Pumps back in operation

April 21, 2015

Pumps restart; contaminated water leak stops

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150422_03.html

Apr. 21, 2015 - Updated 21:33 UTC+2

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says radioactive rainwater has stopped leaking into the sea as pumps are back in operation.

Officials of Tokyo Electric Power Company say the generator for the 8 pumps was apparently out of order.

The pumps were used to draw the contaminated rainwater from a drainage channel to prevent leaks.

The utility used a backup generator to restart the pumps on Tuesday night.

The officials had reported the trouble earlier on Tuesday. They said a worker found the pumps had stopped, allowing the water to spill outside the facility's port.

The officials say the rainwater spilled into the sea for more than 11 hours, but they do not know the amount.

But they say the radioactive levels of the drainage water were low in samples taken shortly before the problem was discovered.

They say the utility is continuing an investigation to pinpoint the cause of the trouble.

The pumps had been installed as a stopgap measure to reroute the channel after the utility found in February that contaminated rainwater was leaking into the sea.

The firm said the rainwater that had accumulated on the roof of a reactor building was spilling through the drainage channel. This rooftop water contained comparatively high levels of radioactive substances.