The Fort Calhoun nuclear power station in Fort Calhoun, Neb., currently shut down for refueling, is surrounded by flood waters from the Missouri River, Tuesday, June 14, 2011.
According to numerous reports, the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) declared a Level 4 emergency at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant in Nebraska because of imminent flooding of the Missouri River.
However the alert appears to have been withdrawn or disappeared. When you go to the OPPD site you see this notice released on June 6, 2011.
"OPPD declared a Notification of Unusual Event (NOUE). This is the least-serious of four emergency classifications. OPPD declared a NOUE because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects the Missouri River level will reach 1,004 feet above mean sea level later this week, and is expected to remain at or above that level for more than a month."
Although, Fort Calhoun's single reactor has been shut down since April for refueling, on June 9, 2011
a fire in an electrical switch room knocked out cooling for a pool holding spent nuclear fuel.
"Officials at Fort Calhoun said the situation at their plant came nowhere near to Fukushima's. They said it would have taken 88 hours for the heat produced by the fuel to boil away the cooling water.
Workers restored cooling in about 90 minutes, and plant officials said the temperature in the pool only increased by two degrees.
The fire, reported at 9:30 a.m., led to the loss of electrical power for the system that circulates cooling water through the spent fuel pool, according to a report from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A chemical fire suppression system discharged, and the plant's fire brigade cleared smoke from the room and reported that the fire was out at 10:20 a.m., the NRC said."
That's the official report. According to Lucas Whitfield Hixson, a global research contributor, this was a much more serious event.
"People were scrambling at the NRC to cover up the full extent of the damage at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant following an electrical fire that stopped the cooling system to the spent-fuel rods. The NRC originally reported that the fire was detected in a switchgear room at 9:30 am, by declaring a Notification of Unusual Event. Automated fire suppression systems activated as expected and the fire was confirmed out at 10:20 a.m.Thursday this was updated to an Alert, with no recognition by MSM, because the cooling systems were down for multiple hours.
The fire impacted two pumps, causing them to go offline. One pump was returned to service after almost 2 hours had elapsed, and the second pump required much more time until later in the day. This is extremely alarming if you also look at the report filed by the OPPD (Omaha Public Power District) just last month after inspecting the Fort Calhoun Station.
"During identification and evaluation of flood barriers, unsealed through wall penetrations in the outside wall of the intake, auxiliary and chemistry and radiation protection buildings were identified that are below the licensing basis flood elevation. A summary of the root causes included: a weak procedure revision process; insufficient oversight of work activities associated with external flood matters; ineffective identification, evaluation and resolution of performance deficiencies related to external flooding; and “safe as is” mindsets relative to external flooding events."
As a result of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection conducted from January 1 to June 21, 2010, the NRC determined that Fort Calhoun Station (FCS) did not have adequate procedures to protect the intake structure and auxiliary building against external flooding events. Specifically, contrary to Technical Specification 5.8.1.a, the station failed to maintain procedures for combating a significant flood as recommended by Regulatory Guide 1.33, Appendix A, section 6.w, “Acts of Nature.”
The FAA has issued a directive shutting down airspace over the plant:
Looking at the picture of the plant above, I am wondering how the workers are getting into the plant - by boat? The Missouri River is reportedly expected to continue rising throughout the summer up to 7 more feet. There are also several dams upriver of the plant that may be in danger of bursting.
UPDATE June 17/2011 - Some additional info:
This was a reply I was going to leave to a comment by James but it got so long I decided to add it to this post for the additional info it contained.
I can't seem to find out what controllers this plant uses however there is some circumstantial evidence they are likely to be using Siemen products. (I won't bore you with the details. ). I can't really tell if this event may have been precipitated by a virus such as Stuxnet because there is just not enough info on what actually happened but I am not ruling out the possibility.
The fire was in a switchgear room located in the basement of the plant. It is reported to have started at 9:30 am CDT with the control room receiving multiple alarms. An alert (HA2 EA1) was declared at 9:40 am CDT. I don't know what that means and the alert/emergency reporting system is very convoluted and confusing. I think some of the confusion is coming from the fact there were two alerts issued. The first one on June 6 that had to do with the rising flood waters and then a second one for the fire, which was then rescinded once they had the situation under control. There are scales and levels and there are Events and Alerts. Here is a comment I found on this crazy system.
"The International Nuclear Event Scale utilizes a 7 level classification system. The US NRC uses a 4 level emergency reporting system. The 4 levels of the NRC emergency reporting system are (from lowest to highest) Unusual Event, Alert, Site Area Emergency, and General Emergency.
I have seen and heard NRC folks use the term “level 4″ to indicate “Unusual Event.”
To add to the confusion, the International Nuclear Event Scale level 7 would be highest. (me and a few others are about to urge the International Atomic Energy Agency to create a “level 8″ since Fukushima is already above a level 7 for many reasons to be detailed later.
The NRC reporting scale, although it does not use numbers 1-4, has been commonly disussed by assgining the lowest level with 4, while highest level is 1.
There are numerous problems with both scales or levels. The confusion has been caused by the nuclear industry which still has not defined a clear definition of meltown 32 years after Three Mile Island. Furthermore there are 12 different scales to measure radiation…whew!!!
The Internation Nuclear Event Scale, while claiming to be a logarithmic scale, does not adhere to that strictly. The Fukushima was designated a level 7 at the same time that it had been assessed by the IAEA as having release 1/10th the amount of radiation as Chernobyl."
The plant fire brigade responded to the fire after the alert and could see smoke coming from the area but were unable to get into the room because of toxic gases. They requested assistance from the Blair Fire Department approx. a half hour later who responded to the site some time after that. It is not clear what these gases were although some were due to the Halon fire extinguishers that had automatically activated. The report says this: "During that time part of the plant was rendered inaccessible because of poisonous gases and gases that were used to extinguish the electrical fire." In any case, no one actually saw fire, only smoke and initially they were not able to go into the room because of the toxic fumes. You can read the entire NRC Event Report here.
The mainstream news reports are saying the plant had the situation under control in 90 mins but it actually took two hours to restore one of the pumps and the second one was not restored until after 1:30 pm (at least four hours later). I think the 90 min time frame they are using is the time it took them to get the fire under control and get back into the building, not the time frame for getting the pumps back running which actually took several hours.
