Flood berm collapses at nuclear power plant in Nebraska, but facility was already shu

[MNeagle]

Flood berm collapses at nuclear power plant in Nebraska, but facility was already shut down


By Associated Press, Updated: Sunday, June 26, 1:13 PM


OMAHA, Neb. — 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.

The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station shut down in early April for refueling, and there is no water inside the plant, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said. Also, the river is not expected to rise higher than the level the plant was designed to handle. NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said the plant remains safe.

The federal commission had inspectors at the plant 20 miles north of Omaha when the 2,000-foot berm collapsed about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Water surrounded the auxiliary and containment buildings at the plant, it said in a statement.

The Omaha Public Power District has said the complex will not be reactivated until the flooding subsides. Its spokesman, Jeff Hanson, said the berm wasn’t critical to protecting the plant but a crew will look at whether it can be patched.
“That was an additional layer of protection we put in,” Hanson said.

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 Sunday while workers tried to restore power.

NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko will tour the plant Monday. His visit was scheduled last week. On Sunday, he was touring Nebraska’s other nuclear power plant, which sits along the Missouri River near Brownville.

Both nuclear plants issued flooding alerts earlier this month, although they were routine as the river’s rise has been expected. The Brownville plant has been operating at full capacity.

Flooding remains a concern all along the Missouri because of massive amounts of water the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released from upstream reservoirs. The river is expected to rise as much as 5 to 7 feet above flood stage in much of Nebraska and Iowa and as much as 10 feet over flood stage in parts of Missouri.
The corps expects the river to remain high at least into August because of heavy spring rains in the upper Plains and substantial Rocky Mountain snowpack melting into the river basin.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/flood-berm-collapses-at-nuclear-power-plant-in-nebraska-but-facility-was-already-shut-down/2011/06/26/AGvtODmH_story.html

[mick silver]

there calling this a 500 year flood . just how do they know how bad it can get ... it safe . Also, the river is not expected to rise higher than the level the plant was designed to handle. NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said the plant remains safe.

[Shami-Amourae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWDi4fyag30

[Serpo]

Ft Calhoun Newest Photos Have Disappeared
By Dr. Tom Burnett
6-27-11


MSNBC apparently had a picture of the Ft. Calhoun nuclear plant taken today AFTER the 'water dam' - barely visible surrounding the reactor and main control buildings in this photo taken on June 24 - burst. But that page is now 'page not found'.




I'll guess that when the aqua dam burst, the control room was flooded. They are saying "no problem, there is no danger"- but, of course, there IS a problem.

The REASON there is a problem and why they aren't telling the truth is because, while Fukishima is equivalent to about twenty Chernobyls and Ft. Calhoun is equivalent to about twenty Fukushimas. Not because it has a lot of reactors - or even a very big one. But because it is holding an immense amount of nuclear fuel in its cooling pool.

This isn't some elevated bathtub like the cooling pools at Fukushima. Oh, no. This cooling pool is forty feet UNDER GROUND AND forty feet ABOVE GROUND. It's EIGHTY FEET DEEP IN TOTAL. If they can't cool it, the corn belt is in trouble.

I'm guessing that it's the big rectangular building behind-left (actually touching) the round nuclear reactor containment building.
Why do I think that? Because it has no windows or ventilation and it's about the only building on-site large enough to hold the amount of spent nuclear fuel it has to hold - and, by the way, it was filled up to capacity in 2006 - which is why they had to start storing the excess spent fuel rods in those concrete dry casks outside of the pool. But I could be wrong. If I am, please send me a diagram - not an opiniongram.

The dry casks are visible near the top of the picture. They are grey concrete blocks set together on the large, grey square area.
The casks have white doors facing a little to the left in the photo. The NRC says there is 'no problem' should the casks become partially submerged by Missouri flood waters.

The back-up generators are probably flooded as well. They were ALSO what the rubber dam was in place to protect. Even if they aren't, there is water in the electrical system. That's what the yellow cards from the NRC were about last year - and those cards were never signed off as safe. There are at least six and probably dozens of NRC and government people there 'closely monitoring' the plant. All they can do is watch.

The 'emergency' plans were only thought up when the water started rising and were only implemented beginning on June 6. Before thet, the plant owners were still pissing back and forth with the NRC that a flood that bad couldn't happen. And the brilliant rubber condom around the plant didn't just burst by itself. The dumbasses were piddling around and managed to pop it themselves!

So, when they tell me there is no danger at all, I know otherwise because the rubber dam was the last resort...and that ANY water higher than that is too much - and the water was clearly VERY high up on it when it burst.

I'm thinking that if I call another disaster, and it happens, it will start getting dicey in about sixty-four hours. From now.



http://www.rense.com/general94/newst.htm

[vacuum]

Thanks Serpo. At first I wasn't concerned - the reactor had already been shut down in April. But now it seams like it could be a HUGE disaster. There are still a few good things we've got going for us however:

1) With Fukushima, nuclear safety is getting much more attention.
2) There was no Tsunami and no structural damage in this case.
3) There was some warning time in this case, so hopefully it has been used to secure backup generators and pumps.
4) Maybe Americans would be more quick to respond than the Japanese? Could go either way here.

[Serpo]

Vacuum.........its nothing until you read this ....This isn't some elevated bathtub like the cooling pools at Fukushima. Oh, no. This cooling pool is forty feet UNDER GROUND AND forty feet ABOVE GROUND. It's EIGHTY FEET DEEP IN TOTAL

[letter_factory]

Is there any chance of radioactive fallout like in fukushima? I'm hoping NY and DC get some radioactive fallout as a gift for their excellent service.