Questions one shouldn't ask TEPCO

September 8, 2013

[Column] 2 things Tepco never want us to ask – Direct leakage of coolant water and welling up contamination offshore

http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/09/column-2-things-tepco-never-want-us-to-ask-direct-leakage-of-coolant-water-and-welling-up-contamination-offshore/

Japan takes advantage of their old image as “the trustworthy gentleman”, it’s concealing the most significant part of the facts. What we think is all is actually only a part of the entire situation, which they want us to see. Here are the two things that they never want to be asked about.

1. Isn’t the coolant water directly leaking out to the sea ?

High level of contamination is measured from the groundwater. Normally, everyone would suspect it’s from the reactor buildings and other related buildings. However they are taking ages to investigate trench and stuff -beating around the bush.

It’s actually easy to identify where the coolant water goes. Just color it. If you see it in the sea, the coolant water, which directly touched molten nuclear fuel, is leaking to the sea. Tepco is given the right to define the causes to take forever to get to what really matters, and media is supporting Tepco by not asking why they don’t investigate it.

2. Some of the contaminated water can go underneath the plant port and directly well up offshore.

Some parts of the groundwater in the plant area goes under the sea bottom of Fukushima plant port. It comes up to the sea far offshore.

The depth of the plant port is approx. only 5m. On the other hand, impermeable layer is 13m deep underground. Groundwater stream goes on the layer and can travel far like an underground river. There are some locations to have groundwater well up in the Pacific but Tepco hasn’t investigated it, nor doesn’t plan to do it. Japanese government doesn’t even mention the presence of such points in the sea.