Fukushima Daiichi: Highly radioactive water confirmed in trench near Unit 2

Unit 2

WNN confirms that rates of

up to 1000 mSv/hr

has been detected in a trench for power cables and pipes near Unit 2's turbine building. The concrete trench is 76 metres long, four metres high and three metres wide and full with water to one meter from the top.

Unit 1

A similar trench at Unit 1 is full to within ten centimeters of the top.  But it's radiation dosage reading is much less.

0.4 mSv/hr

Unit 3

A similar trench at Unit 3 is full to within 1.5 meters of the top.  But but this trench was too clogged with debris to measure. 

TEPCO says the trenches are outside the normal radiation control area of the site but do not lead to the sea. TEPCO has sandbagged the trench outside Unit 2 to ensure it will not overflow.

There is still no confirmed information on the source of the contamination.  But two of five soil samples from within the plant perimeter contain plutonium isotopes that suggest that containment may be leaking at one or more of the reactors at Units 1,2,3.

NISA has ordered TEPCO to closely monitor radiation and water levels in all three trenches.