Steel wall seems to be effective

November 5, 2015

TEPCO: Steel barrier reducing radioactivity at sea

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20151106_02.html

Nov. 5, 2015 - Updated 18:10 UTC+1

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says the steel piling wall it built along the plant's coastal side is reducing the amount of radioactive material in sea water.

Tokyo Electric Power Company completed the 780-meter-long and 30-meter-deep piling wall along an embankment in late October.

The wall is designed to prevent contaminated groundwater at the plant site from flowing into the nearby harbor and sea.

TEPCO measured the levels of radioactive substances in the sea water along the embankment to determine the barrier's effects.

It says the level of beta-ray-emitting materials fell to 32 becquerels per liter on average early this month from 150 becquerels in mid-September.

The level of radioactive cesium was down to 10 becquerels from 16.

The level of radioactive strontium was 1.9 becquerels shortly before completion of the barrier compared to 140 becquerels in mid-September.

The operator says it will continue to check the levels of radioactivity near the embankment for some time to further confirm the effects of the steel wall.