The fire affected two pumps that are part of the spent pool cooling system which is a separate system from the one that cools the reactor core. (Incidentally, the reactor core is being deliberately flooded right now to keep it cool during the shutdown. One third of the fuel in the core had just been replaced and those replaced 'hot' fuel rods are now in the spent fuel pool. In addition, the pond is reportedly 'overcrowded' with more that 20 years of spent fuel rods stored there. Ft. Calhoun is the designated spent fuel storage facility for the entire state of Nebraska and possibly for more than one state.) The pool sits at ground level and is open, meaning the spent fuel is below ground level and also below the river level. Apparently, this is because it is easier (and more cost efficient) to pump water from the river into the pools then say, having them located at the top of the plants like Fukushima. Considering they are using sandbags and inflatable flood barriers to keep the rapidly rising river at bay, one can only guess at the disaster that will happen if the river breaks through and the plant is flooded. I can imagine massive quantities of spent fuel rods floating down the river including those that have just been removed from the the reactor core. And I don't know what would actually happen to the reactor core but I am assuming it could still meltdown and/or explode if the pumps for it's cooling system were to be flooded. They do have diesel back up pumps which, unlike Fukushima, are located on higher ground because of the danger of flooding.
The NRC event report says the fire was not caused by the flooding but I am suspicious of that especially considering the NRC determined that Fort Calhoun Station did not have adequate procedures to protect the intake structure and auxiliary building against external flooding events and that this fire was in a basement.
They also are reporting that no radiation was leaked. However, the FAA has imposed a 'no fly' zone over the area where the reactor is located. They say the restriction was imposed because of the danger from flooding but give no explanation as to why airplanes would be in danger from a flooding river and only over the area where this nuclear plant is situated. I think these guys need to enroll in Logic 101.
On June 13 another event was reported to the NRC, a release of groundwater and sewage into the Missouri River. I have no idea whether this is SOP and all such releases have to be reported to the NRC. This does make me wonder if the release may have been necessary due do to flooding.
Event Text
OFFSITE NOTIFICATION DUE TO SEWAGE SYSTEM RELEASE
"At 0500 CDT, the lift station #4 sewage system, South of the Fort Calhoun Station Administration building, was released to the Missouri River. The release was a mixture of ground water and sewage; samples were taken by chemistry but dilution concentration is unknown. Approximately 105 gpm release started around 0500 on 6/13/2011. This condition is being reported pursuant to 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(xi) for an event related to the protection of the environment for which a notification of governmental agencies is required. Applicable governmental agencies have been notified per plant procedures."
The licensee notified the State of Nebraska at 1200 CDT. The licensee also notified the NRC Resident Inspector."©2000-2011 NRC
In the Arne Gunderson video I linked above he noted that all of the dams upstream of the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant are full. The Army Core of Engineers are opening all of them up and letting their water cascade down to the next dam etc. And that the flood can't get much worse than it already is or else it is going to breech the walls of the plant. The reactor is within a foot of two of what it was designed for. If one of the dams breaks it would be the equivalent of the Fukushima tsunami event. The dams are not structurally sound like the Nuclear plant yet the plant is relying on the integrity of something that is basically a big earthen berm.
There are some people that are questioning the action of the Army Core of Engineers re the release of water from the dams. They say they waited too long to begin releasing it and that this flood is actually a man made disaster. Consider also that the flooding is expected to continue for several weeks and will not subside until sometime into August. There is a real possibility that one of these dams will burst and if it is one located upstream will it cause the dams below it to collapse as well...scary thoughts.
H/t to John Friend from
Mr. Friend's Blog for the following videos explaining what a dangerous monster this flood is.
UPDATE # 2 -June 18/2011 - Arnie Gunderson interview parts 2 &3:
These are parts 2 and 3 of the Arnie Gunderson interview. I just found them (I didn't realize they were even available). He has lots more to say about the scope and scale of the fire, the toxic fumes etc. in part 2. In part 3 he addresses how Fort Calhoun didn't follow procedure during the crisis and call in emergency staff. He also talks about the extent of radiation from Fukushima at the end of this one.
Robert Knight: "When the plant entered it's emergency condition or status, the procedure was to have been to notify all the plant personnel that were essential to operation safety and or maintenance to come quick to the plant. They were supposed to have been paged in order that they might immediately return. Not a one of them were according to the reports from the NRC Event Reports. The employees were not paged. They don't know why that didn't work. What is the significance of not having the staff there during a time of emergency."
Arnie Gunderson: "Well, this time they got lucky and there is no significance but basically they got lucky. But you know when you have a fire of this magnitude and you know plants have fires every day, small that they never call in the outside fire department but when you call the outside fire department that's a big deal. And then, you are supposed to then get other essential people in to back up your staff. In this case they happened to skate through without needing those extra people but what amazes me about that is that they have procedure up in the control room and literally there is people up there checking in every minute, you can tell by that log, every minute they were checking in and making sure they were complying with the procedure. And fore some reason somebody missed that step. Now, because there's a flood the NRC has put in extra inspectors on site. So, there was an NRC inspector in that control room twenty four hours a day and the NRC inspector didn't see it either."
Or the paging system didn't function properly which I assume would be computerized and automatic. I am starting to think there may have been some operating control problems going on. Especially since OPPD has now said that they switched to an emergency pump that was on a separate power supply after the two main pumps were taken offline. See this comment. However, if you listen to part 2 of the Gundersen interview he says that the pumps most likely went off line because in order to get into the switchgear room they would have had to deliberately turn off the wires that were powering the fuel pool pumps . So, maybe it was at that point they switched to the backup generator. I don't know why they wouldn't just come out and say they had done that and why.
Comments
unbelievable
or, really, only too believable. Such fucking incompetence and negligence. Plus . . PLUS stuxnet, by the sounds of it, on top of this
Oh yes, and who exactly put this nuclear plant on a flood plain?? Next someone is going to say "Oh, btw, there's a fault line running right under it, too"
Unbloodybelievable.
Maybe they could get Brownie down there to organise a bucket brigade. That'll fix it.
Thanks, McJ. Great reporting
Stuxnet
I haven't had time to check out the Stuxtnet angle yet but it was in the back of my mind while I was researching this. It is actually pretty confusing to figure out what is going on. I am sure that is by design.
re: stuxnet
we have a natural disaster (courtesy of HAARP?) coupled with a fire/explosion in electrical switch gear that knocks out the water pumps (stuxnet) needed to keep the core cool and prevent a meltdown.
Sounds like Fukushima redux
The report mentions a fire at 9:30 and the fire suppression system kicks in and puts the fire out and that is accomplished by 10:20.
it seems to me that the fire suppression system would be designed to extinguish a fire very quickly. Yet it didn't. So, either the fire suppressant system wasn't activated when it should have been which would indicate that the monitoring systems weren't working (stuxnet M.O.) and the extinguishing system wasn't triggered automatically but was activated manually at a much later time. Or it didn't work at all and the fire was contained some other way.
But whatever, either the monitoring was kaput or the fire suppressant system was kaput or both. All signs of stuxnet.
Then we have the situation of the pumps failing and the back up systems not kicking in immediately as they are designed to. Fukushima again. Why no mention of this in the reports?
And the context of it occurring in the midst of a 'natural' disaster is eerily similar to Fukushima
Comment becomes update. :)
A started a reply to your comment James but it was getting so long, I decided to add it as an update to the main post.
