Erroneous settings on water gauges lowered groundwater levels to three feet below the required safety levels.
Radioactively contaminated water from Japan’s damaged Fukushima nuclear reactor may have leaked, according to the plant operator.
Erroneous settings on water gauges lowered groundwater levels at half of the dozen nearby wells to three feet below the required safety levels.
When groundwater at one well briefly sank below the level of the contaminated water in May, it might have caused radioactive water to leak into the soil.
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Cooling water has been leaking from the plant’s damaged reactors and mixing with groundwater pooling in the basements of the reactor building, increasing the total amount of contaminated water.
The wells around the reactor are designed to pump groundwater away from the basements and reduce the amount around the reactor area.
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In July, an underwater robot spotted lava-like rocks which are believed to be missing melted nuclear fuel from Fukushima.
Last year, the Japanese government said it expects the total costs including compensation, decommissioning and decontamination to reach £150bn.
Read more at Fukushima: Fears radioactive water has leaked from damaged reactor
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