Fukushima update

Kyodo: Fearing Fukushima plant would flood, workers opened barriers — Amount of contamination released ‘unknown’ — TV: Japan media questioning if radioactivity levels were measured before pumping into ocean; Tepco now under investigation

ENENews,

16 September, 2013

NHK, Sept. 16, 2013: Workers took water samples from the barriers on Monday to measure the amount of beta-ray emitting radioactive particles. The samples yielded between 3 and 24 becquerels per liter. [...] The utility says it started discharging excess water from the barriers into the ocean at around 12:40 PM on Monday.

Kyodo News, Sept. 16, 2013: The plant operator said it has decided to pump the water into the ocean [...] TEPCO, fearing that heavy rain caused by Typhoon Man-yi could raise the water level and cause flooding, opened the barriers and released the water mainly through drainage ditches.

UPI, Sept. 16, 2013: The area of impact included Fukushima prefecture and its troubled nuclear reactor, where radioactive water was discharged to prevent the complex from flooding, Kyodo News reported.

Arirang News, Sept. 17, 2013: Japanese authorities say more than 1-hundred millimeters [3.94 inches] of rain was measured in some parts of the crippled plant Monday afternoon [...] The deluge that accumulated within the concrete walls surrounding tanks at the plant, combined with contaminated water there, was drained out by authorities. The amount of water, however, was not known. [...] some Japanese media outlets questioned whether the operator measured the level just before leaking the water.

Arirang News, Sept. 16, 2013: Operators are under investigation for taking what they say were preventative measures of pumping accumulating rainwater near leaking tanks into the ocean.

See also: "Emergency measure" underway at Fukushima plant after typhoon -- Contaminated water being pumped into Pacific

Contaminated water from Fukushima drained into ocean during typhoon

Arirang News

17 September, 2013

A powerful typhoon that swept through Japan Monday caused radioactive water from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant to drain into the ocean.

Japanese authorities say more than 1-hundred millimeters of rain was measured in some parts of the crippled plant Monday afternoon, as typhoon Man-yi moved its way north.

The deluge that accumulated within the concrete walls surrounding tanks at the plant, combined with contaminated water there, was drained out by authorities.

The amount of water, however, was not known.

Although plant operator TEPCO said radioactive level of the drained water was a maximum of 24 becquerels per liter, below the legal limit of 30 becquerels per liter, some Japanese media outlets questioned whether the operator measured the level just before leaking the water.

Typhoon Man-yi left at least eight people dead or missing and more than 1-hundred injured.

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