Saturday, April 6, 2013

Fukushima updates and the word of the day is leakage - April 6 - 11 , 2013

http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2013/04/latest-on-fukushima-i-nuke-plant-waste.html

( Last sentence sums up Tepco completely and what has gone wrong at fukushima.... )


THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013


Latest on #Fukushima I Nuke Plant Waste Water Pond Leaks: Pump Is Also Leaking, 22 Liters With 6.38 Billion Bq of All Beta


And the latest from TEPCO on April 11, 2013 in the email notice to the press No.35:
地下貯水槽No.3からNo.6への移送について、４月11日午後２時から移送を開始いたしましたが、同日午後２時３分に移送ポンプ出口配管の接続部（フランジ部）より漏えいが確認されたことから、同時刻に移送ポンプを停止いたしました。

Transfer of waste water from the in-the-ground water storage pond No.3 to the pond No.6 started at 2PM on April 11, but a leak was found at the flange of the pipe of the transfer pump at 2:03PM, so we stopped the pump.

漏えいについては、移送ポンプを停止したことにより停止しております。また、漏えいした水は、土中に染み込んでおります。

The leak stopped when the pump was stopped. The leaked water was soaked into the soil.

And No.37:
地下貯水槽No.3からNo.6への移送中に発生した水漏れについて、移送ポンプ出口配管の接続部（フランジ部）からの漏えいの原因調査のため、配管フランジの分解をおこないます。

We will disassemble the flange to investigate the leak that occurred during the transfer of waste water from the pond No.3 to the pond No.6.

また、漏えい水が滴下して染みこんだと思われる地下貯水槽上部覆土（盛土）の除去作業を開始いたします。

We will also start removing the soil that covers the top part of the water storage pond where the leaked water may have dripped.

The water contains 290,000 Bq/cm3 of all beta (mostly strontium), and 22 litersof this water leaked, as TEPCO's email notice No.36 confirms. That would be 6.38 billion becquerels of all beta (290,000 x 1000 x 22). Who is going to disassemble the flange and remove the dirt? TEPCO's president? One of Mr. Abe's ministers who frequent the plant for photo-ops?

They are having another press conference starting at any moment now (scheduled to start at 6PM local time).

Flange that leaked, from TEPCO's photos and videos library 4/11/2013:

TEPCO's Ono says the pump was never tested with running water.


http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2013/04/4112011-update-on-in-ground-storage.html


THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

4/11/2011 Update on In-the-Ground Storage Pond Leaks at #Fukushima I Nuke Plant: How The Ponds Were Constructed the Same Way as Solid Waste Disposal Sites


In the TEPCO's handout detailing the in-the-ground water storage ponds at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant that the company started to use to store extremely radioactive (beta, potentially 2 sieverts/hour) and saline waste water after the Reverse Osmosis (desalination) treatment, there was this diagram (click to enlarge):

Independent journalist Ryuichi Kino often asks questions that visibly irk the TEPCO spokesman, and he asked one such question in the press conference on April 10, 2013 as I watched live:
"So these ponds are constructed in the same way as a controlled final landfill site. Why? A controlled final landfill site is not meant to be waterproof. Why didn't you choose a covered final landfill site with concrete foundation, at least?"

There was no answer from the TEPCO spokesman other than to mumble they had their own reasons. I didn't hear any other reporter ask questions about the construction of the ponds.

Kino also reports that the company who supplied the polyethylene sheets says they are not responsible for the degradation due to radiation.

Here's Asahi Shinbun Fukushima local version (4/11/2013; part), inspired perhaps by Kino's questions:
第一原発地下貯水槽　ごみ処分場と構造同じ
●専門家「漏出は防げない」

In-the-ground water storage ponds at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant are constructed like a garbage disposal site. Experts say "They cannot prevent leaks."

福島第一原発で相次いで汚染水漏れを起こした地下貯水槽の基本構造は、遮水シートを使った「管理型」と呼ばれるごみ処分場と同じだったことが、東京電力の説明で分かった。その構造について、専門家からは「ごみ処分場の水準から見てもお粗末だ」などと厳しい批判が上がっている。

It has been revealed by the explanation given by TEPCO that the basic structure of the in-the-ground water storage ponds which leaked one after another at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant is the same as a type of waste disposal site called "controlled landfill site" using waterproof sheets. Experts heavily criticize the structure, as "badly made even from the standard of a waste disposal site".

