#Fukushima I Nuke Plant Groundwater Contamination: No One Fully Knows Exactly Where Trenches and Ducts Are Located, How They Are Connected

Tokyo Shinbun has a pictorial showing the locations of the known trenches along the seawall.　I think it is more helpful than TEPCO's pictorial, which does not show the embankment which is clearly created artificially. It also nicely summarizes the entire article.

It shows the possibility of seawater and groundwater mixing beneath the sea level. If the highly contaminated water in the trenches from the turbine buildings to the water intake along the embankment bordering the open culvert are leaking somewhere, they will go to the layers of crushed stones underneath the trenches (standard construction method) and leak to the surrounding soil

From Tokyo Shinbun (7/26/2013, English labels are by me):

Tokyo Shinbun's article itself has some misunderstanding:

何より問題なのは、建屋の地下だけで七万五千トンにのぼる高濃度汚染水がトレンチに流れ込んでいることだ。

The biggest problem is that highly contaminated water is flowing into the trenches from the [turbine building] basements which hold 75,000 tonnes of such water.

No it isn't. Tokyo Shinbun doesn't know or forgot to check the density of radioactive materials found this time from the seawater pipe trench for Reactor 2. The density is one order of magnitude GREATER than the density of contaminated water inside the Reactor 2 turbine building, indicating the water in the trench is the same water that leaked into the ocean in April 2011.

I see two big problems, one of which is shared by Tokyo Shinbun.

「トレンチが地下数メートルから三十メートル近い深さまで各所をめぐり、どんな状態なのか東電も把握できていない」
"Crisscrossing trenches run several meters from the ground surface all the way down to 30 meters deep, and TEPCO doesn't exactly know what their conditions are."

I don't think TEPCO knows what trenches are there, where, or how many. The original blueprint wouldn't help, and all the blueprints of site and facility upgrades are, I believe, still in the condemned building at the plant.

And second, solidifying the artificial soil using the chemicals are possible only up to 20 meters deep.

Some trenches are 30 meters deep? Uh oh.

Since April 2011, TEPCO knows the highly contaminated water from the turbine buildings filled the trenches that goes out to the water intake, but didn't do anything about it until now. Even now, I don't know how they even attempt to empty the trenches, as the water is just too radioactive.

TEPCO's 7/26/2013 handout shows the air dose level as high as 100 millisieverts/hour, and that's when measured from the top of the pit at the turbine building where the trench starts, not near the water surface.

Tweet

Tokyo Shinbun: "Nuclear - Energy for Destroyed Future", Says Futaba-machi Resident After 25 Years

Tokyo Shinbun has an article (7/18/2012) about a 36-year-old man from Futaba-machi, Fukushima who evacuated the town after the nuclear accident and now lives in Aichi Prefecture with his wife and a small son. Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant is located in Futaba-machi and neighboring Okuma-machi.

When Yuji Onuma was a 6th grader in Futaba-machi in 1987, he came up with the winning slogan selected and proudly displayed at the town's entrance across the road:

"Nuclear - Energy for Bright Future"
原子力　明るい未来の　エネルギー

Onuma and his wife returned home temporarily on July 15. The reporter from Tokyo Shinbun accompanied them. At the sign, Onuma made a correction to the slogan that he created 25 years ago by holding up his handmade sign that says "Destruction" (破滅), hiding the word "Bright" (明るい) and turning the sign into:

"Nuclear - Energy for Destroyed Future"
原子力　破滅未来の　エネルギー

From Tokyo Shinbun (7/18/2012):

「原子力明るい未来のエネルギー」。福島県双葉町の中心街の入り口に掲げられた看板の標語だ。二十五年前、当時小学六年の大沼勇治さん（３６）が町のコンクールに応募し、選ばれた。大沼さんは、一年四カ月の避難生活で「脱原発」を確信した思いを伝えたいと、今月十五日、一時帰宅した際、自ら標語を「訂正」した。

"Nuclear, Energy for Bright Future". It is a slogan displayed on the entrance to the main street in Futaba-machi, Fukushima Prefecture. 25 years ago, Yuji Onuma (age 36) came up with the slogan when he was a 6th grader. It was selected in the town-wide contest. After spending a year and 4 months as an evacuee and having convinced that "going beyond nuclear" is the way to go, he "corrected" his slogan on July 15 when he returned home temporarily.

