Officials: Radiation "could have" escaped plant

Updated 2:36 PM ET

LOS ANGELES - Federal regulators say a tiny amount of radiation could have escaped into the atmosphere from a Southern California nuclear power plant after a water leak prompted operators to shut down the reactor.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Victor Dricks says a small amount of radioactive gas "could have" escaped the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station on the northern San Diego Coast.

Southern California Edison spokesman Gil Alexander told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the amount would have been "extremely small" and possibly not detectable by monitors.

The company and federal regulators say the release would not have posed a safety risk for the public.

"It would have been very, very small, low level, which would not pose a danger to anyone," Dricks said.

Alexander says sensors at the plant detected a possible leak in one of Unit 3's steam generator tubes.

Unit 2 of the nuclear plant is currently offline for maintenance and upgrade.

The utility says it has ample power to meet customer needs while Unit 3 is offline.

Jennifer Manfre of Southern California Edison told CBS news radio station KNX 1070 in Los Angeles that the shutdown of the two units will not be a factor on whether Edison will put Unit 3 back in operation.

"It's an investigation," Manfre said, "and it'll take time, and of course we'll want to do that to ensure safety before bringing it online again."

Southern California Edison serves nearly 14 million residents with electricity in Central and Southern California.