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San Onofre Siren Test May Be Its Last

SAN CLEMENTE (CBSLA.com) — Residents in Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, along with campers at nearby state parks, heard a series of sirens Wednesday morning, signaling what could be the final test of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station's warning system.

Even though Southern California Edison decided to retire the plant last year, despite its license being good through 2022, the annual siren warning system – which alerts people in case of a nuclear emergency – began at 10 a.m. and will end at noon.

Each siren lasts about three minutes each time, sounding a continuous, steady tone, making them noticeably different from those used by fire and police departments.

If the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepts San Onofre's latest safety plan, the tests will become a thing of the past as the plant is decommissioned.

The plant, which began generating electricity in 1968, contained three reactors, but only two were active in recent years. The plant has been idle since a January 2012 non-injury leak in a steam generator made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Edison, a majority owner, opted to close the plant instead of pursuing a costly restart process. San Diego Gas & Electric owns 20 percent of the plant and received one-fifth of the power it produced when it was generating.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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