#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: 100,000 Tonnes of Highly Contaminated Water, May Leak by June 15

Friday, June 3, 2011


#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: 100,000 Tonnes of Highly Contaminated Water, May Leak by June 15



Often, you could tell what's going on by looking at the information that is withheld. One such piece of information was the water level at the trenches from the Fukushima I's Reactors 2 and 3.



On May 28 and 29, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) uploaded the information on the trench water levels at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, as the typhoon No.2 was heading north. Then, that information stopped on May 30. I found it very peculiar, and was about to write a post.



Now the news comes that the amount of highly contaminated water is over 100,000 tonnes, and it would start to leak by June 15 on a heavy rainfall.



Southern Tohoku that includes Fukushima Prefecture enters the rainy season ("tsuyu 入梅") around June 12 in a normal year, and the rainy season lasts for about a month and a half till late July. Kanto has already entered the rainy season since May 27, 17 days earlier than last year.



From Kyodo News Japanese (6/3/2011):



東京電力は３日、福島第１原発の原子炉建屋などにたまっている高濃度の放射性物質を含む汚染水の総量は５月末現在、推定１０万５１００トンと発表した。１～３号機の原子炉へ注入している水が建屋に漏れていると想定し、大雨が降った場合は高濃度の汚染水が６月１５日までに外部に漏れ出る恐れがあるとしている。



TEPCO announced on June 3 that the total amount of highly contaminated water in the buildings at Fukushima I Nuke Plant is estimated to be 105,100 tonnes at the end of May. Assuming that the water being injected into the Reactor Pressure Vessels for the Reactors 1, 2 and 3 is leaking into the reactor buildings, TEPCO said the highly contaminated water may leak outside by June 15 if there is a heavy rainfall.



　東電は、汚染水の放射性物質を除去するなどして浄化するシステムを１５日以降に稼働させる計画だが、間に合わない可能性がある。東電によると、５月末には１００ミリを超える雨が降り、その影響で水位が５０ミリ以上上がったという。

TEPCO plans to start operating the water treatment system to remove radioactive materials in the contaminated water after June 15, but the system may not come in time. According to TEPCO, the rainfall at the end of May exceeded 100 millimeters, causing the water level [the article doesn't say where] to rise by more than 50 millimeters.