Fukushima Update: Leaks, Cracks and More Lies

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/ TEPCO: 1,130 TONS OF WATER RELEASED ONTO GROUND The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has released more than 1,100 tons of rainwater that had pooled inside barriers around wastewater storage tanks. Heavy rain lashed the plant on Sunday and Monday due to the effects of a severe tropical storm. Officials of Tokyo Electric Power Company told reporters on Tuesday that workers discharged 1,130 tons of water from 7 sections onto nearby soil to prevent it from overflowing. They said the level of radioactive substances in the water was below the government-set standard, so they judged it to be rainwater. The government sets 30 becquerels per liter as the limit for discharging radioactive water into the ocean. TEPCO officials say workers released the water onto the ground and not into drainage ditches that lead to the sea, so they cannot say how much may have leaked into the ocean. The utility plans to study ways to prevent rainwater from accumulating within the storage tank barriers to prepare for future heavy rains. Sep. 17, 2013 - Updated 04:12 UTC CRACKS FOUND IN VENT PIPE AT FUKUSHIMA PLANT The people in charge of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant say they've found cracks in a steel framework that supports an unused ventilation pipe. They relied on the pipe for a period of time to release dangerous vapors created by the 2011 accident. Officials at Tokyo Electric Power Company say workers on Wednesday discovered the cracks and cuts at 8 places in the buttress about 66 meters above the ground. The Nuclear Regulation Authority has ordered the company to assess the capacity of the pipe to withstand an earthquake as quickly as possible. The 120-meter vertical pipe stands between the number-1 and number-2 reactor buildings. When they were handling the 2011 accident at the plant, TEPCO workers used it to discharge radioactive vapor and ease pressure in the containment vessels. They did this to prevent explosions. TEPCO officials say they believe the 2011 earthquake damaged the steel framework. They say they have not observed any obvious damage in the pipe itself. The officials say they are considering how to access the pipe to assess its strength. The area around the pipe is contaminated with high levels of radiation measuring 10 sieverts per hour. Sep. 18, 2013 - Updated 23:16 UTC TEPCO STARTS DISMANTLING LEAKY FUKUSHIMA TANK The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says work has begun to dismantle the tank that leaked highly radioactive water in August. Tokyo Electric Power Company says it began taking apart the storage tank on Tuesday to find out why it leaked more than 300 tons of radioactive contaminated water. TEPCO says some of the radioactive water may have flowed out to sea. The dismantling process is expected to take several days. TEPCO says it will study the parts of the tank to identify where the leak occurred. About 350 similar tanks are installed on the grounds of the plant. Sep. 18, 2013 - Updated 03:44 UTC MOTEGI: FUKUSHIMA SITUATION UNDER CONTROL Japan's industry minister has emphasized that the situation of radioactive water leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is under control. Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters on Tuesday that individual events should not be mixed up with the entire situation. Motegi was responding to criticism that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's view of the situation contradicts that of the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company. At a presentation on September 7th in Buenos Aires for Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Olympics, Abe assured the International Olympic Committee about the city's safety and said the situation is under control. But a TEPCO official said on Friday at a meeting held by the opposition Democratic Party that the situation is not under control. Democrat legislators are taking issue with the discrepancy between the remarks. Motegi said that despite leaks of tainted water from a storage tank, the effects of radiation are limited to waters in a port at the plant. He said offshore radioactivity levels are far below safety standards. He stressed that the government is taking initiative in tackling the problem by pushing preventive and multilayered countermeasures. Sep. 17, 2013 - Updated 08:34 UTC