information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
22 Août 2013
August 21, 2013
Leaking tank at Fukushima plant has no water gauge
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130821_30.html
The operator of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says it may have failed to find a leak of radioactive wastewater from a tank because it lacks a water gauge.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, on Monday found a massive leak of highly contaminated wastewater from a tank near the No.4 reactor. Water had seeped outside the barrier around the tank.
The tank is 11 meters high and can store up to 1,000 tons of wastewater. TEPCO said the tank's water level had dropped nearly three meters. That means more than 300 tons had been lost.
The utility says the tank has no water gauge, so workers at the plant did not notice the leak until they saw water outside the barrier.
The tank is one of about 350 at the plant made from steel plates and bolts. Four cases of leaks have been reported so far.
TEPCO officials say workers conduct patrols twice a day to check the tanks for possible leaks.
Tokyo Electric is trying to find the cause and location of the current leak. It will carry out emergency inspections on other tanks, and determine whether other tanks have water gauges.
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