I think the fire suppression system kicked in immediately to put out the fire but there was still smoke and problem was they couldn't get to the source of it until almost an hour later because of toxic fumes. I am not convinced this has anything to do with Stuxnet but there is plenty to be worried about with the situation this plant is in.
radioactive flood
thanks for the update and all the added info, McJ
"During that time part of the plant was rendered inaccessible because of poisonous gases and gases that were used to extinguish the electrical fire."
So these guys are telling us that the on-site fire crew didn't have breathing apparatus to handle the gases that would inevitably be present from the fire extinguishing system nor the other gases which would have been entirely predictable?
I think these guys are lying through their teeth . . . no surprises there!
There are some people that are questioning the action of the Army Core of Engineers re the release of water from the dams. They say they waited too long to begin releasing it and that this flood is actually a man made disaster.
This wouldn't surprise me in the least. It fits the pattern of events lately.
Consider also that the flooding is expected to continue for several weeks and will not subside until sometime into August. There is a real possibility that one of these dams will burst and if it is one located upstream will it cause the dams below it to collapse as well...scary thoughts.
Indeed. We haven't had a nuclear war but the world is being irradiated regardless.
Lying...
"So these guys are telling us that the on-site fire crew didn't have breathing apparatus to handle the gases that would inevitably be present from the fire extinguishing system nor the other gases which would have been entirely predictable?
I think these guys are lying through their teeth . . . no surprises there!"
Yup, I think you are right James!
I also wonder why they needed to request assistance from the local fire department if the fire had been extinguished and they were just dealing with the 'predictable' smoke and fumes. I read in one report that they had to evacuate the area. So, how did they get everything under control in 90 mins.? And if they were dealing with toxic fumes and the fire knocked two pumps off line how did they fix them so quickly unless they were using breathing apparatus? Their story really doesn't make sense and they are at pains to say the fire wasn't due to flooding however, nowhere do they address what caused the fire.
According to the Scientific American article the NRC reported that:
"...the plant's fire brigade cleared smoke from the room and reported that the fire was out at 10:20 a.m., the NRC said."
The same article also says:
"Mike Jones, a spokesman for the plant's owner, the Omaha Public Power District, said Fort Calhoun has a backup pump to provide water to the spent fuel in case the main system is lost. That pump, which runs on a separate power supply from the rest of the plant, was inspected and standing by on Tuesday, but plant operators restored main power to the pool before the emergency pump was needed, he said."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=electrical-fire-knocks-...
Apparently, that was a 'rumour' that Scientific American was spreading (or maybe the plant spokesperson) because the OPPD has the following up on their website:
"Flood Rumor Control - Following are responses to flood-related rumors that OPPD has heard about."
Under which we find that:
"• FCS plant operators switched the spent-fuel pool cooling system to an installed backup pump about 90 minutes after the loss of power".
http://www.oppd.com/AboutUs/22_007105
Fort Peck
The last I saw the gov had told the media to stop coverage of it. The water was one foot from the top of the Fort Peck Dam. It is earthen and the silt inside it will most likely not hold if it is overrun.
When it collapses there will be most definitely a domino effect down stream on the other dams. This would result in several feet of water in St. Louis, power plants and sewage plants, power lines and many other things washing down stream. A night mare to make it short, probably one of the worst floods in the history of man. The Missouri River is over 2500 miles long.
Several million acres of the corn belt would become radiated not to mention GMO corn coming down river to contaminate non GMO corn.
And yes the whole place is on an earthquake fault. It is called the New Madrid and the last time it went in 1817 it changed the course of the Mississippi and knocked pictures off the wall in New York.
thanks Mick
I know you have been reporting on this for a long time. I got confused between the Missouri River and the Mississippi and the New Madrid Fault. I didn't realise it is all connected.
Thanks for bringing that to our attention. The scale of this coming disaster is mind boggling. I am starting to think these reactors situated on flood plains and fault lines are there not through incompetence and hubris but they are placed there deliberately to create these disasters; to irradiate as much and as many as possible
Mick
Thanks for the info Mick. The forecast was for storms in North Dakota, yesterday and today with up to 2-3 inches of rain expected to fall in some places in a 24-36 hour period. There are flash flood warnings. The Army Core of Engineers was set to release record levels of water from the Gavins Point Dam on Friday and were hoping to keep it at 150,00 cu ft per sec but they have had to revise that upwards with all the rain expected.
"One of the Army Corps’ biggest tools is the Gavins Point Dam, the last stop for the Missouri River in South Dakota, which will blast out a record 150,000 cubic feet of water per second through at least mid-August.
Officials now think they might have to boost the amount to 160,000 cubic feet, saying they’re running out of options to manage all the water upstream." http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/17/2958429/floodwaters-might-hit-kc-by...
The whole situation with these damns sounds precariously close to being out of control and it will be a nightmare fore sure if one or more of those damns breaks. I don't even want to think about what would happen if the New Madrid goes. This disaster in waiting could make Fukushima look like an xray.
patterns
great research McJ. it is simply unbelievable, and i mean that in the literal sense, how history seems to repeat itself. these events -- what are the odds of these events happening ONCE, let alone in a series? this is the disaster lottery casino, and the house always wins.
i find it interesting that Arnie Gunderson mentioned "mother nature" throwing us curve-balls. Arnie may have a lot of great information about the technical aspects of nuclear energy, but we see that he does not leave the reservation when it comes to the weather-related causes of these disaster.
if all it takes is for one storm to dump a few inches of rain over a weak link in the stressed chain of dams, that can be arranged, and the whole thing cascades into ANOTHER disaster of biblical proportions.
Thanks AP
Thanks AP.
"this is the disaster lottery casino, and the house always wins."
You are absolutely right. And the machine is in full gear controlling the coverage and steering the narrative.
I had a 'duh' moment yesterday over this 'no fly' zone the FAA issued over the Fort Calhoun plant. I was thinking there must have been some risk of contamination. Turns out the restrictions were requested by the plant itself and they also have issued restrictions over the Cooper Nuclear Plant and the Garrison Damn. They won't affect commercial flights just low flying planes and helicopters as it is only up to 3500 ft. So obviously, this is about stopping anyone from getting a look (or any pictures) of what is going on. Mick also noted above that the government has told the media to stop coverage of the Fort Peck Damn.
"if all it takes is for one storm to dump a few inches of rain over a weak link in the stressed chain of dams, that can be arranged, and the whole thing cascades into ANOTHER disaster of biblical proportions"
'Biblical' sounds about right and I hate to say this, but it is looking scarily like that is exactly what is about to happen. A big dump of rain is expected this weekend with more rain to follow for the next several days. Then what happens if there is a sudden heat wave that speeds up the melt of the snow pack? I live in a mountain valley near a large river and watching it's rapid rise during a hot spell when there is a heavy snow pack melting is an incredible (and frightening) experience. I have lived here during one major flood and several minor ones and near misses and I know how precarious levees are. Once they are undermined, it is all over. No amount of sandbags or inflatable flood barriers will stop the torrent.
yup
So obviously, this is about stopping anyone from getting a look (or any pictures) of what is going on.
yes i would say so.
now there is a second plant at risk:
http://www.businessinsider.com/second-nebraska-nuclear-plant-threatened-...
