New typhoon threatens Fukushima

October 23,2013

Fukushima plant struggles with typhoon threat

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131024_08.html

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is racing to secure storage space for tainted rainwater as another powerful typhoon approaches.

Tokyo Electric Power Company has begun moving the rainwater into underground pools once deemed too leaky. The water is the result of typhoons and downpours that have filled barriers around radioactive waste water tanks.

TEPCO has been storing the most contaminated rainwater in tanks and in the basement of a turbine building. But with Typhoon Francisco set to hit Japan's mainland over the weekend, the tanks are full.

Japan's nuclear regulator has approved moving the tainted water to 3 underground pools. The pools have a total capacity of about 9,000 tons.

TEPCO stopped using the pools after similar models leaked in April. The utility now says it has no other option but to use them.

The utility also says it found 140,000 becquerels per liter of Beta-ray emitting radioactivity in an onsite ditch on Wednesday. The radioactivity has doubled since the previous day. TEPCO says it is transferring the contaminated water to a tank.

Oct. 23, 2013 - Updated 20:39 UTC