Tepco Says Water Level Rises in Fukushima No. 2 Reactor trench

[jpak]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-09/japan-s-tepco-says-water-level-rises-in-no-2-reactor-at-fukushima-plant.html

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the water level rose in a trench at the No. 2 reactor at its Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant, adding to concern the utility may have to speed up transfer of the radioactive fluid to a waste- treatment facility and tanks.

Water rose 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) since yesterday, Naoki Tsunoda, a spokesman for the utility, said in a telephone interview from Tokyo today. The increase may be happening as the company stopped a leak of radioactive water near the unit on April 6, he said.

The utility plans to begin using a remotely controlled helicopter to investigate conditions at the nuclear station tomorrow, a day behind schedule because of bad weather, according to Tsunoda. It plans to complete the release of radioactive water into the sea from a treatment facility today as planned, he said. The draining of water from pits outside the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors starts tomorrow, he said.

“Work to restore the cooling systems is lagging behind because it’s taking longer than expected to drain radioactive water from the basements,” said Hironobu Unesaki, a nuclear engineering professor at Kyoto University.

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[Buzz Clik]

1. This mess is turning into a Hanford-style cluster-f*ck.

The amount of radioactive liquid waste they are generating is appalling.