By building HUGE dams that block floods and then building large cities and multiple nuclear power plants, uranium mines, reprocessing facilities, and/or nuclear storage facilities on the banks of 'controlled' rivers as well as on the extensive and broad floodplains below a dam, an unsustainable and potentially disastrous situation is created, with very real and disastrous consequences for future generations, as well as being an immediate threat to all cities downstream.
Hanford Nuclear Waste Site And ALL Cities Downstream Threatened By Wanapum Dam Failure
In the picture above it is easy to see how Hanford is built in a flood plain. Normally a river covers it's flood plain every year with a certain amount of water. The dams above it are protecting this floodplain from regular flooding. Hanford and all other nuclear plants or radiation filled facilities are also in the worst possible place when and if a dam breaks or overtops upstream. Some people would say that cannot happen.
As dams age, the risks of a catastrophic failure go up each year. As nuclear plants age, the risk of catastrophic failure goes up each year.
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2013/09/what-is-statistical-probability-of.html
In Washington, in 2014, the largest dam in the state developed a crack that according to residents was created by the military doing huge bombing runs nearby, which shook the bedrock so much that the dam developed this crack. The crack threatens to bring down the entire dam. Whatever is downstream will be threatened, such as the Hanford toxic radioactive waste site...
NPR: Operators struggle with major crack in dam; Spillway could topple — AP: “Extends all 65 ft across monolith”; About 20 miles from Hanford nuclear site — TV: “Pretty crazy… one of biggest dams in state, going to be a catastrophe if something happens” (VIDEO)March 4, 2014
Certainly the nuclear industry made lots of promises and guarantees about the safety of nuclear power plants, but all of those promises and assurances were nothing but hot air. Fukushima proved that despite all of the 'experts' saying it would never happen, it did happen. Multiple nuclear reactors melted down and through. Multiple spent fuel pools melted down and through, with nothing more than a natural, periodic event that Nature dishes out in a cycle that comes along every few hundred years.
Fukushima Daichi Is An Example Of Flooding Causing Multiple Nuclear Reactor Meltdowns
In the video below, Arnie Gunderson talks about how the lessons of Fukushima disaster have not been learned by the global nuclear industry.
The Union Of Concerned Scientists reports; "Nuclear power plants are always situated near a body of water—a river, lake, estuary or ocean—because they require a plentiful, reliable source of water for cooling purposes. In the absence of cooling water, a nuclear reactor will overheat, leading to core damage, containment failure, and release of harmful radiation into the environment.
However, water can quickly turn from friend to foe when a flood occurs. Flooding can damage equipment or knock out the plant's electrical systems, disabling its cooling mechanisms. This is what happened at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in Japan as a result of the March, 2011 tsunami, causing severe damage to several of the plant's reactors." (Multiple reactors melted down and through, along with several spent fuel pools melting out and catching on fire.)
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-dangerous-is-400-6000-pounds-of.html
Fukushima Released Massive Amounts of Plutonium; Being Found In Japan, The Pacific Ocean And Inside Many US Cities; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2014/01/fukushima-released-massive-amounts-of.html
Blayais Nuclear Power Plant Close Call, Almost Melted Down
Wikipedia; "The 1999, Blayais Nuclear Power Plant flood was a flood that took place on the evening of December 27, 1999. It was caused when a combination of the tide and high winds from the extratropical storm Martin led to the sea walls of the Blayais Nuclear Power Plant in Francebeing overwhelmed.[1] The event resulted in the loss of the plant's off-site power supply and knocked out several safety-related systems, resulting in aLevel 2 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.[2] The incident illustrated the potential for flooding to damage multiple items of equipment throughout a plant, weaknesses in safety measures, systems and procedures, and resulted in fundamental changes to the evaluation of flood risk at nuclear power plants and in the precautions taken.[1][3]"
Hurricane Causes Close Call, Multiple Nuclear Plant Meltdowns Possible
Wikipedia; "Dec. 19, 2012 — As Hurricane Sandy approached the East Coast late last October, more than a dozen nuclear power plants from North Carolina stretching up to New England were in its wide-ranging path. On Oct. 29, the night that the eye of the storm made landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey, five nuclear plants were forced to either reduce power or make emergency shutdowns."
Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant Came Close To Melting Down
Wikipedia; "The 2011 Missouri River floods surrounded the plant with flood water. The nuclear reactor had been shut down and defueled in April 2011 for scheduled refueling. A fire caused electricity to shut off in the spent fuel pools resulting in 90 minutes without cooling[9] qualifying as a "red event", signifying a high-level threat to Fort Calhoun operations.[10] As of May 2012, the plant remains closed due to "extensive inspections and repairs needed" and is not expected to reopen until Fall 2012.[2] The flood and resulting fire was called "one of the most serious safety incidents in recent years".[11]
A flood assessment performed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2010 indicated that the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station, "did not have adequate procedures to protect the intake structure and auxiliary building against external flooding events."[18]The assessment also indicated that the facility was not adequately prepared for a "worst-case" flooding scenario. A number of potential flood water penetration points were discovered that could have impacted the raw feed water supply to the cooling system, the auxiliary water supply and main switchgear (electrical) room. By early 2011, corrective measures had been implemented.[18] In 2009 the NRC did a flood risk assessment which found that the protection measures were only designed to handle floods to 1,009 feet (308 m) above sea level which was below the NRC mandated elevation of 1,014 feet (309 m) for the plant. The risk assessment stated that at 1,010 feet (310 m), flooding would have "led to a 100 percent chance of a fuel damage if the emergency gasoline pumps didn't work."[19]
On June 6, 2011 the Omaha Public Power District, as required by Nuclear Regulatory Commission guidelines, declared a Notification of Unusual Event[20][21] (minimal level on a 4 level taxonomy) due to flooding of the Missouri River.[22] The Missouri River is above flood stage and is expected to rise further and remain above flood stage for several weeks to a month. Contractors have been busy installing sandbags and earthen berms to protect the facility from flooding.[22] According to officials, the plant was built to withstand a 500 year flooding event and though by June 14, 2011, much of the facility was surrounded by the swollen Missouri River, Omaha Public Power District officials were confident that enough redundancies were in place to ensure adequate safety.[23]
It was reported on June 17, 2011 that the plant was in "safe cold shutdown" mode for refueling and the anticipation of flooding,[24] and that four weeks worth of additional fuel had been brought in to power backup generators, should they be needed. The Army Corps of Engineers indicated that with average precipitation, the Missouri River would not go above 1,008 feet (307 m) above sea level and OPPD officials stated that the current flood protection efforts would protect the plant to 1,010–1,012 feet (308–308 m) feet above sea level. Officials indicated the spent fuel pool is at 1,038.5 feet (316.5 m) above sea level.[25]
On June 7, 2011, an electrical component in a switch gear room caused a small fire with Halon extinguisher activation which forced a partial evacuation.[26] The fire was no longer burning when the on site fire brigade arrived and according to officials, the public was never in any danger. The fire impacted pumping of coolant water through the spent fuel pool. Cooling was interrupted for 90 minutes while the estimated time for the pool to reach boiling temperature was over 88 hours.[27] In response, the Omaha Public Power District declared an alert[21][28](second level on a 4 level taxonomy). The evacuation was the first at the facility since 1992, when 20,000 US gallons (76,000 l; 17,000 imp gal) (ca. 76 t) of coolant leaked into a containment building from the reactor.[29][30]
On June 23 a helicopter contracted by OPPD to survey transmission lines made an unplanned landing 1.5 miles south of the plant. Reports described it as an unplanned landing although photographs showed it on its side in a field. Nobody was injured.[31]The Federal Aviation Administration had declared a "temporary flight restriction," in a two nautical mile radius, centered on the Fort Calhoun nuclear facility. This restriction went into effect on June 6, 2011, at 4:31 PM, and remains in effect "until further notice."[32]Officials noted that the June 6 FAA directive was actually a reminder to a standing order creating no flight zones over all U.S. nuclear power plants which had been in effect after the 2001 9/11 attacks.[33]
On June 26, at 1:30 a.m., a 8 feet (2.4 m) high, 2,000 feet (610 m) long water filled rubber flood berm surrounding portions of the plant, was punctured by a small earth mover ("Bobcat") and collapsed.[34] The collapse of the flood berm allowed flood waters to surround the auxiliary and containment buildings at the plant, and also forced the temporary transfer of power from the external electricity grid to backup electrical generators.[19][35] It was reported more than 2 feet (0.61 m) of water rushed in around buildings and electrical transformers.[36] Backup generators were then used to ensure the facility maintained electrical power for cooling.[37]
The rupturing of the flood berm also resulted in approximately 100 US gallons (380 l; 83 imp gal) of petroleum being released into the river as many fuel containers were washed out. The fuel/oil containers were staged around the facility to supply fuel for pumps which remove water within the flood containment barriers.[38] The rubber berm was a secondary measure not mandated by the NRC and was put in place by OPPD to provide additional room for work immediately outside the reactor buildings.[19] According the NRC, the water-filled berm "protects several pieces of equipment that have been brought onsite, including an additional emergency diesel generator for supplying AC electrical power, water pumps, firefighting equipment and sandbagging supplies".[39]
According to OPPD, the plant is designed to withstand waters up to 1,014 feet above mean sea level. The river is not expected to exceed 1,008 feet. NRC officials were at the plant at the time and NRC statements said the plant remains safe. NRC ChairmanGregory Jaczko confirmed the plant's safety when he visited the plant on June 27.[40][41]
On June 30 one of the pumps used to remove seepage caught fire when a worker was refilling it with gasoline. The worker put the fire out with a fire extinguisher but was burned on his arms and face and he was airlifted via helicopter to Lincoln, Nebraska. OPPD said the fire was in an auxiliary security building area and not in the reactor area and that the plant was never in danger.[42][43]
On July 11 OPPD installed a new 8 foot inflatable berm to replace the one that was punctured and failed on June 26.[44]
Dams And Nuclear Power Plants Are A Weakness In National Defense
Any nuclear power plant below a dam poses a threat to national security. All that another nation or a terror organization has to do is cause a dam to collapse upstream of a nuclear power plant, and the rest will be guaranteed. An area that may be as large as 25,000 square miles will be made permanently into an exclusion zone due to radiation contamination, much like the Chernobyl disaster caused a vast plume of radiation which then created large exclusion zones and thousands of square miles of radiation contaminated land. Over 1 million people died due to Chernobyl and there have been 65 million health casualties so far, but the total will keep growing practically forever.