東電によると、貯水槽は地面に穴を掘り、一番下に粘土を布で包んだベントナイトシートを張り、その上に２重の遮水シートを敷いた構造。「厳重な品質管理をしていた」と強調する。

According to TEPCO, these ponds were made by first digging holes in the ground, laying the bentonite sheet first and then two layers of waterproof sheets. TEPCO emphasizes they were doing the strict quality control.

この構造について、日本環境学会前会長の畑明郎・元大阪市大教授は「ため池にシートを敷いて汚染水をためているようなもの。近年の処分場ではあり得ないお粗末さだ。考え方自体が間違っている」とあきれる。その上で「一定の漏出は防ぐことができない。漏れることを前提に造るのが常識で、漏れてもすぐ分かる地上型ステンレスタンクにすべきだ」と提案する。

Commenting on this structure, Akio Hata, former chairman of the Japan Association on the Environmental Studies and former professor at Osaka City University, says, "It is as if you lay sheets in a pond to store contaminated water. It is impossibly pathetic considering the recent standard of disposal sites. It's wrong to even think about [using such a structure]." He suggests, "You cannot prevent all leaks. So you build a structure on the assumption that it will leak. It should be the above-ground, stainless-steel tank so that a leak can be detected easily."

放射性ストロンチウムなどを含む高濃度汚染水を地下貯水槽にためることは、原子力規制委員会の前身の旧原子力安全・保安院が昨年８月、了承している。しかし、どういう構造の施設ならば安全を担保できるかについては、法に基づく明確な審査基準もない。

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, the regulatory agency overseeing TEPCO before the Nuclear Regulatory Authority was set up, approved the plan in August 2012 to store the highly contaminated water that contained radioactive strontium and other nuclides in the in-the-ground water storage ponds. However, there is no clear legal standard for examining what type of structure would secure the safety.

Needless to say, there was no expert at NISA who knew anything about waste management. NISA took TEPCO at their word and approved the plan.

The ponds were designed and spec'ed by TEPCO and built by Maeda Construction, who has already said such a structure is used for solid waste storage not liquid.

During the April 9, 2013 press conference, TEPCO's spokesman Mr. Ono uttered a convoluted sentence regarding the delay in announcing the leaks:
漏洩していないとは思わないが、漏洩をしているという疑いは否定できない

"We don't think it is not leaking, but we cannot deny the doubt that it may be leaking."

Got that? In other words, TEPCO tried very hard to find other reasons first that may be contributing to higher chloride concentration or radioactive materials in the sampled water.










http://enenews.com/new-highly-radioactive-leak-from-pipe-at-fukushima-plant-oceanographer-nuclear-material-may-be-flowing-from-damaged-pipes-or-drains-into-pacific


NYTimes, April 10, 2013: Some experts say that contaminated water has continued to reach the Pacific. Jota Kanda, an oceanographer at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, said last month in a discussion paper posted on the Web site of the journal Biogeosciences that Tepco’s own readings of radiation levels in waters off the plant suggest a continued leak of radioactive cesium into the ocean. “This suggests that water might be leaking out from the plant through damaged pipes or drains or other routes,” he said.
Kyodo News, April 11, 2013: Another radioactive leak was detected at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Thursday while workers were pumping out contaminated water from one of the troubled underground tanks, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said. This time about 22 liters of radioactive water has leaked from a junction of the piping. The liquid has seeped into the soil, according to TEPCO. [...]
AFP, April 11, 2013: Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has sprung yet another leak of radioactive water, its operator said on Thursday, the latest in an increasingly long line of mishaps to rattle public confidence. Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said around 22 litres (six US gallons) of highly radioactive waste water leaked from a pipe as work crews were trying to empty a reservoir that itself had already sprung leaks. [...]
Bloomberg: Yesterday, Tepco reported another leak of radiated water, this time from a pipe.


http://enenews.com/bloomberg-tepco-to-dump-radioactive-water-from-fukushima-reactors-into-pacific-its-obvious-they-cant-keep-storing-it-forever


