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Parts of Nebraska Nuclear Facility Already Under 2 Feet of Water ... But - So Far - Emergency Flood Walls Are Protecting Electrical Equipment
ABC news reports that there is already 2 feet of water at some parts of the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant:
Although the Fort Calhoun plant ... is surrounded by an eight foot tall and 16 foot wide protective berm, two feet of water have already made its way to several areas of the Fort Calhoun plant, but authorities say there is no immediate danger at either plant.
CNN confirms:
U.S.
nuclear regulators say two Nebraska nuclear power plants have
protected critical equipment from the rising waters of the Missouri
River even though flooding has reached the grounds of one of them.***
Parts of the grounds are already under two feet of water as the swollen Missouri overflows its banks. But the Omaha Public Power District, which owns the plant, has built flood walls around the reactor, transformers and the plant's electrical switchyard,
the NRC said."They've surrounded all the vital equipment with berms,"
Dricks said.An 8-foot-tall, water-filled berm, 16 feet wide at its
base, surrounds the reactor containment structure and auxiliary
buildings, the NRC says. The plant has brought in an additional
emergency diesel generator, water pumps, sandbags and firefighting
equipment as well, according to regulators.
The 2 feet of water is in areas like parking lots, not within the reactor building itself.
The Omaha World-Herald notes that the river is expected to rise an additional 4-5 inches at the Fort Calhoun and Cooper nuclear plants:
On
Tuesday, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that releases from
Gavins Point would increase another 7 percent to 160,000 cubic feet per
second.
That will add about 4 to 5 inches in the river’s level
at Fort Calhoun and Cooper Nuclear Stations, according to information
from the corps and the National Weather Service...
The NRC has
added two inspectors and a branch chief to the permanent two-person
inspection crew at Fort Calhoun station, said Lara Uselding,
spokeswoman. They are providing around-the-clock oversight there.
Fort Calhoun's chief nuclear officer Dave Bannister says that the river would have to rise another 3 1/2 feet above where it stands now to pose a danger to the reactor. See this and this.
Hopefully, no dams will break, and the emergency measures will work.
Here are photos of the Aqua Dam installed outside the Fort Calhoun plant courtesy of the official OPPD Flood and Outage blog:
June 10th (AquaDam protecting the Administration Building at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station):
June 14th view of the plant and AquaDam:
(Click
the above image, and then zoom in ... you can see a man walking across
the bridge on the left side of the picture to get a sense of scale.)
June 15th (AquaDam protecting the nuclear station):
June 17th (AquaDam protecting the nuclear station):
There are also dry cask storage units at the facility, outside of the main building. Here are pictures of the dry casks being delivered to the facility.
The area in red shows where one writer (Tom Burnett) believes the dry cask units are located.
Here is a clearer version of the photo:
(Click photo for larger image.)
»
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I've been looking for an answer to this question and I figured "what the hell" might as well take a shot in the dark here.
I have Americum based smoke detectors in my house. They aren't operated on battery, they are lined into the electrical system. They have been going off sporadically. I brought it up to a couple co-workers and 2 of them reported the same thing. I didn't say anything but I was curious if radiation of any type could possibly set them off.
If anyone knows if that's possible I'd be curious to hear what you have to say. If not, than I'll write it off as a coincidence.
Even wired smoke detectors have back-up of batteries.
When the batteries run low, they start chiming to remind to change them.
Cheers
smoke detectors are also a low voltage/ 24 or 12, run off of a transformer at your circuit box
as that transformer goes bad, they will bleep on and off occasionally
mine go off on hot days....i have the transformer to replace the old one sitting on my coffee table for months
maybe i'll install it today
diagnosed by my neighbor who does smoke/fire alarms/suppression for a living
Same thing happened to me. Crack heads were trying to break in to get... Buy a vid/watch the fun. Your neighbors are strapped, right?
I have been covering this on my personal blog since the 19th. I have family and friends in the area. Included are lots of hi res photos, links, videos, and analysis.
