The Thousand Islands could be at risk when radioactive nuclear waste is shipped through the region in September, says Sen. Bob Runciman.

Runciman said radioactive metal from the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station will be transported on aging ships on a river that this year has very low water levels.

The shipment could be especially dangerous in the narrow passages of the St. Lawrence River west of Brockville, he added.

“My main concern is essentially that we have had two groundings (of ships) in the past two weeks, one in our area and one in the Quebec area, and the lake fleet is an aging fleet, with an average age of 40,” Runciman said.

“Both of the breakdowns in the last couple of weeks have been attributed to mechanical failure.”

He also said St. Lawrence River water levels remain low, which creates a greater danger when the 1,800 tonnes of nuclear material from radioactive steam generators is transported.

“Toronto-area people are concerned … but here this is more of a legitimate concern because of the narrowness of the passage through much of the Thousand Islands.”

A leak or ship sinking could be disastrous, Runciman said.

“Who knows what the implications would be if this happened in the Thousand Islands? This is the breadbasket for the tourism industry.”

On Friday, the senator sent a letter to Michael Binder, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, to express his concerns.

In a statement last week, the commission said the planned shipment does not present a risk to the public or the environment.

The federal regulator announced it would not issue a transport licence unless Bruce Power’s plan is deemed safe.

“Those concerned by Bruce Power’s proposed shipment of used steam generators can be confident that no licence will be issued unless the regulator is convinced that the shipment will be completed safely, without risk to the health, safety or security of Canadians or the environment,” wrote commission spokesman Marc Drolet.

The shipment is destined for Sweden, where about 90% of the generator metal will be melted down for reuse, while the rest is to be shipped back to Canada and stored as low-level nuclear waste.

Several anti-nuclear and environmental groups are circulating a petition to oppose Bruce Power’s plan.

Gordon Edwards, president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, said it is “foolish” to ship the steam generators, which have 5,000 corroded pipes inside, on the Great Lakes.

“The danger is that accidents do happen,” he said.

“There’s lots of radioactive junk inside those steam generators. In fact, Bruce Power doesn’t even know the complete inventory of the radioactive material inside because it’s impossible to measure from the outside, and no one wants to go inside because it’s too dangerous.

“If this material were to somehow find a pathway out into the environment, through either a puncture or a crack or just to corrosion, then you have this material leaking into the Great Lakes.”

Shipping the generators across the Great Lakes also sets precedents for larger and more dangerous shipments, Edwards said.

Runciman also questioned why the public is not being informed of the shipment, except through media.

“This came as a surprise to a lot of people,” he said. “If there was any communication (about the shipment), it wasn’t broadly based or widely announced.”

He noted his goal was not to alarm people but to make officials aware of concerns due to aging ships and low water levels.

“It isn’t something we should be losing sleep over.”