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Japan Nuclear Disaster: Fukushima Power Plant Remains Fragile, Plant Chief Says   

2/28/12     

By MARI YAMAGUCHI

OKUMA, Japan -- Japan's tsunami-hit Fukushima power plant remains fragile nearly a year after it suffered multiple meltdowns, its chief said Tuesday, with makeshift equipment – some mended with tape – keeping crucial systems running.

An independent report, meanwhile, revealed that the government downplayed the full danger in the days after the March 11 disaster and secretly considered evacuating Tokyo.

Journalists given a tour of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant on Tuesday, including a reporter from The Associated Press, saw crumpled trucks and equipment still lying on the ground. A power pylon that collapsed in the tsunami, cutting electricity to the plant's vital cooling system and setting off the crisis, remained a mangled mess.

Officials said the worst is over but the plant remains vulnerable.

"I have to admit that it's still rather fragile," said plant chief Takeshi Takahashi, who took the job in December after his predecessor resigned due to health reasons. "Even though the plant has achieved what we call 'cold shutdown conditions,' it still causes problems that must be improved."

The government announced in December that three melted reactors at the plant had basically stabilized and that radiation releases had dropped. It still will take decades to fully decommission the plant, and it must be kept stable until then.

The operators have installed multiple backup power supplies, a cooling system, and equipment to process massive amounts of contaminated water that leaked from the damaged reactors.

But the equipment that serves as the lifeline of the cooling system is shockingly feeble-looking. Plastic hoses cracked by freezing temperatures have been mended with tape. A set of three pumps sits on the back of a pickup truck.

Along with the pumps, the plant now has 1,000 tanks to store more than 160,000 tons of contaminated water.

Radiation levels in the Unit 1 reactor have fallen, allowing workers to repair some damage to the reactor building. But the Unit 3 reactor, whose roof was blown off by a hydrogen explosion, resembles an ashtray filled with a heap of cigarette butts.

A dosimeter recorded the highest radiation reading outside Unit 3 during Tuesday's tour – 1.5 millisievert per hour. That is a major improvement from last year, when up to 10 sieverts per hour were registered near Units 1 and 2.

Exposure to more than 1,000 millisievert, or 1 sievert, can cause radiation sickness including nausea and an elevated risk of cancer.

Officials say radiation hot spots remain inside the plant and minimizing exposure to them is a challenge. Employees usually work for about 2-3 hours at a time, but in some areas, including highly contaminated Unit 3, they can stay only a few minutes.

Since the March 11 crisis, no one has died from radiation exposure.

Tuesday's tour, organized by plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO, came as an independent group released a report saying the government withheld information about the full danger of the disaster from its own people and from the United States.

The report by the private Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation delivers a scathing view of how leaders played down the risks of the reactor meltdowns while holding secret discussions of a worst-case scenario in which massive radiation releases would require the evacuation of a much wider region, including Tokyo. The discussions were reported last month by the AP.

The report, compiled from interviews with more than 300 people, paints a picture of confusion during the days immediately after the accident. It says U.S.-Japan relations were put at risk because of U.S. frustration and skepticism over the scattered information provided by Japan.

The misunderstandings were gradually cleared up after a bilateral committee was set up on March 22 and began regular meetings, according to the report.

It credits then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan for ordering TEPCO not to withdraw its staff from the plant and to keep fighting to bring it under control.

TEPCO's president at the time, Masataka Shimizu, called Kan on March 15 and said he wanted to abandon the plant and have all 600 TEPCO staff flee, the report said. That would have allowed the situation to spiral out of control, resulting in a much larger release of radiation.

A group of about 50 workers was eventually able to bring the plant under control.

TEPCO, which declined to take part in the investigation, has denied it planned to abandon Fukushima Dai-ichi. The report notes the denial, but says Kan and other officials had the clear understanding that TEPCO had asked to leave.

But the report criticizes Kan for attempting to micromanage the disaster and for not releasing critical information on radiation leaks, thereby creating widespread distrust of the government.

Kan's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.

Kan acknowledged in a recent interview with AP that the release of information was sometimes slow and at times wrong. He blamed a lack of reliable data at the time and denied the government hid such information from the public.

The report also concludes that government oversight of nuclear plant safety had been inadequate, ignoring the risk of tsunami and the need for plant design renovations, and instead clinging to a "myth of safety."

"The idea of upgrading a plant was taboo," said Koichi Kitazawa, a scholar who heads the commission that prepared the report. "We were just lucky that Japan was able to avoid the worst-case scenario. But there is no guarantee this kind of luck will prevail next time."