　大沼さんは東京電力福島第一原発の事故後、身重の妻せりなさん（３７）と地元を離れ、現在は愛知県安城市で避難生活を送る。町が原子力標語を公募したのは一九八七年。原発が町の未来をつくると信じた言葉が入選。第一原発から約四キロの自宅近くに鉄製の看板が電源立地交付金で建てられ、誇らしかった。

After the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident, he left town with his pregnant wife Serina (age 37). They now live in Anjo City in Aichi Prefecture. Futaba-machi called for a nuclear slogan in a public contest in 1987. Onuma's slogan expressing belief in the nuclear power plant building the future for the town, won. A sign made of steel was built with the grant money for municipalities with power generation facilities near Onuma's home, which was about 4 kilometers from Fukushima I Nuke Plant. He was proud.

　大学を出て就職などし、二十九歳で帰郷。不動産会社に勤める傍ら、看板の横にある土地にオール電化のアパートを建てて、東電社員にも貸していた。ずっと町の発展が原発とともにある「安全神話」を疑わなかった。

After graduating from college and worked elsewhere, he returned home at the age of 29. While working for a real estate company he built an all-electric apartment near the sign, and rented to TEPCO employees. He never doubted the "safety myth" that the town would prosper with the nuclear power plant.

　しかし事故後、町は警戒区域となり、全町民が避難。「平穏な暮らしが町ごと奪われた現実」にさいなまれ、テレビで標語が紹介されるたびに胸を痛めた。自らを責め悔いる日々から「原発の現実を話す権利はある」と考えた。脱原発を行動で示し、その姿を長男勇誠ちゃん（１つ）に将来伝えたいと思った。

After the accident, the town was designated as no-entry zone, and all residents evacuated. Onuma was tormented by the fact that a normal life was taken away from the town, and was distressed every time the slogan was shown on TV. He blamed himself and regretted. But he thought he had the right to speak about the reality of [having] the nuclear power plant. He wanted to show to his one-year-old son that he was now anti-[or "beyond-"] nuclear.

　夫婦が一時帰宅した今月十五日、記者も同行した。防護服姿の大沼さんはまず、標語にレッドカードを突き付け「退場」と叫んだ。その後、看板の手前で持参した画用紙を高く掲げた。すると、そこに書かれた「破滅」の二文字が「明るい」に重なり新しい標語が読み取れた。「原子力破滅未来のエネルギー」。二十六年目の訂正の瞬間だった。

When he and his wife temporarily returned home on July 15, I accompanied them. Onuma, in the protective clothes, first waved a red card at the slogan, and shouted "Out!". Then, he held aloft a piece of drawing paper that he had brought in front of the sign. On the paper were two characters "破滅" (Destruction), which covered "明るい" (Bright) [on the sign], creating a new slogan: "Nuclear - Energy for Destroyed Future". Correction on the 26th year.

　大沼さんは「原発事故で故郷を奪われることが二度とあってはならない。日本に原発はいらない」と話した。 （野呂法夫、写真も）

Onuma said, "A nuclear plant accident forcing people to leave their hometown, that should never happen again. There is no need for nuclear power plants in Japan." (Report and photograph by Norio Noro)

Tweet

(Now They Tell Us Series) Groundwater Coming into Reactor Bldg and Turbine Bldg Basements at #Fukushima I Nuke Plant

TEPCO finally admits, after confronted with the calculation by Tokyo Shinbun. To no surprise to anyone but TEPCO, the Japanese government, and probably the majority of the Japanese people, the basement walls and floors are likely to have cracked and been damaged during the earthquake.

