Prescenzifall2014EH2000

Fukushima was a nuclear power plant off the cost of japan.  A earth quake and a following tsunami destroyed the plant on March 11,2011 causing several of the reactors inside to explode. (http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/Fukushima-Accident/) Today the plant and surrounding area a post apocalyptic like landscape.  There are vast efforts being made in order to clean up the plant and stop the leaking radiation.  There are security check points on every road going into the Fukushima area.  The biggest concern currently is the contamination of ground water that flows further into the ground and also into the ocean.   Already a extremely large amount of water has been dumped into the ocean that is harmful and radioactive.  To stop this water contamination there are several methods being put to practice.  Every other day one 1/4 million gallon tank is constructed in order to hold the water oppose to letting it go into the ocean and ground water reservoir.  However these tanks are being constructed very quickly and are springing links and fixing them has become a job all in its own. (http://fukushimaupdate.com/)  The water that can not be pumped out and removed easily seeps through the surrounding soil.  To try and combat this, pipes have been ran though out the ground and are being circulated with coolant.  The intent is to freeze the surrounding soil so water can no longer pass through it.  Some water is also undergoing treatment to remove most of the radioactive elements in them.  Although expensive, all radioactive elements are removed except for tritium, which has proven extremely difficult to remove practically.  Sea life in the area has also been damaged to an extent.  Fish are caught some what close to the plant and a number of them are tested for levels of radiation.  Most fish actually meet the Japanese standards for what levels of radiation.  Japan also has the strictess radiation limit on fish in the world.  However there are still fish caught that are deemed unsuitable to eat by the Japanese government so fishing is still not permitted any were near the plant.