, Southern California will live beneath a silent shadow: a radioactive inheritance we can ill afford to ignore.
Bart Ziegler is president of the Samuel Lawrence Foundation, a Del Mar-based nonprofit that seeks to promote human interaction and encourage broader community access to science, education and the arts.
Want more insights? Join Grow With Caliber - our career elevating newsletter and get our take on the future of work delivered weekly.
