SAN DIEGO -- An emergency siren system for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station will be tested Wednesday in communities in Orange and San Diego counties within 10 miles of the plant, it was announced Monday.

The test will take place between 10 a.m. and noon. Fifty-two sirens in cities near the plant will be activated several times for about three minutes each time, according to Gil Alexander, a spokesman for Southern California Edison, which operates the plant.

Sirens in southern Orange County are in Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. In northern San Diego County, sirens are in San Onofre State Beach and Camp Pendleton, according to SCE.

The sirens emit a continuous steady tone, which distinguish them from fire and police sirens, according to SCE.

The community-alert system is used by local government officials in the unlikely event of a nuclear emergency at the plant, according to SCE. It could also be used to notify residents of a non-nuclear emergency.

Flyers and other materials explaining the test have been distributed to residents, businesses and schools in the area, according to SCE. Before and during the sounding of the sirens, radio stations will also inform the public of the test.

More information on the test can also be found on SCE's Web site at www.sce.com, or in AT&T White Pages phone books in southern Orange County and northern San Diego County.