Barriers surrounding storage tanks of radioactive water at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant were found to have four leaks in two tank areas, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.
Barriers surrounding storage tanks of radioactive water at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant were found to have four leaks in two tank areas, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said. The company estimated that a maximum of 1.6 tons and 1 ton of contaminated water leaked from two spots of a barrier at one storage tank area on Dec. 21 and Dec. 22, respectively. Radioactive strontium measuring 190 becquerels per liter, exceeding TEPCO’s tentative limit of less than 10 becquerels, was detected in water at the location on Dec. 22. An estimated 0.8 ton of water leaked from two spots at a different barrier surrounding storage tanks located to the southeast. Three becquerels per liter of radioactive strontium were detected from water in this barrier. TEPCO officials said the leakage was found mainly in the vicinity of concrete joints of the barriers surrounding the storage tanks of highly contaminated water. Measures to prevent the water from seeping into the ground have already been taken, the officials added.