Emergency Declared-Aftershock causes quake-hit Virginia nuke plant to report an Unusual Event + more

stockholmer

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Thu Aug-25-11 12:29 PM
Original message

Emergency Declared-Aftershock causes quake-hit Virginia nuke plant to report an Unusual Event + more

Edited on Thu Aug-25-11 12:30 PM by stockholmer

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/2011/20110825en.html#en47196

Event Notification Report for August 25, 2011, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, August 25, 2011:

Power Reactor Event Number: 47196
Facility: NORTH ANNA
Region: 2 State: VA
Unit: <1> <2> < >
Event Date: 08/25/2011
Event Time: 01:18
Emergency Class: UNUSUAL EVENT
10 CFR Section: 50.72(a) (1) (i) � EMERGENCY DECLARED

Event Text

UNUSUAL EVENT DECLARED DUE TO AN AFTERSHOCK EARTHQUAKE

On August 25th at 0118 EDT, North Anna Power Station declare an Unusual Event due to seismic activity onsite (EAL HU 1.1). Both units are currently shutdown and electrical power is being supplied from offsite. There were no personnel injuries. There was no radiological release. Site structure and system inspections are in progress. No damage has been identified.

The NRC Resident Inspector and state and local authorities have been notified.

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http://www.wtvr.com/videobeta/1a0ae718-372c-4986-84e1-d940ddfd1470/News/Mineral-residents-concerned-about-Nuclear-power-plant

Is darker-colored steam rising from quake-hit Virginia nuke plant? (VIDEO)

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http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201108116035

�Big Brother�? Asahi: Public outcry over Japan gov�t �monitoring� tweets and blog posts � Program began this month, to continue until March

While the government defends its new monitoring program of online postings concerning the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant to stem the spread of �inaccurate� information, critics say it harkens back to Big Brother. The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy said tweets on Twitter and postings to blogs will be monitored for groundless and inaccurate information that could inflame and mislead the public. <...>

But critics are skeptical about the agency�s motive, especially because the government has been under fire for failing to provide an accurate picture of what has been occurring at the plant and the spread of radioactive contamination. <...>

The agency said the Internet is overrun by discussions that are often unsubstantiated. One example, it said, is a posting that recommended mouthwash containing iodine as a safeguard against possible exposure to radiation. <...>

An official at the agency in charge of the undertaking acknowledged that the government had problems in regards to handling the information. <...>
The government�s �project� began this month and will likely continue until March, according to AJW. July 29 statement released under the name of the president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations �denounced the project� arguing it threatens to infringe on freedom of speech�:

�The government will likely restrict free discussions by unilaterally criticizing what it regards as �inaccurate� and imperil freedom of expression.�
Lawyer Kazuo Hizumi �raised doubts about the legitimacy of government surveillance�: �Many people look to online information because they do not trust what the government says <...> Providing accurate information is what the government is supposed to do in the first place; not spending money on a project to interfere with circulation of information.�

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http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/quake-nightmare/

Wired.com: Fukushima on the Mississippi? NRC says New Madrid fault �major area of concern� � 15 nuke plants in zone

In May, the federal government simulated an earthquake so massive, it killed 100,000 Midwesterners instantly, and forced more than 7 million people out of their homes. At the time, National Level Exercise 11 went largely unnoticed; the scenario seemed too far-fetched � states like Illinois and Missouri are in the middle of a tectonic plate, not at the edge of one. A major quake happens there once every several generations. <... and> there are so many nuclear power plants in the fault zone <...>

�Electric power would go out, not for days, but for weeks and months in the four state region,� said. �<...>

Including, potentially, a Fukushima on the Mississippi. 15 nuclear power plants are in the New Madrid seismic zone.

Following the Japan disaster, a task force assembled by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission �recommended sweeping changes to the agency�s regulatory approach to safety issues� order utilities to conduct reviews of seismic safety using the latest research, and, potentially, agree to costly upgrades,� the Wall Street Journal reported last month. �A major area of concern, federal officials say, is the New Madrid seismic zone.� <...>

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http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/08/24/2743s655052.htm

Argentum-110m detected in marine life: China researchers � All water samples contain strontium-90

Biological samples taken from waters in the Western Pacific region east of Fukushima, Japan show excessive radiation levels, said a statement from China�s State Oceanic Administration on Wednesday.

