Waterford – The Unit 2 reactor at Millstone Power Station has been shut down since Saturday after a water leak increased beyond acceptable levels, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Millstone owner Dominion discovered a minor leak in a pipe on Aug. 17 in the service water system, which takes water from Long Island Sound and uses it to indirectly cool plant systems, said Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the NRC. The water never comes into direct contact with any radioactive water and is discharged back into the Sound.

On Saturday afternoon, the rate of the leak increased, said Dominion spokesman Ken Holt. The reactor had to be completely shut down by Saturday night to make the repair to the pipe, or flange, he said.

Sheehan said the leak exceeded the amount allowed in the federal agency’s technical specifications.