New York Times, April 4, 2011: TOKYO — Tokyo Electric Power Company said Monday that it would release almost 11,500 tons of water contaminated with low levels of radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean as workers struggle to contain the increasing amounts of dangerous runoff resulting from efforts to cool the plant’s damaged reactors...
Over the weekend, workers resorted to desperate measures — including using sawdust and shredded newspaper — in an effort to stem a direct leak of an estimated seven tons an hour of radioactive water escaping from a pit near the reactor. [Note: Emphasis added]
Safely Contained Behind Bars, Leak Of Water Contaminated By
God Knows How Much Radioactivity Gushes Into, Well; Gosh;
Somewhere -- Free Samples At The Tourist Center! (TEPCO)
Workers have focused especially on trying to pump out highly radioactive water flooding the turbine building of the No. 2 reactor. But a facility at the plant designed to store and treat the radioactive water has already been filled with runoff in recent days, the company said.
To free up space, about 10,000 tons of less seriously contaminated water will soon be released into the sea from the facility, said Yukio Edano, the [Japanese government's] chief cabinet secretary. Tokyo Electric said it planned to begin dumping water in the ocean starting on Monday night in Japan, with a release of about 4,800 tons of water a day for two days.
[Note: 4,800 Tons of water equals approximately 1,150,000 U.S. Gallons; the total planned release will be three times that number.]
An additional 1,500 tons of radioactive water will also be released from the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors, after runoff was found flooding parts of their turbine buildings... Water from these reactors will be released 300 tons at a time over five days.
Pony Show Is Entertaining, It Only Distracts From The True
State Of Affairs (Photo: Hund Und Pferd.org)
The Total release of 11,500 Tons of radioactive water is over seven million U.S. gallons. That's seven million gallon jugs of milk; 280,000 fillups of mid-sized cars at the pump (based on 25-gallon capacity tanks); or approximately 20,000,000 bottles (standard 750ml, of five-plus cups) of wine.
No wonder TEPCO releases its figures in tons -- it just looks smaller.
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