An environmental group is calling for the Indian Point nuclear power plant to close its doors after one of its nuclear reactors had to be shut down for the third time in as many weeks.

Entergy Spokesman Jerry Nappi says Indian Point is working to fix what caused the three shutdowns that happened in the course of 17 days. On May 15, the reactor was shut down because of a loose valve. Last week, the reactor was shut down because of a water pump problem in a steam generator and this past Sunday again for maintenance work to be done. But Nappi maintains the public should not be concerned.

"These shutdowns are in no way related to the safety of the plant or will have an effect on the surrounding community," he says.

A spokesman for the environmental group Riverkeeper says the three shutdowns serve as additional evidence of serious safety concerns at Indian Point.

"We think the plant is aging badly, it's not well maintained," says Phillip Musegaas, of Riverkeeper. "Indian Point should be shut down at the end of its licenses."

Entergy, which has applied for re-licensing that would keep its reactors operational until 2033 and 2035, says the recent shutdowns may be the results of a monthlong re-fueling project.

Westchester County officials say they feel unsettled by the reactor shutdowns.

"We're concerned of symptoms of a larger issue in terms of the aging of the structure," says Tony Sutton, of the Westchester Emergency Services.

Indian Point reactor 3 remains closed as Entergy tries to figure out what is causing the problems.