New York, NY —

Federal inspectors will be taking a closer look at the Indian Point nuclear power plants, after trace amounts of radioactive material were found in groundwater. WNYC's Fred Mogul has more.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has already had Indian Point under a "special inspection" for the last month, following the discovery of cracks in the pool where spent nuclear fuel rods are stored. The NRC and Entergy Nuclear Northeast, which owns the plants, said last week that low levels of tritium, a radioactive isotope, were found in six sampling wells on the plant's property.

Today, the agency head pledged additional specialized inspections to determine the source of the leak. The normal complement of 4 inspectors has been increased to 10, and the plant will dig more sampling wells to determine how widespread the problem is. Inspectors will also be looking into failures in the emergency sirens meant to warn surrounding communities in the Hudson Valley.