TEPCO seen injecting chemicals into soil

July 23, 2013

TEPCO shows media work to harden soil, halt leak

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130723_20.html

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has shown the media the work under way to prevent radiation-tainted groundwater from seeping into the sea.

17 reporters and cameramen were guided to the site on Monday evening. Workers, who must wear protective suits and masks, are doing most of the work after sunset to avoid heatstroke.

Tokyo Electric Power Company has been injecting chemicals into soil along the embankment separating the plant site from the ocean to solidify it and prevent further radioactive groundwater from seeping through.

The work started after radioactivity spiked in the plant's monitoring wells near the sea in May.

The reporters were allowed to watch the work only for about 30 minutes from inside a bus due to radiation at the site.

TEPCO officials say levels of radiation there are as high as 200 microsieverts an hour. At that level, 5 hours of exposure is equivalent to the amount allowable for an ordinary person in one year.

Under lights, the workers were signaling to each other to operate the chemical injection machinery.

TEPCO says it is inserting the chemical solution as deep as 14 meters at 80 centimeter intervals to create 90-meter long double walls. The process is scheduled to finish by around August 10th.

On Monday, TEPCO formally acknowledged for the first time that tainted groundwater from the Daiichi plant site is seeping into the sea.

Fishermen in Fukushima said they were shocked to hear the announcement as it could further delay any chance of their restarting fishing.

Jul. 23, 2013 - Updated 02:59 UTC