If this is true, it's good in one sense. Instead of the highly contaminated water in the basements leaking into the groundwater, the groundwater is coming into the basements...

From Tokyo Shinbun (7:06 AM JST 9/20/2011):

福島第一　建屋に地下水大量流入か　収束作業に難題

Large amount of groundwater flowing into the basements at Fukushima I? Obstacle to the work to wind down the accident

東京電力福島第一原発１～４号機の原子炉建屋やタービン建屋地下に、一日数百トンの地下水が流入している可能性のあることが分かった。汚染水処理の 実績などから計算すると、五万トン強まで減っているはずだが、実際には八万トン強も残る。東電も地下水流入の可能性を認めており、地震で建屋地下の壁が損 傷し、流入していることが考えられる。今後の収束作業に影響が出そうだ。

It's been revealed that there is a possibility that several hundred tonnes of groundwater may be flowing into the basements of reactor buildings and turbine buildings in Reactors 1 through 4 at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. The amount of contaminated water should have decreased by now to slightly over 50,000 tonnes, based on the amount of water processed. However, there are still over 80,000 tonnes of highly contaminated water remaining in the basements. TEPCO has admitted to the possibility of groundwater flowing into the basements, whose walls may have been damaged in the earthquake and are letting in the water. This may affect the future work to wind down the accident.

　建屋からくみ出した汚染水の移送量や原子炉への注入量など東電が公表したデータを本紙が集計したところ、約十万トンあった汚染水は、十三日時点で約五万千六百トンにまで減っているはずだった。

Tokyo Shinbun calculated the hypothetical amount of the remaining contaminated water, based on the data published by TEPCO on the amount of contaminated water transfer and the amount of water injection into the reactors. According to our calculation, about 100,000 tonnes of contaminated water should have been reduced to about 51,600 tonnes by September 13.

　しかし、実測の地下水位から東電が推計した汚染水残量の最新値は約八万千三百トン。移送量などから逆算した値とはほぼ三万トンの開きがある。

However, the latest estimate by TEPCO from the actual water levels in the basements is 81,300 tonnes, leaving 30,000 tonnes or so gap from the calculated amount.

　 東電はこれまで、汚染水がなかなか減らない理由を、雨水の影響と説明してきた。福島第一周辺では、七月以降の三カ月間に三回まとまった雨が降っており、一 部は屋根の損傷部などから建屋に流れ込んだとみられるが、水位の変動は小さく、三万トンの差を説明できるほどではない。

So far, TEPCO has explained that the contaminated water is not decreasing as fast because of the rainwater. Around Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, there have been 3 heavy rainfalls since July. Part of the rain may have entered the buildings through the damaged rooftops. However, the contribution of rainwater to the water in the basements is not big enough to explain the 30,000 tonnes difference.

　建屋のひび割れなどから地下水が流入している可能性は、以前から指摘されていたが、あらためてその可能性が高まった。東電に本紙の計算結果を示すと、「日量百トン単位でわき出ていると思う」との回答があった。

It has been pointed out before that the groundwater may be flowing into the basements through cracks in the basement walls, and now that possibility is even more heightened. We showed the result of our calculation to TEPCO, and they answered "The water may be flowing in in the order of 100 tonnes per day".

地下水流入が事実なら、汚染水処理はさらに膨大な量になるばかりか、原子炉への注水量を絞る必要があるなど、事故収束に向けてさまざまな影響が出ると予想される。

If the groundwater is indeed flowing into the basements, the amount of contaminated water to be treated will be further increased, necessitating the decrease of water being injected into the reactors. The work to wind down the accident may be affected in many ways.

I don't know whether TEPCO means "100 tonnes per day per unit" or "100 tonnes per day per each building" or "100 tonnes per day at the plant".

In the latest announcement on the contaminated water processing on September 14, TEPCO is processing about 1,500 tonnes per day.

Tweet