(UPDATED) Latest on #Fukushima I Nuke Plant Waste Water Pond Leaks: Pump Is Also Leaking, 22 Liters With 6.38 Billion Bq of All Beta

And the latest from TEPCO on April 11, 2013 in the email notice to the press No.35:

地下貯水槽No.3からNo.6への移送について、４月11日午後２時から移送を開始いたしましたが、同日午後２時３分に移送ポンプ出口配管の接続部（フランジ部）より漏えいが確認されたことから、同時刻に移送ポンプを停止いたしました。

Transfer of waste water from the in-the-ground water storage pond No.3 to the pond No.6 started at 2PM on April 11, but a leak was found at the flange of the pipe of the transfer pump at 2:03PM, so we stopped the pump.

漏えいについては、移送ポンプを停止したことにより停止しております。また、漏えいした水は、土中に染み込んでおります。

The leak stopped when the pump was stopped. The leaked water was soaked into the soil.

And No.37:

地下貯水槽No.3からNo.6への移送中に発生した水漏れについて、移送ポンプ出口配管の接続部（フランジ部）からの漏えいの原因調査のため、配管フランジの分解をおこないます。

We will disassemble the flange to investigate the leak that occurred during the transfer of waste water from the pond No.3 to the pond No.6.

また、漏えい水が滴下して染みこんだと思われる地下貯水槽上部覆土（盛土）の除去作業を開始いたします。

We will also start removing the soil that covers the top part of the water storage pond where the leaked water may have dripped.

The water contains 290,000 Bq/cm3 of all beta (mostly strontium), and 22 liters of this water leaked, as TEPCO's email notice No.36 confirms. That would be 6.38 billion becquerels of all beta (290,000 x 1000 x 22). Who is going to disassemble the flange and remove the dirt? TEPCO's president? One of Mr. Abe's ministers who frequent the plant for photo-ops?

They are having another press conference starting at any moment now (scheduled to start at 6PM local time).

Flange that leaked, from TEPCO's photos and videos library 4/11/2013:

TEPCO's Ono says the pump was never tested with running water. (UPDATE 4/14/2013) Ono in fact said during the press conference that the company sort of tested, by making sure the bolts were tightened to the specification, and that, by definition, was safety testing.

Tweet