Source: Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/28/japan-nuclear-disaster-plant-remains-fragile_n_1307203.html

Photo: Earth Times

http://www.earthtimes.org/energy/japanese-nuclear-disaster-tip-iceberg/657/

Where's YOUR Water?

Every day I search the Internet for articles on water, water shortage, water conservation, and so on. Today I clicked on search results for “Where’s My Water?” I expected to find articles related to the world’s water crisis, instead, the links were for a Disney game.

The world’s water crisis is very serious, but if it takes a game to get people to think about water, so be it.

Where's My Water?

Where's My Water? is a fun, simple - yet challenging - physics-based puzzle game featuring Swampy the Alligator and his quest to take a shower. In the app, players guide water through subterranean layers of earth into Swampy's tub. With more than 140 levels and features such as lifelike water physics, richly detailed graphics, achievements, and humorous special effects, the game is one of the top-rated and top-selling apps available today. Since its launch, "Where's My Water?" has been No. 1 in 30 different countries.

http://disney.go.com/wheresmywater/

The Great Lakes - views from space

Water Conservation Tips from 'Water Use It Wisely'

If you have wondered how you can contribute to water conservation, the first thing you should know is that water conservation starts at home. Ask your family and friends to review the list below to see how many ways you can support the movement to reduce your water footprint and conserve water for our future. The full list of tips is on the Water Use It Wisely website.



100+ Ways To Conserve

• #1 There are a number of ways to save water, and they all start with you.
• #2

When washing dishes by hand, don't let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.

• #3

Some refrigerators, air conditioners and ice-makers are cooled with wasted flows of water. Consider upgrading with air-cooled appliances for significant water savings.

• #4

Adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street.

• #5

Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full. You can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.

• #6

Choose shrubs and groundcovers instead of turf for hard-to-water areas such as steep slopes and isolated strips.

• #7

Install covers on pools and spas and check for leaks around your pumps.

• #8

Use the garbage disposal sparingly. Compost vegetable food waste instead and save gallons every time.

• #9

Plant in the fall when conditions are cooler and rainfall is more plentiful.

• # 10 For cold drinks keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap. This way, every drop goes down you and not the drain.
• #11

Monitor your water bill for unusually high use. Your bill and water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks.

• #12

Water your lawn and garden in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler to minimize evaporation.

• #13

Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.

• #14

Spreading a layer of organic mulch around plants retains moisture and saves water, time and money.

• #15

Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk and save water every time.

To view the 100+ tips on water conservation visit: http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/index.php

The Water Tank Project NYC - Word Above the Street

How about trying this in your neighborhood? Imagine your city water tanks splashed with color, creative designs, or a special message. You can help spread awareness of the importance of water conservation by participating in The Water Tank Project with a newly-formed non-profit organization called Word Above the Street.

The only way to protect our water resources is if we all join in together. Let's make a difference, let's make every drop count. 

Get involved with Word Above the Street today: info@wordabovethestreet.org

 

 

Visit the website for Word Above the Street - http://wordabovethestreet.org/

Jay-Z And Thom Yorke Joining 'Word Above The Street' For Conservation Awareness



Jay-Z



A new project from non-profit group Word Above the Street is bringing together artists and musicians including Lawrence Weiner, Jay-Z, and Thom Yorke to help transform 300 city water tanks into public artwork.

The 12-week initiative hopes to raise awareness of the importance of water conservation and is being supported by the likes of both The Ford Foundation and the Dorothea Leonhardt Foundation.

The Art Newspaper reports: The project is run by Mary Jordan, a film-maker and activist, with a curatorial team that includes Lisa Dennison, the chairman of Sotheby’s North and South America, Neville Wakefield, the senior curatorial adviser for MoMA PS1, Alison Gingeras, the head curator of François Pinault’s collection and Toby Devan Lewis, a trustee of the New Museum of Contemporary Art.

While the project's star-studded billboard might seem like an odd place for Jay-Z and Thom Yorke to be included, both have been known for their active participation in various environmentalist programs.

In 2010, Yorke collaborated with renowned environmentalist Bill McKibben to mobilize a large-scale, globally crowdsourced experiment that brought together volunteers for the project, Earth350. The Radiohead frontman has also been known for his outspoken frustrations over political leaders getting in the way of reducing emissions and failing to act on climate change.

For several years, Jay-Z has worked with UNICEF to present "Water for Life" and has visited several third-world countries to meet with young people to discuss the problems blocking their access to safe and consumable water supplies.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/23/jay-z-and-thom-yorke-join_n_1296751.html?ref=new-york

Can we avert the impending water crisis?