Title: Tepco Faces Decision to Dump Radioactive Water in Pacific Ocean
Source: Bloomberg
Author: Tsuyoshi Inajima
Date: Apr 11, 2013 11:01 AM ET
Tepco Faces Decision to Dump Radioactive Water in Pacific Ocean
[Tepco]’s discovery of leaks in water storage pits at the wrecked Fukushima atomic station raises the risk the utility will be forced to dump radioactive water in the Pacific Ocean.
Leaks were found in three of seven pits in the past week, reducing the options for moving contaminated water from basements of reactor buildings. [...]
Not Ruled Out
Officials at the utility known as Tepco, including President Naomi Hirose, have said the company will not “easily” release radiated water into the ocean, indicating it’s not ruling out the possibility if it runs out of storage.
“It’s obvious Tepco cannot keep storing water forever as it increases by 400 tons a day,” said Hideyuki Ban, co-director of the antinuclear group Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center. That’s why the company won’t rule out discharge into the sea, Ban said in a telephone interview. [...]





http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/leaking-reservoir-no-1-wont-be-fix-for-one-month/


Leaking reservoir No.1 won’t be fix for one month

Posted by Mochizuki on April 11th, 2013 · No Comments
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About the major leakage of highly contaminated water, Tepco released their countermeasure plan on 4/11/2013.
Tepco has admitted reservoir No.1, 2 and 3 are leaking now. They are transferring contaminated water from No.2 and 3 to No.6 though they had the pump leak on the way.
(cf, [Can't stop leaking] 6.4 billion Bq leaked from the pump on transferring to the safer reservoir [URL])
However, since they admitted No.1 was also leaking on 4/9/2013 [URL], Tepco hasn’t taken any countermeasure to stop the further leakage from that reservoir.
From the plan released on 4/11/2013, they are going to transfer the contaminated water from this No.1 to 2 other tanks, but it won’t start until 4/14/2013, and it is estimated to end in early May.
Until early May, reservoir No.1 will be left leaking. Now 6,000 m3 of contaminated water is stocked in reservoir No.1.

Leaking reservoir No.1 won't be fix for one month



http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/hidden-leakage-the-safe-reservoir-no-6-lost-13-m3-of-contaminated-water-within-an-hour/


[Hidden leakage ?] The “Safe” reservoir No.6 lost 13 m3 of contaminated water within an hour

Posted by Mochizuki on April 11th, 2013 · No Comments
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Having the major leakage, Tepco is transferring the contaminated water from reservoir No.2 and 3 to No.6. ( Reservoir No.1 is leaking but Tepco is not doing anything for it to keep it leaking.)
On 4/11/2013, Tepco had the water leak from the pump between No.3 and 6.
(cf, [Can't stop leaking] 6.4 billion Bq leaked from the pump on transferring to the safer reservoir [URL])
Additionally, reservoir No.6, to which they transfer the water from No.1 and 2, lost 13 m3 of contaminated water according to Tepco. It is not announced where the water went.
From 15:00 to 16:00 of 4/11/2013, the volume of water decreased from 5490 to 5477m3 in reservoir No.6. *1 *2
It is not only the volume of water, also radiation is measured from outside of the reservoir.
At 7:00 of 4/10/2013, they measured 45,000 Bq/m3 of β nuclide from the water in the drain hole of reservoir NO.6 (Outside of the reservoir). *3
Also, 160,000 Bq/m3 of β nuclide was measured from the water of the drain hole of reservoir No.5. The water was collected at 6:10 of 4/10/2013. *4
The reservoir No.5 and No.6 are next to each other. There’s a possibility that the transferred water is leaking from reservoir No.6 and reached No.5. Tepco hasn’t announced anything about this.


