MONTICELLO, Minn. Townspeople called a public meeting on for Wednesday on whether to extend the license of the Monticello nuclear plant. Interest in meeting was prompted by a leak 400,000 gallons of radioactive water November. There was no public announcement, which raised questions about government transparency and public accountability. The multi-state utility Xcel Energy owns the plant. . News about the leak began to dribble out in February, three months after the leak, according to Monyicello Mayor Lloyd Hilgart. The city, he said, had information available for the public to pick up but mostly nobody knew.
Gravity and the Mississippi. Monticello elevation, 926 feet above sea level; Minneapolis, 830 feet; St. Paul, 795 feet; Winona, 655 feet.