Experts have been sending warnings to alert us to the looming water crisis, but many people, especially in countries like the U.S., are not paying attention. We turn on the tap and out comes water running any way we like it: hot, cold, warm. It’s so easy to get, and so readily available that we leave the water running while we brush our teeth, we take 20 minute showers, and we water our lawns and wash our cars at leisure.

   

The world’s freshwater resources aren’t going to last forever—many countries have already experienced the hardships brought on by water scarcity. The following article published by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) takes a look at global water challenge.

Global Water Outlook to 2025

Rosegrant, Mark W.

Cai, Ximing

Cline, Sarah A.

http://www.ifpri.org/publication/global-water-outlook-2025?print

Water Droplets Dance In Markus Reugels' Stunning Stop-Action Photos

"God has made a beautiful world even in the smallest things."
- Markus Reugels

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/10/water-droplets-dance-in-stunning-stop-action-photos_n_1267785.html?ref=science#s680377

The Facts About The Global Drinking Water Crisis

One-in-six people in the world lack safe drinking water.
Water-related illnesses are the leading cause of human sickness and death.

In many countries, the water problem is the primary reason people are unable to rise out of poverty. Women and children bear the burdens disproportionately, often spending six hours or more each day fetching water for their families and communities. But there is hope. Proven solutions to the water problem currently exist, such as digging wells and rainwater harvesting. Proper funding and a collective will can make universal safe drinking water a reality.

Scope

• 1.1 billion people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water, roughly one-sixth of the world's population.

• 2.2 million people in developing countries, most of them children, die every year from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.

• Half of the world's hospital beds are filled with people suffering from water related illnesses.

• In the past 10 years, diarrhea has killed more children than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II.

• Despite the size of the problem, we have made little progress against it.  There were only 181 million fewer people living without safe drinking water in rural settings in 2004 (899 million) vs. 1990 (1.08 billion)*1.

• 50 percent of people on earth lack adequate sanitation. Another way to look at it: Nearly half of the world's population fails to receive the level of water services available 2,000 years ago to the citizens of ancient Rome.

• Lack of sufficient funding.  It is estimated that, in 2004, only US$4b in overseas development assistance was provided to meet the UN’s Millennium Development Goal (MDG) around water*2, versus a projected need of approximately US$10b annually for basic water and sanitation services and an additional US$15b to US$20b annually to provide a higher level of service and to maintain existing services.*3  Note that the MDG goal, reducing the number of people living without safe drinking water and sanitation by half by 2015, still leaves hundreds of millions of people without water and sanitation.

Women and Children

• Some 6,000 children die every day from disease associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene - equivalent to 20 jumbo jets crashing every day.

• The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is six kilometers.

• Tens of millions of children cannot go to school as they must fetch water every day.
Drop out rates for adolescent girls, who even make it that far, skyrocket once they hit puberty as there are no private sanitation facilities at their schools.

Water Diseases

• 80 percent of diseases in the developing world are caused by contaminated water

• Waterborne diseases (the consequence of a combination of lack of clean water supply and inadequate sanitation) cost the Indian economy 73 million working days per year.

• It is estimated that pneumonia, diarrhea, tuberculosis and malaria, which account for 20% of global disease burden, receive less than one percent of total public and private funds devoted to health research.

• If we did nothing other than provide access to clean water, without any other medical intervention, we could save 2 million lives a year.

• The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns. -- http://www.water.org/

Geography

• In China, India and Indonesia, twice as many people are dying from diarrheal diseases as from HIV/AIDS.

• The average person in the developing world uses 2.64 gallons of water a day. The average person in the United Kingdom uses 35.66 gallons of water per day. The average person in the United States uses between 100 and 175 gallons every day at home.

• More than 40 million hours are wasted each year in Africa alone from women and children gathering water.

• In 1998, 308,000 people died from war in Africa, but more than two million (six times as many) died from diarrheal disease.

• It is estimated that 5.3 billion people, two-thirds of the world’s population, will suffer from water shortages by 2025.

Economics

• Every $1 spent on water and sanitation generates a return of $9 in saved time, increased productivity and reduced health costs in Africa. -- United Nations Development Program

• Water is a $400 billion dollar global industry; the third largest behind electricity and oil.

• The UN estimates it would cost an additional $30 billion to provide access to safe water to the entire planet. That’s a third of what the world spends in a year on bottled water. -- CBS News, FLOW

• An estimated 25% of people from cities in developing countries purchase their water from vendors at a significantly higher price than piped water. In some cases, it costs more than a quarter of their household income.