↓ *1
[Hidden leakage ?] The "Safe" reservoir No.6 lost 13 m3 of contaminated water within an hour

↓ *2
2 [Hidden leakage ?] The "Safe" reservoir No.6 lost 13 m3 of contaminated water within an hour

↓ * 3
3 [Hidden leakage ?] The "Safe" reservoir No.6 lost 13 m3 of contaminated water within an hour


↓ *4
4 [Hidden leakage ?] The "Safe" reservoir No.6 lost 13 m3 of contaminated water within an hour










http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/cant-stop-leaking-6-4-billion-bq-leaked-from-the-pump-on-transferring-to-the-safer-reservoir/


[Can't stop leaking] 6.4 billion Bq leaked from the pump on transferring to the safer reservoir

Posted by Mochizuki on April 11th, 2013 · No Comments
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About the major leakage of highly contaminated water, Tepco has officially admitted the reservoir No.1, 2 and 3 are leaking.
Tepco is transferring the highly contaminated water to other reservoirs to avoid further leakage but on 4/11/2013, they had the water leak from the joint of pump when they transfered water from No. 3 to No.6.
They reported this below. English version of the latest report is not published yet.

Though the water transfer from the underground reservoir No.3 to No.6 was started at 2:00 PM on April 11, the transfer pump was suspended at 2:03 PM on the same day asleakage from the connection part (flange) of the transfer pump outlet pipe was found.
The leakage has stopped after the transfer pump was suspended. The leaked water has been absorbed into the soil.
The leakage is currently being investigated in details.

According to Tepco, the volume of leaking water was 22L. The water contained 2.9×10^11 Bq/m3. In total, 6,380,000,000 Bq of β nuclide leaked.
It was absorbed by soil. Now Tepco is preparing to remove the soil.
↓ The location of the leakage.
pump leak


↓ The pump to leak.
[Can't stop leaking] 6.4 billion Bq leaked from the pump on transferring to the safer reservoir

2 [Can't stop leaking] 6.4 billion Bq leaked from the pump on transferring to the safer reservoir

3 [Can't stop leaking] 6.4 billion Bq leaked from the pump on transferring to the safer reservoir

4 [Can't stop leaking] 6.4 billion Bq leaked from the pump on transferring to the safer reservoir



http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/the-only-countermeasure-tepco-pumping-up-leaked-water-to-return-to-the-crippled-reservoirs/


[The only countermeasure] Tepco pumping up leaked water to return to the crippled reservoirs


Posted by Mochizuki on April 10th, 2013 · No Comments
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About the major leakage of highly contaminated water reservoir, Tepco announced the press release.
In the report, Tepco states they are pumping up the leaked water to return to the crippled reservoirs. According to Tepco, those reservoirs are leaking until early June.
Now pumping up water to give it back to the reservoirs is their only countermeasure.
In order to prevent the water leaked into the leakage detection hole of the underground reservoir No.1 from leaking into the ground in the surrounding area, the water in the leakage detection hole in the northeast side was returned to the underground reservoir from 3:40 PM to 3:41 PM (approx. 1 minute) via a temporary pump. The same was done for the leakage detection hole in the southwest side at 4:05 PM (approx. 30 seconds).
Also, the soil covering the penetration of the leakage detection hole (in the northeast side) of the underground reservoir No.2 has been removed in order to perform visual inspection on the penetration. The removal of the impermeable sheet, gravels, etc. will be continued tomorrow (April 11) and on later days.
Furthermore, for the boring investigation to be performed the purpose of confirming the contamination condition near the underground reservoirs and contamination expansion into the area in the sea side, equipment installation and trial drilling work are currently being carried out. The work will be continued tomorrow and on later days.





and.....



http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/concealment-940000-bqm3-of-%CE%B2-measured-from-outside-of-reservoir5-official-data-says-the-reservoir-is-empty/

( 4 of 7 reservoirs leaking - what are the chances any aren't leaking ? )


[Concealment?] 940,000 Bq/m3 of β measured from outside of reservoir5, official data says “The reservoir is empty”

Posted by Mochizuki on April 10th, 2013 · No Comments
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About the major leakage of highly contaminated water, 23,600 tones of contaminated water of 3 reservoirs keep leaking until early June.
(cf, Major leakage can’t be fixed until early June [URL] )
There are 7 reservoirs and No.1 ~ 3 are “officially” leaking. However, high level of β nuclide is also measured from the drain hole outside of the reservoir No.5 according to Tepco. *1
Sampling time : 4/7/2013 18:00
Location : Northeast side
Amount : 940,000 Bq/m3
Location : Southwest side
Amount : 650,000 Bq/m3.