Closely examining the rubber berms protecting the Fort Calhoun plant calls into question the "8 foot high" stat being widely reported. It's pretty clear that they're actually closer to six feet tall.
http://www.oilfreefun.com/2011/06/nebraska-nuclear-meltdown-coverage-fro...
This river gauge is 1.37 miles upstream of the Fort Calhoun plant. http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=oax&gage=blan1
Currently the gauge is reading 32.59 feet. By my calculations and photo analysis if it hits ~34 feet it will start spilling over the rubber berm... assuming the berm is even still there. Due to the media blackout there have been no telling images of the plant since June 14th.
Any insight on the following would be greatly appreciated:
A writer named Tom Burnett alleges that radioactive fuel rods are being stored outside of the area of the AquaDam protection and in a flooded area of the plant. Hopefully, someone can quickly debunk or confirm his allegation.
Check - Omaha World Herald/KETV archives. Research. Don't ask for second hand information. Bad George, Bad...
I live about an hour north of this area, and do know someone who is privy to what is going on there. I was told nothing to worry about----yet----so take this for what it's worth. That is all I am told, nothing more or less.
I can tell you every landmark in Turd's photos, they are really hurting in those areas. What nobody has mentioned yet is the fact this has taken close to two million tillable acres out of the equation. Couple that with the shitty weather--cool and rainy-- we are having anyway, for those that got the crops in, and I see grains going thru the roof at some point. It certainly won't help meat prices either. There are a LOT of cattle yards and hog finishing barns that are out of commission for several months.
Crops in the grain belt need HEAT and HUMIDITY to grow and produce the killer yields everyone has grown accustomed to. That is not going to happen this year, I guarantee it. Sure, there will be pockets of good yields here and there, and for those that are so fortunate will pay off well.
I was at Gavins Point last weekend camping(above the dam of course) and can tell you that the view was astounding whilst standing near the gates. That was a once in a lifetime view, and it was something to behold. The local economy sucks ass there since so many have been scared off from all the stories about all the killer logs floating around Lewis and Clark, but it was not any worse than last year. My boat came home in one peice.
There are some other marinas downstream that are out of order, Sioux City, Omaha and others, along with ancillary stuff. This will be felt for many moons I fear.
I get crop progress and range reports (free emailed) from nass and the usda every week. This is the latest (I think)
http://home.westerngrainmarketing.com/images/E0235601/Crop_Progress_Report.pdf
Anyone can get this free by email by signing up here...
http://www.nass.usda.gov/
Halleluja.
Born in Douglas, Omaha, Methodist.
Long Pioneer, Dave Heinmen. Keep those pumps runnin'
Been down to help bag?
Don't ask, Do!
Shout to cousin Jeanna - Stay Calm/Carry On.
http://www.rigginginternational.com/projects/ProjectDetails.aspx?Project...
yes they have dry cask storage outside of the plant itself. in some of the pictures of the plant grounds you can see these structures. they are extremely heavy concrete structures with lead lined cask inside them that are sealed forever, (one would hope)....
You can SEE the lead linning or you read it on the interweb? Go Superman. How is it again that I should invest?
Some info on Ft. Calhoun spent fuel storage..
http://www.usainc.org/members/index.html?organization_id=47198
• Initially upon removal from the reactor, used fuel is stored in a pool inside of the plant until it has cooled sufficiently to be safely stored in an air cooled Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI).
• The spent fuel pool is a reinforced concrete structure lined with stainless steel and has the capacity to hold 1083 fuel assemblies. The pool is full of boronated water and is cooled by a separate cooling and purification system to maintain normal water temperatures below 120°F.
• After assemblies have sufficiently been cooled and decay heat generation is minimized, the assemblies are then loaded into stainless steel canisters which hold a total of 32 spent fuel assemblies each. The canisters are then drained, vacuum dried and filled with an inert gas after seal welding redundant lids onto the top of the canisters.