• Due to inadequate sanitation, Nigeria loses $9 billion (20% of its Gross Domestic Product) according to a World Bank study.

Consumption

• The average American uses 100 to 175 gallons of water per day.

• The average African Family uses 5 gallons per day.

• It takes 5 liters of water to make 1 liter of bottled water.

• Almost 70 percent of the available fresh water gets used for irrigation in agriculture.

• More than half of the water used for irrigation leaks, evaporates or runs off.

• It takes 2,900 gallons of water to produce one quarter pound hamburger (just the meat)

Our Planet

• 20 percent of freshwater fish species have been pushed to the edge of extinction from contaminated water.

• Half of the world’s 500 major rivers are seriously depleted or polluted.

• There are more than 300,000 contaminated groundwater sites in the United States.

• The water we drink today is the same water the dinosaurs drank—there is no new water.

These statistics are generally accepted by United Nation, World Health Organization and Millennium Development Goals.

Unicef/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation

http://www.wateraid.org/documents/plugin_documents/global_cause_and_effe...

Costing MDG Target 10 on Water Supply and Sanitation, World Water Council, March 2006.  http://www.financingwaterforall.org/fileadmin/Financing_water_for_all/Reports/FullTextCover_MDG.pdf

http://blueplanetnetwork.org/water/facts

Our Amazing Great Lakes

Image by GLIN

        When I was in grade school my teacher taught us to remember the names of the Great Lakes by spelling HOMES. At the time I thought she just wanted us to remember the names of the lakes, now I realize she wanted us to remember the Great Lakes. 

The Great Lakes -- Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario -- and their connecting channels form the largest fresh surface water system on earth. If you stood on the moon, you could see the lakes and recognize the familiar wolf head shape of Lake Superior, or the mitten bounded by lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie. Covering more than 94,000 square miles and draining more than twice as much land, these Freshwater Seas hold an estimated 6 quadrillion gallons of water, about one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water supply and nine-tenths of the U.S. supply. Spread evenly across the contiguous 48 states, the lakes' water would be about 9.5 feet deep.

The channels that connect the Great Lakes are an important part of the system. The St. Marys River is the northernmost of these, a 60-mile waterway flowing from Lake Superior down to Lake Huron. At the St. Marys rapids, the Soo Locks bypass the rough waters, providing safe transport for ships. The St. Clair and Detroit rivers, and Lake St. Clair between them, form an 89-mile long channel connecting Lake Huron with Lake Erie. The 35-mile Niagara River links lakes Erie and Ontario, and sends approximately 50,000 to 100,000 cubic feet of water per second over Niagara Falls; the manmade Welland Canal also links the two lakes, providing a detour around the falls. From Lake Ontario, the water from the Great Lakes flows through the St. Lawrence River all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,000 miles away.

This system greatly affects our way of life, as well as all aspects of the natural environment, from weather and climate, to wildlife and habitat. Yet for all their size and power, the Great Lakes are fragile. In the past, this fragile nature wasn't recognized, and the lakes were mistreated for economic gain, placing the ecosystem under tremendous stress from our activities. Today, we understand that our health and our children's inheritance depend on our collective efforts to wisely manage our complex ecosystem.

 http://www.great-lakes.net/lakes/#overview

Grand Canyon to ban bottled water sales

 * Visitors can still bring their own water bottles

By David Schwartz

PHOENIX, Ariz., Feb 8 (Reuters) - Officials at the Grand Canyon will soon ban the sale of bottled water in response to concerns that empty plastic bottles scattered around the park were spoiling views of the natural wonder.

The National Park Service has approved a plan that will eliminate the sale of bottled water within 30 days, after nearly $290,000 was spent to install 10 water stations inside the park. Visitors can use the stations to refill their own water bottles, which they can tote in from the outside.

Park concessionaires, who can still sell other bottled beverages, chipped in with another three water stations.

"Our parks should set the standard for resource protection and sustainability," John Wessels, the park service's intermountain region director, said in a statement this week.
Wessels added he expects the new policy to have minimal impact on visitors who flock to the crimson-hued canyon in northern Arizona.

Some 4.5 million tourists visit the Grand Canyon each year, and officials worry about litter found on the rim and inner canyon spoiling the park and marring its views. They estimate the disposable bottles account for 20 percent of the park's waste and 30 percent of its recyclables.

Similar bans are in effect at Zion and Hawaii Volcanoes national parks.

The National Park Service delayed applying the ban in late 2010 after what the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility charged was pressure by Coca-Cola Co. The company and park officials have denied the claim.

