Fukushima fishermen OK underground bypass plan

Japan's Fukushima Fishermen agreed Tuesday to allow the release of uncontaminated groundwater at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean, a local fishermen's association announced in a press conference. According to the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations, the organization approved the so-called groundwater bypass plan, which is part of efforts to reduce the massive amount of contaminated wastewater at the Fukushima plant. The association conveyed their approval to the government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), while urging them to ensure that the water released into the sea is below the required radiation levels. The fishermen also asked a third party organization to check radiation levels of groundwater before the release. The groundwater bypass scheme is designed to reduce water flowing into the reactor buildings by altering the flow of groundwater and lowering the water level of groundwater, TEPCO said. The system will pump up groundwater from the upper stream, bypasses the reactor buildings, and deposits it into the ocean. With this system, the groundwater flowing into the buildings is estimated to be reduced by 100 tons per day, TEPCO said. Currently, radioactive groundwater is flowing into the basement of the plant buildings at a pace of 400 tons a day. The utility is struggling to manage a massive amount of radioactive water used to cool the plant's three stricken reactors. The Fukushima plant, located 230 km north of Tokyo, was damaged by a 9. 0-magnitude earthquake and huge tsunami in March 2011, which resulted in the meltdown of three reactors and radiation leaks.