At the same time, Tepco’s report says reservoir No.5 is not supposed to stock water. *2
Why significant level of β is detected from outside of the empty reservoir ?
There are only two possibilities. One is that the reservoir already has water in and is also leaking. The other is the ground is already severely contaminated. However, reservoir No.5 is located on the other side of the plant from those leaking reservoirs. If contaminated water reached from the crippled reservoirs, ground of the entire plant is already contaminated. *3

↓ *1
[Concealment?] 940,000 Bq/m3 measured from outside of reservoir5, data says no water in it

↓ *2
2 [Concealment?] 940,000 Bq/m3 measured from outside of reservoir5, data says no water in it

↓ *3
3 [Concealment?] 940,000 Bq/m3 measured from outside of reservoir5, data says no water in it




http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/major-leakage-cant-be-fixed-until-early-june/


Major leakage can’t be fixed until early June

Posted by Mochizuki on April 10th, 2013 · No Comments
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About the major leakage of highly contaminated water, Tepco has admitted 3 reservoirs are leaking to underground at least.
On 4/10/2013, they stated they are going to transfer the water to the filtered water tanks on the ground. Currently the leaking reservoirs stock 23,600 tones of highly contaminated water.
However, those tanks are still under construction. They estimate it would be finished early June to transfer the water.
Until early June, the 3 reservoirs will keep leaking.
Major leakage can't be fixed until early June



and......









http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/nuclear-regulatory-agency-the-reason-of-the-leakage-is-not-verified-yet/


Nuclear regulatory agency “The reason of the leakage is not verified yet”

Posted by Mochizuki on April 9th, 2013 · No Comments
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About the major leakage of highly contaminated water from reservoir No.1, 2 and 3, NRA (Nuclear regulatory agency) stated they still haven’t verified the reason of the leakage in their briefing of 4/9/2013.
On 4/7/2013, Tepco commented the water leakage was caused because the leakage isolation sheet was stretched to make a space with the detection drain because of the water pressure. [URL]
However, the leaking reservoir No.1 has water only up to 57%, which is too low to leak from the detection drain hole.

http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/tepco-concealing-all-the-radiation-data-about-water-reservoir-leakage/


Tepco concealing all the radiation data about water reservoir leakage


Posted by Mochizuki on April 9th, 2013 · No Comments

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Tepco had the highly contaminated water reservoirs No.1, 2 and 3 leaking to underground by 4/9/2013.
(cf, 260 tones of contaminated water leaked from reservoir No.1 ? [URL])
On 4/9/2013, Tepco started concealing most of the radiation data in those reservoirs.
Since 4/5/2013, when Tepco confirmed contaminated water leaking from No.2, they have been releasing the report in the daily basis.
The data contains the radiation level of water in detecting holes and also the drain holes. Now all those readings are covered as “Under analysis”.
If they detect β nuclides from the water sample, it suggests the possibility that the reservoir is leaking. Because we cannot know the reading, we can no longer tell which reservoirs are leaking and how much except for chloride concentration data.
Tepco announced the analysis result of when they admitted No. 1 is also leaking. However, it’s only in Japanese. In English version of the same report, the data is masked.
Date : 4/9/2013 8:35
Chloride concentration : 910 ppm
Total γ : 1.9 × 10^8 Bq/m3 (Sb-125 : 1.8 × 10^7 Bq/m3, Ru-106 : 1.2 × 10^6 Bq/m3)
Total β : 1.0 × 10^10 Bq/m3

Tepco concealing all the radiation data about water reservoir leakage
2 Tepco concealing all the radiation data about water reservoir leakage
3 Tepco concealing all the radiation data about water reservoir leakage
4 Tepco concealing all the radiation data about water reservoir leakage





and....





http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/takizawa-woodland-path-in-mt-fuji-having-the-serious-ground-fissure/


Takizawa woodland path in Mt. Fuji having the serious ground fissure

Posted by Mochizuki on April 8th, 2013 · 1 Comment
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Abnormalities are observed around Mt. Fuji since 311.
(cf, The water level of Kawaguchi lake is rapidly decreasing beside Mt. Fuji, “There is no natural outlet” [URL])
(cf, Potential eruption of Hakone would trigger the eruption of Mt. Fuji [URL])
Takizawa woodland path was found having the serious ground fissure. It’s at 1980 km altitude.
The reason is not announced.