Chernobyl Coverup And Denial Of 1 Million + Casualties; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/chernobyl-coverup-and-denial-of-1.html
The Chernobyl Sacrifice; 1 MILLION Liquidators; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/chernobyl-sacrifice-1-million.html
The Battle Of Chernobyl Movie; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/battle-of-chernobyl-movie.html
Chernobyl Heart Movie; How Children Are Affected; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/chernobyl-heart-movie-how-children-are.html
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster caused the financial collapse of the Soviet Union, according to Gorbachev. Any nuclear disaster/meltdown of a reactor and release of massive amounts of radiation will end up costing that nation 1 to 10 TRILLION dollars.
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/12/gorbachev-chernobyl-nuclear-accident.html
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/06/fukushima-crisis-total-cost-up-to-10.html
Dr. Paolo Scampa Report; 429 Lethal Fukushima Radiation Doses Chasing Each Person on the Planet; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2013/10/dr-paolo-scampa-reports-429-lethal.html
The above nuclear disasters, close calls and loss of multiple nuclear power plants and spent fuel pools due to flooding at Fukushima illustrates the extreme danger of combining nuclear power plants in areas where earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and/or tsunamis happen.
In case of a dam failure upstream of where it is site, the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant certainly and without any doubt would have melted down and through, with no way to stop it. This almost happened anyway, without even any dams failing, as the Corps of Engineers actually blew up levees and flooded towns on purpose upstream of this nuclear power plant to prevent the water from rising any further because they KNEW what it meant if the nuclear power plant went underwater. Pictures related to nuclear power plants flooding available by clicking here.
What is actually not mentioned is that all dams upstream of Fort Calhoun were full right to the brim. They were all at full release of water, which then caused flooding downstream. Any additional rainfall, which could have easily led to the collapse of just one of the numerous dams up stream, could have caused a cascade failure of all dams downstream of any dam that failed, because they were just barely holding on. These dams upstream of Fort Calhoun were all stretched to or beyond their limits in terms of what they could handle. The next climate change generated storm system will in all likelihood be much bigger, and the dams cannot handle that.
A huge tidal wave flood will result, which will easily take out Fort Calhoun, just like the tsunami took out Fukushima with an ease that made all human preparations and emergency response seem useless and hopeless. Fort Calhoun should be shut down, due to this danger, immediately. But this same scenario also applies to any nuclear plant on the coastline, because they are all vulnerable to tsunamis, just like Fukushima was. They should also be shut down, immediately.
A huge area comprising up to 25,000 square miles would be made permanently a toxic waste radiation contaminated zone, if any one nuclear plant melts down. Melted corium would burn down into the ground and be an out of control raging nuclear fire, emitting radioactive gases for hundreds of thousands of years, and polluting the groundwater, which then flows into any nearby river or ocean, permanently, just like what is happening now at Fukushima.
Bottom line, nuclear power plants have no business being near rivers that flood (they all do), oceans with tsunamis (they all have them) or in areas with earthquakes (everywhere else). Nuclear plants need to be made illegal all over the planet, if humankind is to have any future at all.
End
Nuclear Power Plants, Nuclear Waste Storage Facilities, Uranium Mines Vulnerable To Flooding And Tsunamis; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2014/03/nuclear-power-plants-nuclear-waste.html
Bottom line, nuclear power plants have no business being near rivers that flood (they all do), oceans with tsunamis (they all have them) or in areas with earthquakes (everywhere else). Nuclear plants need to be made illegal all over the planet, if humankind is to have any future at all.
End
Nuclear Power Plants, Nuclear Waste Storage Facilities, Uranium Mines Vulnerable To Flooding And Tsunamis; via @AGreenRoad
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2014/03/nuclear-power-plants-nuclear-waste.html
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