Japan’s damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has begun an operation to release uncontaminated groundwater into the sea.
TEPCO, the plant’s operator, will release some 560 tons of water into the sea over a two- hour period on Wednesday as part of its "bypass project." Backed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency and the Japan Chemical Analysis Center, the project aims to divert groundwater into the ocean before it reaches the nuclear plant and becomes contaminated.
The accumulation of contaminated water is causing problems for TEPCO, which is struggling with storing tons of already contaminated water in storage tanks.
TEPCO has determined that storing the groundwater in facilities and tanks is no longer a viable option. The groundwater has been tested before release and has been found to be well below levels considered hazardous.