Fukushima: 100,000 Tons of Highly Radioactive Water, May Leak by June 15

Update:

– Another ‘Level 7?: 720,000 Terabecquerels of Radioactive Materials in 100,000 Tonnes of Contaminated Water at Fukushima

– #Fukushima I Nuke Plant: 100,000 Tonnes of Highly Contaminated Water, May Leak by June 15 (Ex-SKF, June 3, 2011):

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 ??”) 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):

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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.

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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.