The administration suggested that government agencies intensify radiation testing of marine products from the targeted waters to protect public health in China.

According to the statement, the levels of strontium-90, a radioactive isotope of strontium, found in squids are 29 times higher than the average background level of samples taken from China�s coastal waters. <...>

The samples were also found to contain argentum-110m and cesium-134, which are normally difficult to detect in biological samples from China�s coastal waters, the statement said. <...>

Cesium-137 detected in all water samples

Strontium-90 detected in all water samples

Cesium-134 detected in 94% of water samples

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-24/japan-triples-air-radiation-checks-for-hot-spots-.html

Bloomberg: �Hot Spots� Spreading � Gov�t to check radiation up to 460 km from meltdowns

<...> Officials on Aug. 12 found compost in a kindergarten yard in Tokamachi city, Niigata prefecture containing radioactive cesium measuring 27,000 becquerels per kilogram, Kenichiro Kasuga, an official at the city�s disaster prevention department, said by phone. <...>

�We still don�t know why this level of cesium was found in the compost,� Kasuga said.

The hotspots in Niigata were likely caused by wind blowing northwest towards the prefecture in the days following the Fukushima accident, Kinki University�s Ito said.

The government will begin monitoring radiation levels in 16 prefectures from Aomori, in the far north of the main island of Honshu, to Aichi in central Japan 460 kilometers (290 miles) from the plant by the end of October, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said in a statement on its website yesterday. <...>

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/24/us-quake-usa-nuclear-dominion-idUSTRE77M8C120110824

Experts concerned about North Anna: �Uncomfortably close� to maximum quake that nuke plant was designed to withstand

<...> Dominion spokesman Jim Norvelle said the plant was designed to withstand an earthquake of up to 6.2 in magnitude.

But some experts expressed concern about the narrow margin between the design metrics and the quake�s size. <...>

Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists

It was uncomfortably close to design basis.

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http://www.nbc29.com/story/14265528/lake-anna-reactor-ranked-7th-most-at-risk-for-earthquake-damage

Flashback to March - Company admits Virginia nuke plant only designed to withstand a magnitude 5.9 � 6.1 earthquake � This quake was 5.9

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission has ranked the earthquake damage risk at all 104 nuclear power plants in this country. The pair operated by Dominion Power, at Lake Anna in eastern Louisa County, come in at 7th most �at risk� on the list. <...>

According to Jim Norvelle with Dominion Power, North Anna was designed to withstand a magnitude 5.9 � 6.1 earthquake.

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http://fairewinds.com/content/new-data-supports-previous-fairewinds-analysis-contamination-spreads-japan-and-worldwide

Gundersen: Radioactive sulfur in California shows there were ongoing criticalities, recurring chain reactions (VIDEO)

At 1:10 in (Transcript Summary)

Arnie Gundersen, chief nuclear engineer at Fairewinds Associates:

When saltwater is hit by neutrons, it becomes sulfur.
Where did the �enormous number� of 400 billion neutrons/sq meter come from?
Sulfur report substantiates that reactors hadn�t completely shut down.
Seemed like there were recurring chain reactions after control rods in place.
New data substantiates what I had been telling you back in April. There were ongoing criticalities after the unit shut down.

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Another day, another dose:nuke:

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Mnemosyne

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Thu Aug-25-11 02:06 PM
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1. Thank you, stockholmer. K&R n/t

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burrowowl

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Thu Aug-25-11 02:07 PM
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2. K&R

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dtexdem

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Thu Aug-25-11 02:09 PM
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3. Don't worry: those events won't be so unusual anymore.

;-)

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nadinbrzezinski

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Thu Aug-25-11 02:11 PM
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4. Should I stock up on Bananas and Brazil nuts?

:hi:

Been following this Last night Paul Gunther mentioned the issues with the damn up river...

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Vinca

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Thu Aug-25-11 02:38 PM
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5. Meanwhile, up at Vermont Yankee in Vernon, Vermont, the seismic monitors recorded nothing . . .

Edited on Thu Aug-25-11 02:38 PM by Vinca

even though people felt the quake in the town offices a half mile away.

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Hatchling

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Thu Aug-25-11 09:17 PM
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6. kR

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Quantess

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Fri Aug-26-11 07:53 AM
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7. K & R

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Supersedeas

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Fri Aug-26-11 07:55 AM
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8. i'm guessing the major media outlets will not touch this piece of news

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