The Cooper Plant, located 70 miles south of Omaha.
"Officials say a key difference between the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan and the two plants in Nebraska is that the Japanese plant had only an hour after the devastating March earthquake to prepare for floods. The Nebraska plants have had weeks to prepare flood defenses."
that's all great until one of the levees give way. then it is exactly like fukushima.
Elizabeth Cory, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, told the Omaha World-Herald that the flight bans over the two nuclear plants are meant to avoid collisions between aircraft drawn to the scene by curiosity.
“When you keep the area above the ground safe, you're going to keep the people on the ground safe, too,” Cory said.
ooooh i get it. it's for Our Own Safety. right.
no fly and Cooper Plant
"Elizabeth Cory, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, told the Omaha World-Herald that the flight bans over the two nuclear plants are meant to avoid collisions between aircraft drawn to the scene by curiosity."
Yup - that would be the reason - looky loos!
I have been checking out the Cooper plant as well. It is a much bigger plant than Fort Calhoun and they are sandbagging it as well!
Check out this map of the nuclear plants. The red lines are Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig12/nukes-near-earthquake-zones-ne.jpg
military
i think it's also pertinent to note that Omaha is the home of Offutt AFB, and the headquarters of USSTRATCOM.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110618/NEWS01/706189869
they have senate approval to build a new facility for USSTRATCOM.
Militarily, the project is considered key for a command with an aging headquarters to handle its growing duties, with responsibilities in nuclear operations, space and cyberspace. The $1 billion federal project also would solidify Offutt's place in the nation's defense and buffer the base from closure talk for the long term.
Economically, that's significant for the Omaha metropolitan area, which receives an estimated $2.5 billion annual impact from the base, its largest employer.
...In its lifetime, the headquarters has undergone little renovation but has experienced problems with its electrical and cooling systems, and has had fires and flooding, StratCom officials have said.
“Not only is the existing facility outdated and showing signs of troubling decay,” Nelson said, “StratCom has new responsibilities that require a modern headquarters to carry out its nuclear, space and cyberspace missions.”
i can't help but think of lucky larry silverstein.
Thanks for the info. "i
Thanks for the info.
"i can't help but think of lucky larry silverstein."
- you are making me laugh today. Thanks!
Reminds me of Brisbane, Australia
Dam mismanagement was an issue in Brisbane - the dam upstream was kept too full and when there was severe rainfall the excess water was released too quickly, greatly aggravating the flood. Strangely (sarc) the MSM I heard never mentioned the dam or the fact that Queensland had taken out a weather modification contract (cloud seeding) to increase rainfall.
Freethinker
Thanks for the comment freethinker. I didn't follow much of the Brisbane flood. I think I do remember talk about mismanagement of the release of excess water. It's not surprising the MSM never mentioned the dam or cloud seeding. I believe they have no fly zones over two of the dams on the Missouri now. So, people won't be seeing any pictures or getting any 'unofficial' news about what shape they are in (cause then they might be able to take appropriate action to save themselves and their property and the PTB wouldn't want people thinking for themselves - oh no).
re: Brisbane
Yes, Freethinker, i remember the news reports of that time in Oz. First, no explanation was offered for the wall of water that came down the Toowoomba valley.
Then the water in the dam being held too long and then being released too fast hit the headlines . . . . and disappeared just as fast. It was then replaced with a half dozen nonsensical explanations one after the other; no doubt, in order to confuse people and stop any logical inquiry. Good catch, mate
explanation
James with regard to water that come down the Lockyer from T'woomba. They had approx 4inches (in the old) if i recall correctly in just over 90 minutes. T'wmba is a crater, no creeks to speak of, two drrains in the city are called east and west creek but had not chance of handling those levels of water, so it rushed down the range following the roads and going straight over creek banks etc because of the great volume. Dont believe erverything you read about Dam minsmanagement either, The insurance industry just wants to 'blame' some one. I live in Ipswich, right in the middle of all the horrible damage caused in SE Qld.(tho me and mine are fine, also have family on farms right on the Lockyer Creek)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/11/3110113.htm
"The city of 90,000 was deluged by more than 100mm of rain, in less than an hour, filling West Creek so quickly that it burst its banks and unleashed a 2m torrent of water on the CBD." from this article http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/queensland-floods/two-women-fea...
thanks for your explanation,
thanks for your explanation, Debbieanne. Nothing like 'on the spot' reporting .
that's the trouble with conspiracy thinking - sometimes it isn't a conspiracy
So thanks for setting that straight.
Blatant falsification of data
From The Australian: 'Operator of dam 'invented' rain data'
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/operator-of-dam-invented-rai...
The claim by SEQWater in its official report that a "one-in-2000-year" rainfall event occurred over the Wivenhoe Dam at a critical stage on January 11 has been widely reported in the media and cited by senior public servants to justify the near loss of control of the dam at the time.
But no such rainfall event was measured by any rainfall gauges. Instead, the claim was manufactured by SEQWater after it modelled the rapid rise of levels in the dam, repositioned rainfall data to an area immediately upstream of the dam, and then doubled it.
After extrapolating in this unusual way to achieve an extreme number, the SEQWater report states: "Rainfall of this intensity and duration over the Wivenhoe Dam lake area at such a critical stage of a flood event was unprecedented.
"The resulting run-off could not be contained without transition to (an operating strategy that led to the operator opening the dam's gate for huge releases)."
A panel of hydrologists and engineers has categorised the Brisbane River flood as a "dam-release flood", meaning it was largely the result of massive releases.
In the UK this was promoted as an example the effects of man-made global warming (now Climate-Change), never mentioning the flood-control dam or the fact that there had been many worse floods documented in the past (http://www.bom.gov.au/hydro/flood/qld/fld_history/brisbane_history.shtml) with flooding in Brisbane as much as 12ft deeper in the late 1800s. The greenies would like to make out that the flood was indeed man-made but by means of CO2 rather than the simple expedient of mismanaging the dam.
Another NRC Event Notification
On June 16, 2011 @ 12:30 pm CDT we have another NRC Event Notification from the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant. A Non-Emergency, Accident Mitigation of an Unanalyzed Condition. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/2011/20...
The elevation of the plant is 1004 feet. The elevation of the river was at 1,005.7 feet on June 15, a day before this event and has been predicted to crest at 1,006.4 feet. (http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/columnists/dawn-stover/rising-water-f...). This hole in the floor which could have impacted "the ability of the station's Raw Water (RW) pumps to perform their design accident mitigation functions" is at the 1007 ft. 6 in. level. I can't tell whether this means it is preemptive or whether it is in response to a previous accident (ie. the fire and the pump failures).