↓ 3/31/2013
Takizawa woodland path having the serious ground fissure

↓ 9/9/2011
2 Takizawa woodland path having the serious ground fissure

↓ Video of 3/31/2013


↓　9/9/2011



http://rt.com/news/fukushima-radioactive-water-space-495/


Fukushima operator may run out of space for radioactive water

Published time: April 08, 2013 14:31
This file picture taken on May 26, 2012 shows the unit 3 reactor building of the Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s (Tepco) Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma in Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan. (AFP Photo)
This file picture taken on May 26, 2012 shows the unit 3 reactor building of the Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s (Tepco) Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma in Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan. (AFP Photo)
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Fukushima nuclear disaster
Tags
Accident, Earthquake, Ecology, Japan,Natural disasters, Nuclear
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has revealed that it may not have enough space to store the contaminated water that began to leak from its nuclear Fukushima plant over the weekend.
There are presently not enough sturdy, above-ground tanks that can be used take the water from the pits in which it is stored, TEPCO General Manager Masayuki Ono said at a news conference on Monday. Water has been leaking from the pits over the weekend.
The company is still facing problems dealing with the consequences of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, as it attempts to keep reactors and spent fuel pools in a safe state known as cold shutdown.
TEPCO now faces an increase in government pressure to address the numerous problems the plant has continued to face since its meltdown. 
“If these kinds of incidents continue to occur, the very process toward decommissioning the (crippled) reactors could be affected,” Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said during a meeting with TEPCO President Naomi Hirose, according to Kyodo News.
Hirose also received a public ‘dressing down’ from Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga after being summoned to the country’s Industry Ministry to explain recent leaks.
He also said that the general public is greatly concerned about the state of affairs at the plant.
On Saturday, as much as 120 tons of contaminated water seeped from an underground tank, and on Sunday, a new leak was detected at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The cooling system for the plant has stopped working twice over the past three weeks.
The seven storage pits where the water is usually held are lined with waterproof sheets to prevent the radioactive liquid from being absorbed into the soil. However, they haven’t been entirely effective so far.
This latest incident comes on the heels of failures in the cooling system - only two weeks ago a massive power outage caused the plant’s cooling system to fail for 29 hours.
The incident was later attributed to a small animal that had entered an electrical switchboard. In addition, TEPCO conceded that on Friday they had lost the ability to cool the rods at one of the reactors for some three hours following a technical glitch.
In March, a senior TEPCO executive told Reuters that groundwater flooding (the seeping of water into damaged reactor buildings) may take as long as four years to bring to a halt.
The 2011 tsunami that caused three reactors to melt down was considered the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, in 1986.
TEPCO subsequently released some of the radioactive water into the sea, to the protests of neighboring countries.
Record levels of radiation were found in fish near the plant last month, almost two years after the disaster.






and......

http://enenews.com/asahi-all-radioactive-water-storage-tanks-at-fukushima-daiichi-leaking-we-are-giving-priority-to-the-no-2-tank-whose-conditions-are-worse



Title: Defect could affect all radioactive water storage tanks at Fukushima plant
Source: AJW by The Asahi Shimbun
Author: By SHUNSUKE KIMURA
Date: April 08, 2013
Defect could affect all radioactive water storage tanks at Fukushima plant
Tokyo Electric Power Co. suspects two leaks of radioactive water at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant were caused by shoddy workmanship to install devices to detect such spillage.
The latest problem at the stricken plant suggests that the defect could cause leaks at the five other underground water storage tanks because they all have the same structure. [...]
“We are giving priority to the No. 2 tank, whose conditions are worse,” a TEPCO official said. “We are not leaving the No. 3 tank unattended.” [...]
[...] contamination could affect the entire area if leaked water mixes with groundwater. [...]
TEPCO planned to pump up groundwater and release it into the sea before it enters the reactor buildings. That plan would be meaningless if the groundwater is already contaminated.