Jeff Ruch, the group's executive director, said he was pleased with the decision to apply the ban, saying it "clearly shows intense public scrutiny forced this U-turn."
Susan Stribling, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola, said the company does not favor such bans but will continue to work to "find a solution that is in the best interest of the parks and the public."

Stribling said the company prefers solutions such as creating more recycling programs as was done at the National Mall in Washington.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/08/usa-grandcanyon-bottles-idUSL2E8D88TN20120208

The Last Drop

 

We may not get all the water we want.
But we can have the water we need.

By Elizabeth Royte - National Geographic 2010

Photograph by Siegfried Layda, Getty Images

Living in the high desert of northern New Mexico, Louise Pape bathes three times a week, military style: wet body, turn off water, soap up, rinse, get out. She reuses her drinking cup for days without washing it, and she saves her dishwater for plants and unheated shower water to flush the toilet. While most Americans use around a hundred gallons of water a day, Pape uses just about ten.

"I conserve water because I feel the planet is dying, and I don't want to be part of the problem," she says.

You don't have to be as committed an environmentalist as Pape, who edits a climate-change news service, to realize that the days of cheap and abundant water are drawing to an end. But the planet is a long way from dying of thirst. "It's inevitable that we'll solve our water problems," says Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, a nonpartisan environmental think tank. "The trick is how much pain we can avoid on that path to where we want to be."

As Gleick sees it, we've got two ways to go forward. Hard-path solutions focus almost exclusively on ways to develop new supplies of water, such as supersize dams, aqueducts, and pipelines that deliver water over huge distances. Gleick leans toward the soft path: a comprehensive approach that includes conservation and efficiency, community-scale infrastructure, protection of aquatic ecosystems, management at the level of watersheds instead of political boundaries, and smart economics.

Until the mid-1980s, the city of Albuquerque, some 60 miles southwest of Pape's home in Santa Fe, was blissfully unaware that it needed to follow any path at all. Hydrogeologists believed the city sat atop an underground reservoir "as big as Lake Superior," says Katherine Yuhas, conservation director of the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority. The culture was geared toward greenery: Realtors attracted potential home buyers from moist regions with landscaping as verdant as Vermont; building codes required lawns. But then studies revealed startling news: Albuquerque's aquifer was nowhere near the size it once appeared to be and was being pumped out faster than rainfall and snowmelt could replenish it.

Duly alarmed, the city shifted into high gear. It revised its water-use codes, paid homeowners to take classes on reducing outdoor watering, and offered rebates to anyone who installed low-flow fixtures or a drip-irrigation system or removed a lawn. Today Albuquerque is a striving example of soft-path parsimony. Across the sprawling city, a growing number of residents and building owners funnel rainwater into barrels and underground cisterns. Almost everyone in town uses low-flow toilets and showerheads.

Full article:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/04/last-drop/royte-text

Water - by Jacqueline Dick

Kings and warriors have killed for it
Nations have fallen and triumphed over it
A man without a country forever sailed on it
Ahab sought the great white whale on an ocean of it 

We crawled out of the great sea
Only to seek again, over and over
That mysterious foaming, cold,  steaming, bubbling substance
Bland with no color, no taste 

Yet, when weary, ill, confused,
Shocked, stricken, defeated
What do we ask for
Water!

It is said that death is the great equalizer
But in truth, it is only water.

Jacqueline Dick:

Twitter- @fumanchucat

http://1emeraldcity.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/water/

Just Add Water

Sounds pretty simple, but is it? The world's fresh water resources are being polluted, wasted, diverted, hoarded, and hunted. It's time you started to occupy your water rights before these simple instructions are impossible to follow.

Just Add Water

by David J. Ford

The words on labels tell this tale,
In recipes, in ads by mail,
And chances are, at work or play,
You'll see these famous words today
 - Just add water.

You'd be surprised how many things
Are dry and useless till one brings
The magic liquid known to all;
You use it when you heed the call
 - Just add water.

To illustrate and prove this thought,
Remember all the food you've bought
On which was printed, clear and bright,
Instructions that make cooking light
 - Just add water.

You now can buy
Dried fruits, or soups, or tasty cakes;
To powdered milk and frozen juices,
To products with a thousand uses,
- Just add water.

Imagine for a minute, please,
An arid wasteland, bare of trees;
This could be farmland, rich and good
And quite productive if we could
- Just add water.

What turns cement into concrete?
What changes seed to golden wheat?
No other words now known to man
Can answer that: but these words can:
- Just add water.

Resource:

http://www.cyber-nook.com/water/p-quotes.htm