"Event Text
ADDITIONAL PENETRATION IDENTIFIED FOR MITIGATION DURING WALKDOWN
"Operations identified a potential flooding issue in the Intake Structure 1007 ft. 6 in. level. The area of concern is a the hole in the floor at the 1007 ft. 6 in. level where the relief valve from FP-1A discharge pipe goes through the raw pump bay and discharges into the intake cell. There is one penetration of concern. Flooding through this penetration could have impacted the ability of the station's Raw Water (RW) pumps to perform their design accident mitigation functions.
"Efforts are in progress to seal the penetration."©2000-2011 NRC
drip feed
I think we're on a "bad news drip feed", McJ. Just like happened at Fukushima.
The stories being released don't make sense and they are doing their best to stop any alternative view being published. They're lying just like Fukushima.
If Stuxnet was involved, i think it safe to say they won't release any info to indicate that it was. Learning from Fukushima.
Either the bad news has already happened or it is planned to happen. Either way, we are being conditioned to accept it. Breaking it to us gently so to avoid a demand for immediate and massive action to be taken.
Meanwhile, those in the know are "getting outta Dodge" leaving everybody else to take a hit.
I can't help thinking this is about keeping people on the tracks while that 'light at the end of the tunnel' turns into a train and runs right over the top of them.
drip fixed
I think they've fixed the drip and have the tap closed now. There is not much out there good or bad except rehashes of the same information. There is a Sorcha Faal instigated rumour floating around that a Russian Federal Atomic Atomic Energy (FAAE) report stated the US Gov imposed a media blackout on the Fort Calhoun plant. It is being repeated at nausea-um. It even got a mention in Pakistan's 'The Nation Online News'. http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Intern...
A little bit of psy-ops water muddying perhaps or maybe setting up a convenient straw-man to point to when anyone questions the lack of info on this (That's just a Sorch Faal rumour!!)?
"I can't help thinking this is about keeping people on the tracks while that 'light at the end of the tunnel' turns into a train and runs right over the top of them."
Yup, sounds about right.
"Weather Report"
For a really comprehensive report on weather modification 'research' over the years, take a look at A13's latest offering -
WEATHER MODIFICATION A COVERT WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Up the Radioactive Creek
"During that time part of the plant was rendered inaccessible because of poisonous gases and gases that were used to extinguish the electrical fire."
As a retired career firefighter that fought fires in all types of poisonous settings, I'm here to tell you that what that clown said is a complete LIE.
As for the rest, a paranoid person might think the PTB are out to get us.
Someone else might say government's around the world are so busy stealing other countries wealth and keeping the 'Wars for Wall Street and Israel' hot, they don't have time to protect us 'little people.'
Both would be correct, but these days, if you're not a bit paranoid, then you're either one of THEM, the ones who like Kissinger, want to reduce the world's population by 2 billion or your mind has become so corrupted by the state sanctioned propaganda outlets like FOX and CNN that its turned to mush.
BTW, back in 1995 when Central Missouri was getting hit with monsoon type rains and a flood of biblical proportions, the City of Columbia was concerned that the main water pumping station, located less than a mile from the creeping ever closer Missouri River, would get swamped, so they sent out employees to sand bag the plant and even though the flood completely covered the entire bottom-land and surrounding areas, the plant stayed dry.
If a little town like Columbia could do that, couldn't the Federal government?
sandbagging
If a little town like Columbia could do that, couldn't the Federal government?
After observing New Orleans from afar, Greg, i say definitely . . . . . . NO.
Thanks very much for your comment and experienced confirmation
concrete
this AP story says that radiation bombards concrete and makes it brittle. and the authorities have known about this for a long time. so what they did is they kept increasing the standard allowed, so that the plants keep getting more and more brittle, but they don't actually have to come off line and be repaired, because they can always sneak in under the wire of the ever increasing standard, which lengthens the life of the plant.
in certain emergencies, these vessels flood with cooling water. but if the walls are too brittle, they can shatter and spew all their radioactive poison everywhere.
the benchmark that predicts when the concrete will fall apart is called the "reference temperature." it started at 200 in the 80s i guess. it has been raised several times and is now at 356 degrees. kind of an odd number, a precise number, for an estimate.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hfR-TuckDtA0JIf_x_Cy0t...
so if in certain emergencies the vessels flood with cooling water, and run the risk of brittle walls shattering, can we also conclude that the brittle walls can shatter if the vessels are flooded due to, you know, floods? like is actually happening?
re concrete
The whole nuclear thing just gets sillier and sillier. Or perhaps more and more insane would be better wording.
so if in certain emergencies the vessels flood with cooling water, and run the risk of brittle walls shattering, can we also conclude that the brittle walls can shatter if the vessels are flooded due to, you know, floods? like is actually happening?
I guess a lot of people may find out before too long. Top find, AP. Thanks for posting it
Loosening regulations
Lots more on the 'loosening' of regulations in this article.
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/20/2963616/nuclear-industry-regulators...
Nuclear industry, regulators work together to loosen regulations and skirt enforcement
"Time after time, officials at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have decided that original regulations were too strict, arguing that safety margins could be eased without peril, according to records and interviews.
...Examples abound. When valves leaked, more leakage was allowed — up to 20 times the original limit. When rampant cracking caused radioactive leaks from steam generator tubing, an easier test of the tubes was devised.
Failed cables, busted seals, broken nozzles, clogged screens, cracked concrete, dented containers, corroded metals and rusty underground pipes — all of these and thousands of other problems linked to aging were uncovered.
...Last year, for example, the NRC weakened the safety margin for acceptable radiation damage to reactor vessels — for a second time. The standard is based on a measurement known as a reactor vessel’s “reference temperature,” which predicts when it will become brittle and vulnerable to failure. Over the years, many plants have violated or come close to violating the standard.
...Records show a pattern. Reactor parts or systems fall out of compliance. Studies are conducted by the industry and government, and all agree that existing standards are “unnecessarily conservative.” Regulations are loosened, and the reactors are back in compliance."
Unbelievable. Even barring natural disasters, it's only a matter of time before one of these plants goes.
that's an excellent article
Unbelievable. Even barring natural disasters, it's only a matter of time before one of these plants goes.
exactly. that is the idea. and then when it happens, no one can be held accountable aside from the possible human error at the local plant, which will probably take place during the Act of God by Mother Nature, when heroes are born, also, by the way. but the sustained pattern of loosening the standards over many years industry wide means that no one will be held accountable for any specific failure. it will just be "regrettable."
another case of psychopathy in action. believing that it doesn't matter who dies as long as people die, the psychopath knowingly creates conditions where people will die.
from Robert Canup:
Next up the ladder is the evil person of above average intelligence. These people have a similar goal to evil people of average intelligence; the production of human misery. However these people see the opportunity to do something that evil people of normal intelligence don't see how to do; murder someone and get away with it. They understand that the way to murder someone and get away with it is to not care who they kill, how they kill them, or when they kill them. Such people set up conditions where someone will be 'accidentally' killed and wait for the circumstances to occur.
http://users.hal-pc.org/~rcanup/evil.html
Changing story
They keep changing their story on whether or not the plant switched to an emergency backup generator after the fire.
