Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have discovered a new leak of contaminated water, this time through a barrier that surrounds wastewater storage tanks.
The workers were inspecting tanks on Saturday when they found tainted water had leaked out of the barrier near the No.4 reactor. They tried to contain it with sandbags.
They reported finding a puddle of water 80 centimeters long and 100 centimeters wide beyond the barrier. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company detected 140 becquerels per liter of radioactive strontium.
The utility says the leak occurred near the valve used to drain the water. But it says the valve was closed, so it was unlikely to be the cause.
TEPCO officials say no contaminated water reached the ocean.
Engineers at the plant are still investigating. They say faulty joints in the body of the barrier may be to blame. The barrier is made up of concrete blocks bound by metal boards that are fitted either by welding or with bolts.
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