This one and this one are the ones near my parents. The Point Beach one (second one) is the closer of the two and the one I'm more familiar with because they are the ones that had the educational center. The educational center has been closed since 9-11 and security has increased dramatically. My cousins girlfriend works there and it has always been known that the nuclear plant is a great place to work - you earn good money. My dad is a fisherman and fishing has always been good "off the nuclear plant" because of the warm water that is emitted back into the lake. They take in the cold lake water to cool the reactors and then flush it back into the lake. It's not radioactive or anything - just warm - and it appears the fish like that.

Thanks for that link, Kimmy. I knew there were nuclear plants in Illinois also, but I didn't know there was one in Downers Grove!!! Appears I still live within 25 miles of a nuclear plant.

However, not to start a big debate or anything, but since I grew up near two of them and they have just been a part of my life since day one - I really have no problem with nuclear plants. I know they are extremely dangerous, but as long as they are well maintained and regulated..... Obviously accidents can still happen as evidenced by the Chernobyl site, but out of all the nuclear plants in the world......I know, it's a weak argument, but what are the alternatives? No one likes coal and the environmentalists are against the building of any more dams for hydro-electric, and for some reason the big wind mill things just haven't taken off in the US.

For me, nuclear power brings up all sorts of conflicting emotions and ideas. On one hand I'm all for it, on the other hand I'm not - especially when I see sites like this one and realize that humans will not be able to populate this land for a minimum of 300 years - and that could be as much as 900 years! That is totally mind boggling.......