NRA orders TEPCO to check every possible source of toxic water

March 4, 2015

TEPCO ordered to check all sources of toxic spill

Mar. 4, 2015 - Updated 13:10 UTC+1

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html

Japan's nuclear regulator has ordered the operator of the crippled Fukushima plant to check every possible source of contaminated water that flowed through a drainage channel into the sea.

Tokyo Electric Power Company announced in late February that radioactive water that had accumulated on the roof of the No. 2 reactor building had made its way into the sea.

TEPCO officials presented plans to prevent a similar recurrence at a hearing of the Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday. They said they will pump radioactive water from the current drainage channel to another channel leading to the plant's port by early April.

They said they will also change the course of the current channel to carry water to the port instead of the open ocean by April 2016.

The panel ordered the utility to continue investigating whether radioactive water flowed through other drainage channels as well.

TEPCO officials said there was a delay in reporting the problem because the information was not shared by officials working at the site.

The panel ordered the utility to carefully check whether the officials failed to share other data.