Regarding the April 29 letter "Nutty nuclear ideas," it is true that nuclear power plants require a lot of water to operate. However, this water does not necessarily have to be potable. A number of coastal nuclear power plants use seawater for cooling. In addition, the Palo Verde nuclear power plant near Phoenix uses municipal wastewater for cooling.

As such, the problem of water shortages may be solved in the future by applying intelligent choices in construction and operation of nuclear power plants.

Making blanket assumptions and dismissing this or any other technology because it is imperfect is an ineffective approach to problem-solving.

There is one thing for certain: The demand for power, preferably clean power, is going to increase with time. At this critical moment, we cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand.

Dr. James Wall

Charlotte