Highly Toxic Groundwater Found near TEPCO N-Plant Port

Tokyo, June 29 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo Electric Power Co. <9501> revealed Saturday that it has detected high levels of radioactive substances that emit beta ray in groundwater taken from a well near the port of its stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. TEPCO said 3,000 becquerels of radioactive substances, such as strontium, per liter was found in groundwater collected from the well, located some 6 meters from the port. The concentration level is 100 times higher than the legal limit of 30 becquerels. The well is located nearest to the Pacific coast among the four wells used for observation on the premises of the plant, and radiation levels were the highest, according to the company. As radioactive tritium levels have temporarily been on the rise in seawater inside the port, there is suspicion that radioactive substances may have leaked into the sea. A TEPCO official said, "It is true that radioactive contamination has been found from groundwater near the sea, but we do not know whether tainted water has made its way into the sea." The contamination was found in water collected Friday. On the same day, TEPCO detected 1,400 becquerels of beta ray-emitting radioactive substances, such as strontium, in groundwater taken from another well, located some 25 meters from the port. The latest revelation came after tritium and strontium-90 that were some eight to 30 times higher than the legal limit were detected in ground water collected from a well located about 25 meters from the port in May. The Fukushima No. 1 plant suffered Japan's worst-ever nuclear accident following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Following the accident, large amounts of highly radioactive water leaked into the Pacific through a duct containing cables for the No. 2 reactor, one of the three reactors that experienced meltdown. TEPCO sealed the duct in April 2011, but some remaining tainted water is believed to have leaked from the duct and mixed into groundwater, according to company officials. After the discovery of contaminated groundwater in May, TEPCO expanded survey areas and drilled an additional observation well at a location nearer to the sea. Over the last few months, levels of radioactive tritium in seawater near water intakes of the plant's No. 1 to No. 4 reactors reached 1,500 becquerels per liter at one point. A member of the Nuclear Regulation Authority has said it is "highly likely" that contaminated groundwater has leaked into the sea. END