Radioactive water may overflow at Fukushima nuclear power plant

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 6, 2013 file photo, workers wearing protective gears take a survey near tanks of radiation contaminated water at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant says it is struggling with its latest efforts to stop contaminated underground water leaks from running into the sea. TEPCO said Tuesday, Aug. 6 that some of the water was seeping over or around "chemical walls" it had created by injecting chemicals into the soil that solidify into a wall. (AP Photo / Issei Kato, Pool)

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TOKYO (KABC) -- The operator at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant said Tuesday it is having difficulty stopping contaminated underground water from escaping from an underground barrier and leaking into the ocean.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said some of the water is seeping over or around an underground barrier that was created by injecting chemicals into the soil that solidified into a wall.

TEPCO spokesman Yoshikazu Nagai said the company was slow to deal the leaks because it was focusing on cooling the damaged reactors, which posed greater risks.

The water has built up over the last month since the company began creating the chemical barrier to stop leaks. Radiation spikes in water samples were detected in May, prompting the creation of the walls.

Three reactors at the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi plant suffered meltdowns after the massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. Power and cooling systems were destroyed in the disaster.

The plant is still running on makeshift equipment and has been plagued with blackouts and leaks from underground tanks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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