This article states that the NRC "which is monitoring the situation at Fort Calhoun, said, "Although the plant briefly lost its normal ability to cool the spent fuel pool, temperatures in the pool remained at safe levels and the plant recovered pool cooling without the need for any of the plant's multiple back-up systems."
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-US_plants_on_flood_alert-2006114.html
Yet the OPPD states on their site that "...plant operators switched the spent-fuel pool cooling system to an installed backup pump about 90 minutes after the loss of power".
http://www.oppd.com/AboutUs/22_007105
I'm assuming here, they are so used to lying, they just tell what ever story works for them at the time.
There is also concern that a loss of electrical power could come from flooding of the "electrical system and generation facilities along the river."-another big red flag! The plant has been given carte blanche ''to spend whatever $$'s they need to save it from flooding.
"On 16 June, OPPD's board of directors approved a measure to authorize plant management to buy any material, equipment or services it needed to prevent flooding at Fort Calhoun, without having to go through the usual procurement process."
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-US_plants_on_flood_alert-2006114.html
back me up Scotty
I'm assuming here, they are so used to lying, they just tell what ever story works for them at the time.
Truth to them is sometimes 'flexible' and usually 'practical' and always 'convenient' But never just "true" i.e. reality.
"We're an empire now and we make our own reality"
In both versions, the pumps were out of action for at least 90 mins and no back up system was employed. These back up systems would be wired up to kick in automatically but all of them failed.
At fukushima, the same thing happened and the excuse was that the Tsunami took out the pumps. No tsunamis hit Nebraska that i know of. Just slowly rising water that gave plenty of warning.
So why didn't the back up pumps or back up electrical systems kick in? Haven't they been talking for fifty years about how there are multiple back up systems for everything? Haven't they said ad nauseum, "Nothing can go wrong . . . click . . go wrong . . . click . . . go wrong . . . click . . . go. . . . "
90 mins
"In both versions, the pumps were out of action for at least 90 mins and no back up system was employed. These back up systems would be wired up to kick in automatically but all of them failed."
You are absolutely right James and no one is talking about that. I figure what happened is that when they couldn't get the main pumps started again they manually turned on the backup generator that is running on a separate electrical system. It obviously didn't happen automatically if it took 90 mins. I am also suspicious of the fact that they missed a crucial step in their emergency procedures and didn't page the staff that are essential to operation safety and or maintenance to come in to the plant. Considering that this was a big deal fire, so big they had to call for backup from the local fire department, this is a rather alarming error. Was it a human error and they missed doing it or was it because it was a computerized function (ie. their computers would be programed to automatically send pages to essential staff) that didn't work?
Madrid
Here is what happened the last time the Madrid went.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bldr/1811earthquake.html
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rep/new-madrid-fault.html
It gets better though, there is a 4 mile sandstone ridge that separates the great lakes from the Chicago river which flows into the Mississippi. A guy many years ago got the bright idea to build shipping locks through the ridge! Yeah that's right! It is not working out so well and late last year they had a quake near the shipping locks, a 4.0.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_River
Recently, researchers at the University of Illinois created a three-dimensional, hydrodynamic simulation of the Chicago River, which suggested that density curves are the cause of an observed bi-directional wintertime flow in the river. (That is engineering lingo for they screwed up big time) At the surface, the river flows east to west, away from Lake Michigan, as expected. But deep below, near the riverbed, water travels west to east, toward the lake.
Congress is keeping us safe from baseball steriod users
Arnie Gunderson: "Well, this time they got lucky and there is no significance but basically they got lucky. But you know when you have a fire of this magnitude and you know plants have fires every day
What kind of plants is Arnie talking about? If it's nuke plants, that's scary. Either the operators are sloppy and don't keep the plants clean of flammable material or they remind me of that scene in "Airplane" where Lloyd Bridges tosses the cig he was smoking onto a tank of gasoline.
The fire was in a switchgear room located in the basement of the plant
If this was an electrical fire, speaking from personal experience, those kind of fires produce a lot of nasty, foul smelling black smoke, but worse, they knock out electrical circuits which can cause serious problems, if they don't have a backup system.
And a nuke plant should have redundancy built it, even having a 'back up' to the back up.
This whole thing is starting to look like one of those silent movies involving the 'Keystone Kops,' except it's not funny.
Congress spends all sorts of OUR money raking Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens over the coals for alleged steroid use, but seem oblivious to real problems.
odd
i saw that too Greg, and thought it was an odd thing to say about the fires every day. wtf?
anyway, i periodically check in on the half past human business, just to see what is on the radar there, and it's this stuff:
http://www.halfpasthuman.com/water.html
The primary aspect/attribute that we have for the [flooded nuclear plants] headed by the descriptor of [fog]. This is a multiple layered context, and includes supporting sets for [fog (over knowledge)], and [fog (radioactive)], and [fog (of confusion from officialdom)], and further, [fog (of confusion (in populace) over what to do/where to go?)]. Deeper layers of detail show the [fog] becoming [so dense] as to [obscure] the [center (of the site).
More distressing is that the [fog] is described as [obscuring the details (of the restraints?)] and [limiting (the view of) the developing disaster]. Please note it is a bad sign when our data sets have such bespoke nasty words as [disaster]. Further disturbing words include [isolation], and [humilation (of attendees)], and [not good news (that must be absorbed)]. Other details include sets for [punishment] {ed note: associated with minion class, officialdom...again, not a good sign}, and [attempt (at restoring) order], and [failure (to take every precaution) at the beginning]. Again, NOT good signs for a good resolution.
for what it's worth. i never could quite figure out how seriously to take these HPH reports, which i do read, but still i was surprised, with so much going on, that this particular thing is being pulled out for viewing.
Gathering
I've been gathering some more info on this. I set a Google Alert the other day and it's been busy sending me mostly regurgitated info however there are some interesting tidbits amongst the noise. I will try and put something together in the next couple of days (if my life doesn't send me in innumerable different directions ).
Greg:
"What kind of plants is Arnie talking about? If it's nuke plants, that's scary."
I caught that as well Greg. My brother works at an oil refinery and was the safety officer for several years. I know that they don't have fires every day and it's a big deal if they have any sort of fire. I took the statement as hyperbolic. I certainly hope that is not the way these plants operate.
What's your read on it taking 90 mins. to to get a backup pump running. Why wouldn't it have come on automatically? Would it take 90 mins. for them to manually turn on a backup electrical generator that operates on a separate electrical system (or could they even turn that on manually)?
Love the Lloyd Bridges 'Airplane' image.
