TEPCO locates groundwater inflow into reactor turbine building for first time

[bananas]

Source: Asahi Shimbun



The location of an underground water leak into a reactor turbine building of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has been spotted for the first time since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

TEPCO said Sept. 4 it confirmed groundwater is flowing into the first basement of the No. 1 reactor turbine building from the junction of the building and outside piping.

To locate underground water influx, TEPCO drilled a hole on the first floor of the No. 1 turbine building and lowered a video camera into the part connecting outlet pipes with the building. TEPCO said the video camera recorded images and sound of underground water flowing into the building basement.

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It has been said that groundwater is coming from junctions of the buildings and outside piping, as well as other areas.

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Read more: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201309050051

[The Stranger]

1. This makes me so angry, I can't even read it any more.

This is criminal negligence on literally a global scale.

[silvershadow]

2. I'm glad they finally got around to starting a damage assessment. No hurry, fellas. nt

[PearliePoo2]

3. So TEPCO found a leak...that's nice.

One down and how many more to find?
The destroyed reactors are leaking like a fucking sieve...not to mention the hastily built, cheapo storage tanks too. Now there's the pesky problem of how to fix 'em...since no one can get close enough to the radioactive rubble without getting immediately fried.
Lying, inept, criminal bastards.

[greiner3]

4. "...leaking like a fucking sieve..."

To be fair, the size of the pipe and the rate at which the water portrayed in this photo does not give the answer you pose.

If say the juncture of these pipes is on a scale of huge proportions and this lead is actually spewing out a gallon a second then WATCH OUT WORLD.

However, if the size is minuscule (I doubt this but I am no expert) and the water is coming out at a rate of a gallon an hour then, well, WATCH OUT WORLD but not at not nearly the huge problem as if it were as stated above.

Jus' saying.

[BelgianMadCow]

5. well, Tepco had to admit the site has been leaking 300 tons of water per day for two years

that's no minor admission there...it was about a month ago, and a true wtf moment.

[PearliePoo2]

6. Yup, there seem to be leaks everywhere.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23945612
Radiation levels around tanks storing contaminated water at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant have risen by a fifth to a new high, officials say.

Ground readings near one set of tanks stood at 2,200 millisieverts (mSv) on Tuesday, the plant operator and Japan's nuclear authority said.
Other leaks have also been reported, prompting the government on Tuesday to pledge 47bn yen ($473m) in funding to tackle the problem
The readings are thought to be high enough to provide a lethal radiation dose to someone standing near contaminated areas without protective gear within hours.
Water is now being pumped in to cool the reactors, but storing the resultant large quantities of radioactive water has proved a challenge for Tepco.

The process creates an extra 400 tons of contaminated water every day, which must be stored in temporary tanks.

But leaks of contaminated water, both from the tanks, pipes and through damaged structures, have been a persistent problem. Groundwater from the hills surrounding the plant also flows down and into the radioactive areas.

So, yeah...one might say "leaking like a fucking sieve".