and.....
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-04-07/new-radioactive-leak-found-fukushima-after-rat-causes-second-cooling-system-failure

New Radioactive Leak Found At Fukushima After Rat Causes Second Cooling System Failure

Tyler Durden's picture
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 04/07/2013 11:40 -0400



The Fukushima farce continues: a month after a rat (no really) caused the cooling system at the exploded Japanese nuclear power plant to fail, history repeats itself, leading to the second cooling failure in a month. As the NYT reported, "Workers at the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant who were installing wire nets Friday to keep rats away from a vital cooling system instead tripped that system, causing it to fail for the second time in weeks. Cooling was restored by late evening on Friday, and there was no imminent danger to the 566 nuclear fuel rods stored in the pool, according to the company. It would have taken at least two weeks for the pool to have risen above the safe level of 149 degrees Fahrenheit, Tepco said." Of course, TEPCO would certainly tell the truth to all those it lied to for weeks in March 2011, the same TEPCO where a rat is the weakest link in its meltdown avoidance planning.
This time however, TEPCO, credibility and professionalism once again in tatters, was forced to reveal a little more, namely that "radioactive water may have leaked into the ground from a storage tank at Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the latest of a series of troubles at the facility."
Blame the rats again? And don't worry, it was just "this much" caesium leaking into the ocean, so who's really counting. Sadly, it will be years before the irradiated fauna - both fish and humans - has a sense, over the daily lies, of just how vast the damage has been. By then, however, Japan will have enough hyperinflation to keep it sufficiently distracted from the third arm growing on the back.
The fresh leak on Sunday comes a day after Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said up to 120 tonnes of contaminated water may have escaped from another of the seven underground reservoir tanks at the tsunami-damaged plant.

TEPCO said radioactivity was detected in water outside a tank in the latest leak but that the contaminated water was unlikely to flow into the sea.

"We have determined that a minimal amount of water was feared to have leaked from the tank although there was no decline in the level of water inside the tank," it said in a statement.

The tanks store water used to cool down the reactors after radioactive caesium is removed but other radioactive substances remain.

The series of leakages came after one of the systems keeping spent atomic fuel cool at the plant temporarily failed on Friday, the second outage in a matter of weeks, underlining the precarious fix at the plant.
Yes, "minimal" - just as it is a "minimal" amount of price increases in imported energy that face the local population following a 30% devaluation in the currency. Don't worry - just like Fukushima is contained, so local companies can't wait to hike wages for everyone to make the 2% inflation targeting "fair" for everyone.


 and.....

 http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/fukushima-worker-all-the-other-water-reservoirs-may-leak-too/

Fukushima worker “All the other water reservoirs may leak too”

Posted by Mochizuki on April 7th, 2013 · No Comments
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About the major leakage of highly contaminated water reservoir, Tepco admitted 2 of 7 reservoirs are already leaking.
(cf, [Out of control] Tepco admitted another contaminated water reservoir leaking as well [URL])
The Fukushima worker Happy11311 and independent journalist Oshidori are showing the concern about all the rest of the reservoirs may be leaking too.

<Translate>
(Happy11311)
Good morning. Water reservoir No.3 is also leaking. Tepco is going to hold a press conference from 10:00.
Maybe all the reservoirs may be leaking. It’d be so difficult to dig (to reconstruct) the reservoirs that have already been built.
<End>


<Translate>
(Oshidori)
All those reservoirs have the same structure in common. If that is true that the contaminated water leaked from the join of leakage isolation sheet, all the reservoirs may leak…
<End>


<Translate> (Tepco’s press conference)
Q, (Oshidori) Is the protective concrete covered with leakage isolation seal ?
A,  (Tepco) No. It’s only the leakage isolation sheets.
Q, The data says all the β nuclides have been detected since 3/20/2013, does that mean the water has been leaking since then ?
A, It was hard to judge at that time.
<End>
http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/express-compass-is-deviating-increasingly/

[Express] “Compass is deviating increasingly”

Posted by Mochizuki on April 6th, 2013 · No Comments
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Introducing important tweets as [Express] for simultaneous updates.

Since the M6.7 at 3:53:11 of 4/2/2013 (JST), seismic activity is increasing in Japan.
From 4/1/2013, there have already been 30 quakes in Japan. A person in Kanagawa prefecture tweeted an interesting information.