AP:
I'm with you on the HPH reports. I think the information they collect is really interesting however it is Cliff that is interpreting it and filtering in it through his own belief systems.
btw - Thanks for the link over to Robert Canup. I love the way that guy thinks. I think we should coin a new term, "Flashing 12:00" (ie. He's flashing 12:00), for ever time some expert is spewing techno babble to give the illusion there is some accuracy in what he/she is saying.
In much the same way today's precise academic writing style produces an illusion of accuracy which may or may not exist in the actual work being done. Rather than relying on the precision of stilted formal writing; today's academics would be much better off concentrating their efforts on improving the accuracy of their work.
As my brother Terry pointed out to me: a digital clock is a precise instrument, but if it is flashing 12:00 it is probably not very accurate.
What is even worse, by only excepting a terse, precise, writing style scientists allow questionable results to masquerade as good science - while simultaneously rejecting work such as these web pages which are quite accurate - because they lack the apparent precision scientists are used to. http://users.hal-pc.org/~rcanup/academicgames.html
Dublinmick:
Thanks for the links. I've done some reading on the 1811/12 quakes on the New Madrid fault. They were incredible events. I can't image what would happen were it to happen today. Interestingly, this December 16 it will be exactly 200 years since the first quake.
Madrid
You are right the implications of what is going on there are too horrific to even contemplate. Radiation pollution lasts 24,000 years. Once is done, you can't just fix it. Obama has now issued a nuclear alert for Fort Calhoun just from the flooding and people are told to stay out of the flood water. There are some 15 plants on the Madrid. Tons of of fuel rods. A big Madrid quake would more than likely scatter them everywhere including into the Mississippi where they would be difficult to find especially if it were rearranged. It would be virtually be the end of life in the eastern United States at a bare minimum. It wasn't even flooded last time it went and there were 30 foot tidal waves on the Mississippi. It is something that should have been thought out before they were placed there but were not.
I do take the webbot date very seriously. The logistical compilations result from facts and graphs linked to language. Yes Cliff does his own interpretations but in the past what the computer lays out has been startlingly accurate. Such things as blue flu in the gulf before the rig went. Those computers pick up things from casual conversation around the we by oil figures. Long ago the the computer had references to ill wind. They can certainly come under the context of Fukushima and now the Mississippi area. References to riot and panic are certainly not out of the question.
During the older quakes, note after they quake they had another around an 8.0 weeks later. You don't have to have much imagination to realize what that would do to people trying to deal with the repair from an earlier quake. That is assuming we had waves of kama kazi pilots dropping cement like Russia did. Most of them died. How do you bury a plant that is underwater also with cement? The madrid has been shown to slip at some where along the 200 year mark! Of course assuming no idiot is drilling oil at the tail end of it in the gulf or fracking gas in the surrounding states.
Then we have the chicago river and the locks. Just a quake here would accomplish the same without a major eruption of the Madrid. Cayce talks about it, a guy many might now accept but I do, he was seldom wrong. I wish some of our former engineers from years past had been Cayce enthusiasts.
http://dublinmick.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/could-great-lakes-really-empt...
Gas
http://snippits-and-slappits.blogspot.com/2010/06/great-abyss-entire-con...
This one is on several sites. Fourwinds10.com has more pictures but I will try Noor's since the last post it said triggered a spam filter. I took it off my blog because of all the newspaper clips you have to reproduce to construct it.
Off on a tangent
Great blog McJ and a very well researched post.
I just posted this over at AP’s place and I feel it may be relevant
I came across the site of Jim Stone – via a comment at Dublin Mick’s place. I had previously read a piece by him on the special Israhelli ‘cameras’ used in the Fukushima reactors. I’m new to his writings but he had a most interesting article.
It is about the reusing of spent fuel rods to the point where they were safe to handle. Apparently this technology was banned by the Executive Order of Pres Carter.
http://www.jimstonefreelance.com/busted.html
If correct it adds a whole different outlook on all the spent fuel rods lying around.
PS forgive my manners for not visiting earlier and thanks for the sidebar link.
Thanks Chuckyman
Thanks Chuckyman. I caught your link in the comments over at AP's most recent post. I'll check it out. The Fort Calhoun plant also has spent fuel rods stored above ground in dry caskets which was apparently never supposed to happen but they have no place to move them. So, they are stuck storing them on site. Here's a picture of where they are stored.
No worries about not visiting earlier we all do what we can.
.
Explosive if true
I read the post and if true, it's explosive stuff (no pun intended ). It's hard to know because he doesn't link to anything (such as the Executive Order signed by Carter or info to support the claim about France offering to buy the fuel etc.) He doesn't even give the engineer's name. I'm not saying it isn't true just that at this point it's a story he is telling. I had previously read his post on the Dimona Dozen (http://www.jimstonefreelance.com/fukushima.html). That's a bombshell as well.
fair point
James asked a similar question - why does he not name sources and link to them?
I did a very quick look as the sodium cooled fast breeder reactors and they seems to be excellent ways to produce Plutonium from Uranium – even the depleted stuff. Definitely not something you want to be handling.
I know that the article mentions the repeated cycling of the fuel rods from standard reactors to the fast breeders to use the fuel more efficiently but I have not the time to track down the fuel decay products and their decay pathways.
I am a mere lay person when it comes to this stuff – hence my query for comment. The US, France, Germany, Japan, Russia and even India have these reactors. It would be strange if a US Executive Order would prevent them from using this Holy Grail of a closed fuel cycle.
I will chalk this one down to a red herring/wild goose chase. It takes away from the real world slow motion disaster in progress.
While I’m prepared to entertain the idea that the Israhelli’s are capable of most anything the dimona dozen is just too easy. My gut feeling is that we are being led by the nose to find the wrong culprit. Misdirection is the order of the day.
So a water bladder didn’t hold back the water – what a surprise. I think AP is correct in the Tavistock training method at play. Apply the pressure/tension/terror then ease off. Repeat at their leisure. Hey presto Joe Public is a quivering - and pliant – mass of nerves.
Chuckyman Re: reusing spent nuclear fuel
I don't know if this is anything like what the engineer in that article was talking about but I thought it was interesting.
http://www.aecl.ca/NewsRoom/News/Press-2010/100323.htm
CANDU Reactor in China first to directly use recovered uranium fuel
Major milestone demonstrates CANDU’s fuel cycle flexibility
"Beijing, 2010 March 23 — Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) announced today that the first-ever fuel bundle to directly use recovered uranium from light water reactors was successfully placed in the Qinshan CANDU Unit 1 Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) on Monday, March 22.
Two of the 24 NUE fuel bundles destined for the Qinshan CANDU Unit 1 reactor were unveiled earlier today in China.
A ceremony to commemorate the event was held at the Qinshan site and was attended by senior Chinese government officials along with representatives from AECL and its Chinese partners Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company (TQNPC), Nuclear Power Institute of China (NPIC) and China North Nuclear Fuel Corporation (CNNFC).