• By use of an engineered cask transfer system, the canisters are then placed horizontally into concrete horizontal storage modules located within the protected area of the station, with concrete shield walls, concrete approach slabs, all built on an elevated basemat.
• The site is built to hold up to forty of the horizontal storage modules in rows of 20 each, back-to-back.
you know. they really need to shut down all of these sons of bitches. all they are doing is producing waste products , that can never ever be eliminated. nuclear power is the gift that keeps on giving.
looks like they have dry casks storage on that site. that makes me nervous. i am not sure if there will be a problem because of water however. there is some very, very nasty stuff stored in those casks.
looks? Do you work for AP? What investigation skills you have. I am awed.
NOT
casks of spent fuel rods
floating down the Missouri river..
I'm no expert (on anything), but I believe the tops of those berms will rise higher with the water, as it pushes on the side of the berm (kind of like squeezing a balloon).
When there is no water pushing on it, it lays as flat, and low as possible. But once water does push on it, it displaces the water that was inside of the berm (on the flood side), raising the top.
This effect is only measured in inches, those rubber bladders are a bit more stiff than you'd think.
As that water rises (how much has it risen since june 14??) leakage will increase significantly.
That action will increase the water pressure inside the berm and...
god forbid....should the weakeast section rupture, that will be the end of the aqua dam.
I hope your theory is correct. Anyone here got a background in fluid physics?
Not you.
Water ALWAYS WINS!
i.e. flow
is it blacked out on google?
O Tay panky. Could there be any local streaming news? ZIP starts with 6 and then there is an 8, then a 1...........? You should try USPS.com. Then you can look up ZIP codes and find out where the local news station is. My three year old cousin could do better research than you. ><=((Sarc -)+))
No, but the major networks haven't been covering it at all. For example, I've been watching CNN.com closely for the last week. Until today they had no coverage of of Nebraska flooding or Fort Calhoun on their homepage. Searching their entire site for "Fort Calhoun" brought up only one short story from June 8th. Until today searching for "Nebraska Flood" brought up only one story as well... about it's threat to disrupt -gasp! - the College World Series in Omaha. RT has been laying into the big networks for their lack of any significant coverage: http://www.collapsenet.com/free-resources/must-see-videos/item/1102-rt-t...
no, there hasn't been a peep about this radiation stuff. not one word about it. but we got wall to wall weiner when that was going on, like that is important. there appears to be a news blackout going on. gee i wonder why?
US orders news blackout over crippled Nebraska Nuclear Plant
$nip>
A shocking report prepared by Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency (FAAE) on information provided to them by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) states that the Obama regime has ordered a “total and complete” news blackout relating to any information regarding the near catastrophic meltdown of the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant located in Nebraska.
According to this report, the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant suffered a “catastrophic loss of cooling” to one of its idle spent fuel rod pools on 7 June after this plant was deluged with water caused by the historic flooding of the Missouri River which resulted in a fire causing the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) to issue a “no-fly ban” over the area.
$nip>
First time I've seen this...
Probably some front outfit trying to trick us into buying Potassium Iodide or something. Even if it is a disaster it will be a good disaster.
You know. A better than expected green shoot.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25369
Can we really trust all those earthen dams that line the Missouri that NEVER were designed to withstand a 500 year flood?
And let's see... a four to five foot surge still expected on the Missouri river over the summer... hmmm... that can't be good can it?
Is it possible that if just one dam breaches that all others downstream are likely to fail as well, submerging reactors and spent fuel storage ponds alike creating a made (and located) in America FUBARshima?
Right now we just don't know.
Stay tuned Ladies and Gentlemen... hope for the best and prepare for the worst cuz once again the party is just starting!
(And let's try not to fall for the Fukushima spin game again shall we? :)
Today I expose the disinformation published in today's NYT regarding Fort Calhoun flooding. PR people apparently have no shame... http://www.oilfreefun.com/2011/06/nebraska-nuclear-meltdown-coverage-fro...