<Translate>
The compasses are deviating today too. I have a feeling that they are deviating more.
<End>
[Express] "Compass is deviating increasingly"

http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/leakage-density-of-beta-nuclide-increased-by-17-radiation-detected-from-2-more-reservoirs/


[Leakage] Density of beta nuclide increased by 17%, radiation detected from 2 more reservoirs

Posted by Mochizuki on April 6th, 2013 · No Comments
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Following up this article..[710 GBq of beta nuclide] 120 m3 of highly contaminated water leaked to underground, 800m to the sea [URL]
According to Tepco, the density of beta nuclide from leaking water increased by 17%.
15:00 4/5/2013
β : 5.9 ×10^9 Bq/m3 , Chloride concentration : 300 ppm
13:56 4/6/2013
β : 6.9 ×10^9 Bq/m3, Chloride concentration : 500 ppm

It suggests that the contaminated water is leaking increasingly.

Also, 6.9 × 10^4 Bq/m3 of β was measured from the drain of reservoir No.1, and 1.1 × 10^5 Bq/m3 of β was measured from the drain of reservoir No.3. It may suggest that the contaminated water is leaking from those 2 reservoirs too, or the leaked water from No. 2 reached those reservoirs.





and.....






http://enenews.com/tepco-to-hold-emergency-press-conference-about-new-leak-of-highly-radioactive-substance


Kyodo News, April 6, 2013: Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Friday that contaminated water may have leaked into soil from an underground reservoir tank at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. A radioactive substance has been detected in water accumulated between soil around the tank and the outer layer of a waterproof sheet covering the tank. The tank is covered by three layers of waterproof sheets. According to TEPCO and the Nuclear Regulation Authority, around 6,000 becquerels of radiation per cubic centimeter was logged in the water on Friday. [...]
Fukushima Diary (h/t Anonymous tip): By this January, 96% of contaminated water storage facility was full. They made 4 holes underground and has been using them for the emergency water storage facility. On 4/5/2013, Tepco announced they found the highly contaminated water leaking into the ground. [...] Tepco is going to hold an emergency press conference at 1:30AM of 4/6/2013 (JST). [...] See Tepco‘s announcement here

http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/04/leakage-high-level-of-radiation-detected-from-the-next-contaminated-water-storage-facility-too/


[Leakage] High level of radiation detected from the next contaminated water storage facility too


Posted by Mochizuki on April 6th, 2013 · No Comments

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Following up this article..[Leakage] Tepco announced additional 47 tones of water to leak to underground [URL]
In the evening of 4/6/2013, Tepco announced the radiation level increased to be as double as before in the water retained outside of the leakage isolation sheet in the next storage facility.
The facility is located in the east of “No.2″, which leaked 120m3 of highly contaminated water.
Tepco states the leaked water from No.2 reached there, but there is no proof to deny the possibility that the new facility is independently leaking as well.


[Leakage] Tepco announced additional 47 tonnes of water to leak to underground

Posted by Mochizuki on April 6th, 2013 · No Comments
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About the largest contaminated water leakage in Fukushima nuclear plant, Tepco announced additional 47 tones of water is assumed to leak.

Related article..[710 GBq of beta nuclide] 120 m3 of highly contaminated water leaked to underground, 800m to the sea [URL]


[710 GBq of beta nuclide] 120 m3 of highly contaminated water leaked to underground, 800m to the sea

Posted by Mochizuki on April 6th, 2013 · No Comments
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Following up this article “[13,000m3] Tepco takes 2 weeks to stop water leaking, Worker “could be due to the extremely high level of radiation” [URL]”
Tepco announced it was 120 m3 of highly contaminated water to have leaked to underground.
In total, 180 Mega Bq of γ nuclide, 710 Giga Bq of β nuclide leaked. It’s only 800m to the sea.
This is the largest leakage since December of 2011 at least.
There is 13,000 m3 of contaminated water in the storage facility (No.2). Tepco is transferring 10,000 m3 to No.1 facility and 3,000 m3 to No. 6 facility but it takes 2.5 and 3.1 days to finish.

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