Over the next six months, a total of 24 Natural Uranium Equivalent (NUE) fuel bundles will be inserted into two separate fuel channels at the Qinshan Unit 1 reactor in Haiyan, China. NUE fuel is made by mixing recovered uranium from spent fuel of light water reactors with depleted uranium from enrichment plant tails. The irradiation of all 24 NUE bundles will be completed in approximately 12 months."
Flood berm collapses at Fort Calhoun nuclear plant
Flood berm collapses at Nebraska nuclear plant
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hwsIdVXW-V7xE60P0dUnI_...
By TIMBERLY ROSS, Associated Press – 2 hours ago
"OMAHA, Nebraska (AP) — A berm holding the flooded Missouri River back from a Nebraska nuclear power station collapsed early Sunday, but federal regulators said they were monitoring the situation and there was no danger."
Yeah, right! Nothing to worry about here folks. Move along.
"The federal commission had inspectors at the plant 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Omaha when the 2,000-foot (600-meter) berm collapsed about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Water surrounded the auxiliary and containment buildings at the plant, it said in a statement."
The berm's collapse didn't affect the reactor shutdown cooling or the spent fuel pool cooling, but the power supply was cut after water surrounded the main electrical transformers, the NRC said. Emergency generators powered the plant until an off-site power supply was connected Sunday afternoon, according to OPPD.
When does it become an emergency?
From the Omaha World Herald:
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110626/NEWS01/110629782/1007
"On Sunday, floodwater surrounded the nuclear plant's main electrical transformers, and power was transferred to emergency diesel generators."
"OPPD officials said the transfer was precautionary because of water leaking around the concrete berm surrounding the main transformers.
Efforts were underway to reconnect to offsite power once all safety checks have been completed."
"Both Fort Calhoun and Cooper Nuclear Plant, in Brownville, Neb., remain under “unusual event” declarations, the lowest of four levels of emergency notification."
When the f**k does this actually become an emergency rather than an "unusual event". ?? This is like Fukushima in slow mo.
Here is a picture of the plant taken June 24 before the aquaberm broke.
Oct 2010, NRC letter
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/06/24/24climatewire-a-nuclear-plants-f...
"OPPD said that if a flood threatened to go past 1,009 feet, it would weld steel plates over some of the doors to the auxiliary building, containing essential control equipment to manage reactor cooling. (Other barriers would be fitted into slots at entranceways.)
The utility said the plant's fire engine could also be lifted onto the deck of the turbine building alongside the reactor to pump floodwaters from that building.
The NRC responded in its October 2010 letter that once flooding reached 1,004 feet, water would have entered the plant and the ability of emergency workers to move around the site would "significantly degrade."
If levels exceeded 1,004 feet, water would reach the lower floodgates, hampering the welding of plates to door frames, the NRC said. At 1,008.5 feet, the technical support center used by emergency technicians would have been inundated. At 1,010 feet, water would begin to enter the auxiliary building, "shorting power and submerging pumps. The plant could then experience a station blackout with core damage estimated within 15 to 18 hours," under a worst-case scenario, the NRC said.
The NRC concluded that the use of the fire truck for emergency pumping would fail, after it determined the truck could not draw floodwaters successfully from the turbine building. Moreover, it was not clear how workers could operate a crane to lift the fire truck into position if outside power were lost, the NRC staff added.
The NRC has not completed its evaluation of the new defenses installed at Fort Calhoun, nor has it resolved how OPPD handled the new information about flood threat that the NRC says the utility received via the Corps of Engineers. "
interpreting idle plants and story plants
"A berm holding the flooded Missouri River back from a Nebraska nuclear power station collapsed early Sunday, but federal regulators, speaking through a Japanese interpreter, said they were monitoring the situation and there was no danger."
also from that same article-
"The now-idle plant has become an island.
luckily it's idle so there's no danger, folks. At what depth below sea level does an island cease to be an island? I thought the whole point to an island was that bit sticking up above the water.
Oh, i get it! The buildings, of course. The buildings from 20 feet up are an island. Silly me
"unusual event"
When the f**k does this actually become an emergency rather than an . ?? This is like Fukushima in slow mo.
about 2 seconds after it is too late for people in the firing line to get out.
The Purposeful Flooding of America's Heartland
An illuminating article here -
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/06/the_purposeful_flooding_of_americ...
on how the methodology of the Missouri dam control has been deliberately changed from one of smooth predictable year-round flow to that of spring surges with concomitant flooding just to satisfy the green-agenda (supposedly) for a more 'natural' ecology (or was it deliberately to promote flooding and disrupt food production?).
Thanks Freethinker
Thanks for the link Freethinker. It seems to me from what I have been reading that this flood is being caused by the 'unusual' (manmade??) weather conditions (heavy snowfall this winter, as well as heavy spring rain) and the Army Core of Engineers policy of keeping the dams full coming into the spring runoff. I never considered they may have been doing it for environmental reasons so that was an interesting read. I'm not letting go of the theory that this is being done deliberately to cause death, destruction and mayhem cause evil seems to have no limits these days. Of course, it's not possible to prove this and as A. Peasant has pointed out when disaster strikes it is all very regrettable, it couldn't be helped, it's an act of God, a human error etc. etc. ....
btw - if you create an account, you won't have to wait for your comments to be approved. If you decide to do that leave a comment for NJT (he hosts our site) letting him know you have registered for an account so he can ok it for you. Unfortunately, most of the requests for account sign ups are from spammers so leaving him a comment makes sure you don't get lost in the spam.
more
More here:
http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/feds-buying-up-farmland-they...
elaborating on how this event could, should and must have been predicted by the engineers controlling the dams.
{snippet}
"There are folks who are confused as to how the situation with regards to the Missouri River dams could be the fault of the Army Corps of Engineers. After all, isn’t the amount of rainfall an Act of God?
This is not a FLASH flooding dynamic. This isn’t happening because it rained three feet in 24 hours. The largest factor in this flooding is the runoff coming from the melting of the snowpack in the Rocky Mountains. The snowpack is precisely measured and the number of acre-feet of water that will be drained into the Missouri River basin each spring is a precisely known value. "......
What's happening under the plant? Pictures of Fort Calhoun
Recent Pictures of Fort Calhoun - June 28 and 29
What is happening under this plant? How long before the saturated ground below this starts moving and cracking the structures sitting on it. From my limited experience with floods, water 'under' can be as as dangerous water 'over'.
Independent radiation readings
seems like a good independently sourced map: http://www.radiationnetwork.com/
it's OK - all seems relatively normal.... just want to save this link for future reference.
Thanks for this very reliable
Thanks for this very reliable post. A nuclear waste spot found in southern France was rocked by a blast Monday that killed one and injured 4 others. Regulatory authorities say that the incident brought on no radiation leaks. France relies on nuclear power more than any other country in the world. Resource for this article: Explosion in French nuclear facility kills one, injures four
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