Nicholas Nassim Taleb has a great analysis of the whole probability issue regarding "extremely rare events".
Basically he says anyone who labels anything a "Once in x * 100 year event" is full of shit because there simply isn't enough data to confidently assign this level of low probability.
In other words: Just because we know the last time something happened was 300 years ago, doesn't mean it's not a once every 50 year event. Our data is simply not good enough for confident probabilistic modeling of this kind. To do so is fundamentally irresponsible.
Yeppers, you can trust the Nebraskans. Just left from a family dedication. (find the key and sing with me). The hospitals staff are prepared, the mayors and governor have been forthwright in their warnings (((when was the last time you saw an entire stadium clear after an emergecy warning before something happened?) (( I lay face down in a gutter at 16th and K st, N.W. on the 11th of September, 2001!)) ((fake or not))). My cousins, Aunts and Uncles are bagging/stacking sand after work/state bonds/family trust/health dept..(the team work is awe inspiring). Consider yourself lucky to have an event that shows exactly what the two coasts of the United States have forgotten; rugged individualism, state leadership, and individuals that will shoulder the burden and never ask. Be AWED and be of HELP.
B. Fleeced
Have the retired Medicare/SS-collecting Nebraskans volunteer to pick up the spent fuel rods are carry them to higher ground. Rugged individuals all.
(Win-win.)
It is embarrassing and troubling just how many Americans live at the behest of the government. Then you might understand why, it will be so difficult to get any real change accomplished in this country when almost everyone is bought off with a few shekels. They take the crumbs that fall off of the table and call it good.
Good to hear this. I/we wish them the best.
Those earthen dams and levees weren't designed for this 500 year flood. Because in their mind, 500 years someone would have came up with something better to block the water if it happend. Whats not being said is that the meltpack in the Dakotas hasn't even started yet, and when that happens it will put more strain on the dams. They can open the flood gates to full capacity, but like a funnel if more water is coming in than out eventually it will over top the earthen dam. And when that happens, it will be catastrophic and destroy all dams down the river and all levee's. Essentially we will have a permanent inland river lake in the middle of the country. And to be honest with you we may have one anyway if the water continues to flood into the low areas.
Fort Calhoun > Port Calhoun > Port Becquerel?
I once had the amusing pleasure of watching a some blue water sailors from the coast of Nebraska attempt to anchor a charter boat in the VI.
Port Calhoun must be from were they hailed.
+1 Matie- That is priceless
Port H2O Enema may be more like it... don't think any radioactive materials will remain on site if any of these dams go.
Great video of Oahe... the largest upstream dam on May23rd. 245 very dirty feet high with a reservoir a couple hundred miles long. At the bottom of the article it says a sign of trouble would be the release of any higher volumes. The flow is just crazy. Time to check.
http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2011/05/23/news/doc4dd9b93f77695504381188.txt
Houston... we may have a problem.
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/article_1bc7d1cc-993f-11e0-a877-001cc4c03286.html
Last 24 hours... (lazily 'borrowed' from poster at Godlike)
Fort Garrison: Inflow 192,000; Outflow 150,000; Flow held back 42,000 +-
Oahe...........: Inflow 218,000; Outflow 154,000; Flow held back 64,000 +-
Big Bend .....: Inflow 195,000; Outflow 163,000; Flow held back 32,000 +-
Fort Randall..: Inflow 213,000; Outflow 140,000; Flow held back 73,000 +-
Gavins Point.: Inflow 159,000; Outflow 151,000; Flow held back 8,000+-
Reservoir levels still rising and maximum discharge levels already exceeded.
Crap Crap Crap!... (or alternatively carp carp carp! )
Someone please tell me this is not a problem... especially with 4 to 5 feet of water and another 3-5 inches of rain heading this way...
These were shut down a month before the flooding event. The peoples of Nebraska are now involved, F the army corps. The Omaha World Herald will reveal the series of events.
B. Fleeced