Fukushima

CNN : Japanese dock from tsunami drifts, lands on Oregon beach

Fukushima Diary,

7 June, 2012

Residents near Agate Beach in Oregon were shocked when they saw a 66-foot long dock had washed ashore.

The massive dock was spotted earlier in the week floating offshore, a mile north of Newport, according to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. And upon closer examination it was clear that it wasn’t just your ordinary ocean debris. The placard, bearing Japanese writing, gave them a hint.

A metal placard bearing Japanese writing was found attached to the dock.

Instantly the question was: Is this another giant piece of debris from the tsunami in Japan last year that’s made its way to U.S. shores? It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time – and likely won’t be the last.

Debris from the March 2011 tsunami in Japan began showing up on western U.S. shores in recent months.

After some testing and translation officials confirmed that the derelict dock was indeed debris from the 2011 tsunami in Japan, the parks department said, citing the Japanese Consulate in Portland.

The parks department said they were able to trace the dock back to Japan after having the local Japanese consulate translate the placard which reveals a company name, location and phone number. Havel added that tires on the dock were determined to have come from a company in Japan. And officials testing plants and wildlife found on the dock learned they were native to Japan.

At first residents were told to stay away from the giant dock, which is 7 feet tall and 19 feet wide.

The dock, made of concrete and metal, posed concerns about whether it might be radioactive at first. Oregon parks spokesman Chris Havel told CNN that officials tested the dock for radiation but the tests were negative.

There have been concerns that tsunami debris from Japan could be contaminated by radiation because of problems at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said that it is unlikely that radioactive material will make landfall in North America.

Water in Fukushima No. 4 spent fuel pool warms after pump troubles

Mainichi,

7 June, 2012

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said Wednesday that the temperature of water inside the No. 4 unit's spent fuel pool rose to 42 C as of 5 p.m. following problems with the water circulation system pumps.

One of two pumps which stopped was later reactivated, and the water temperature is expected to start falling, said Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Junichi Matsumoto. On Tuesday morning, the water was 34 C.

There are two pumps to cool water which is used to remove heat emitted from the spent nuclear fuel stored inside the No. 4 reactor's pool. But the main pump stopped working on Tuesday, and the backup pump stopped on Wednesday.

The backup pump had an insulation failure in the section connecting a motor and a cable, and the utility known as TEPCO suspects that the other pump had similar trouble.

TEPCO said it needs several days to one week to repair the main pump.