Breaking News.. Brownsville Levee Near Cooper Nuclear Plant in Nebraska Just Broke! Here We Go !!!!

Latest Update: June 26, 2011

Well guys, just read on Yahoo front page Sunday, that the "berm" protecting the Ft. Calhoun Plant has failed. I guess it happened this morning.

According to plant officials all is well... No Worries???
They talk about the plant but nothing about the radioactive contamination going into the Missouri from the spent cooling rod storage outside the plant.

On another note, the Missouri crested at Minot this morning too. The levees held so far, but a bridge a little farther down stream is damaged. Concerns are that it will cause problems if it lets loose to levees down the river. Have a nice day everyone, and be safe! Thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this disasterous mess!

reply to post by kissitgoodbye


www.victoriaadvocate.com...

reply to post by donlashway


Thanks SOOOO Much for the link! Looks like a problem to me if the radioactive water from the spent cooling rods is going into the Missouri river, but that's just my opinion. Thanks again for the help with "Our" thread. Stay Safe

Media coverage from Omaha regarding flood wall failing:

FLOOD WALL FAILS AT FORT CALHOUN

www.omaha.com...

Here's an encouraging quote I found from another article other than the one linked above:

"On Sunday afternoon, workers accidentally deflated an auxiliary berm at the plant, said Omaha Public Power District spokesman Jeff Hanson."

"Hanson said the "aqua dam" was a supplemental measure that provided workers "more freedom" but was not essential to keeping the plant dry."

reply to post by Deetermined


www.omaha.com...

The 2,000-foot berm collapsed about 1:25 a.m. Sunday due to “onsite activities,” OPPD officials said. The Aqua Dam provided supplemental flood protection and was not required under NRC regulations.

Seriously????? We don't have enough problems and potential disasters, now we have workers "accidentally" punching holes in the berm????? OMG!!!

According to the NRC, the berm was eight-feet tall and 16-feet wide at the base. It was designed to provide protection for the plant's "powerblock" for up to six feet of water. Crews will look at whether it can be patched, OPPD officials said.

“We put up the aqua-berm as additional protection,” said OPPD spokesman Mike Jones. “(The plant) is in the same situation it would have been in if the berm had not been added. We're still within NRC regulations.”

But it's all ok ???? The plant is still within NRC regualtions ??? What, before the 500+ year flood happened??? I guess because the 500 year flood is an unusual event, the added berm wasn't a "required" item.....or maybe I am in a sarcastic, bad mood now...........since we have bumbling idiots in charge of our entire earth's survival...

"Hanson said the "aqua dam" was a supplemental measure that provided workers "more freedom" but was not essential to keeping the plant dry."

Ok ,which is it? The berm allowed more freedom for workers, or it protected the plant's powerblock for up to six feet of water???

reply to post by Iamonlyhuman


What I was referring to was a tsunami prone area. By rivers is ok because it is easy to build dams around the.

Let's think this through.

"It failed at 1:20 AM"

What else was happening around that time?

Assistant Omaha Fire Chief Dan Stolinski said the city got about 2.5 inches of rain in six hours, causing water to pool near the stadium hosting the College World Series.

Some areas reported three inches of rain. There was significant pooling of water behind the Omaha levee and in Council Bluffs they were working to strengthen perceived weak spots in the barrier.

enenews.com... ours-video

And how did it fail? Failing at such a specific time implies that the failure was sudden and catastrophic, not just a slow leak. So where exactly did it fail, how big a wave went through the grounds, and was there any damage caused by the wave where it impacted buildings? Damage like doors knocked open, windows broken, seals damaged? How exactly did the workers damage it? Or did it collapse due to excessive pressure being exerted floodwaters + rainfall?

"no worries"

www.localconditions.com... 3/forecast.php

Auxiliary building at Ft. Calhoun surrounded by water after berm failure — NRC letter said if water enters auxilary building, could have station blackout with core damage in hours

enenews.com... core-damage-hours/comment-page-1

According to the NRC, the berm was eight-feet tall and 16-feet wide at the base. It was designed to provide protection for the plant's "powerblock" for up to six feet of water. Crews will look at whether it can be patched, OPPD officials said.

On Sunday, floodwater surrounded the nuclear plant's main electrical transformers, and power was transferred to emergency diesel generators.

So they're on emergency backup right now because the main power room is flooded. That's the only way the above makes sense. Now how long are the emergency generators good for, and how far are they from being swamped?

Efforts were underway to reconnect to offsite power once all safety checks have been completed.

The floodwaters also surrounded auxiliary and containment buildings, which are designed to handle water up to 1,014 feet above sea level. The Missouri River is at 1,006.3 feet and isn't expected to exceed 1008 feet.

...
In a statement released Wednesday, the NRC said there is a separate, earthen berm to protect the electrical switchyard and a concrete barrier surrounding electrical transformers.

www.omaha.com...

Nice that there is a concrete barrier around the transformers that are offline because they're flooded.

The big question is do these buildings leak? If so, then things look grim.

Seems like hopeful happy talk is coming out of that plant.

We need more FACTS.

I remember a poster on Friday extolling the virtues of nuclear power. That poster was calling everyone 'chicken littles' more or less, for worrying about the then flooded facility.

Can we worry now, Mr Nuke?

reply to post by butcherguy

The floodwaters also surrounded auxiliary and containment buildings, which are designed to handle water up to 1,014 feet above sea level. The Missouri River is at 1,006.3 feet and isn't expected to exceed 1008 feet.

About what? That the water won't rise above 1,014 feet?

Well, I guess you guys have a right to worry since when nothing happens you're all going to look like idiots.

Edit: And then I get to say, "I told you so". And I will say it.

reply to post by Nosred

I sincerely hope that you are correct.

Someone posted on the last page that we should trust the operators of the plant over the various things that we are seeing on the net. That is the way things should be, but did TEPCO turn out to be a trustworthy source source of information?

reply to post by RoyalBlue


situation looks lugubrious: if official f#ckee - duckees deigned to speak at least something to "honored" electors, it's Nothing but bad signal. there're always everything ok & bla-bla-bla further in same manner...

reply to post by butcherguy

heh, Just remember how "experts" moaned & groaned "Fukushima is absolutely safe"; now, the same clique does the same

By Michael Avok – Sun Jun 26, 5:02 pm ET
BROWNVILLE, Neb (Reuters) – Residents near a nuclear plant on the rain-swollen Missouri River were largely unconcerned about any potential safety risks from flooding ahead of a nuclear regulator's visit on Sunday.
Gregory Jaczko, the chair of the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will monitor flood preparations during a visit to the Cooper Nuclear Station near Brownville.
The plant is located about 80 miles south of Omaha, where snow melt and heavy rains have forced the waters of the Missouri River over its banks, although they have not flooded the plant and receded slightly on Sunday.
"I just don't think the water is going to get that high," said Brownville resident Kenny Lippold, a retired carpenter who has been following each step of the flood preparations in this riverside village of 148 residents.
"They claim that they are going to keep operating," Lippold said, adding that he will not flee his home of 29 years even though it is less than a mile from the Cooper reactor.
Jaczko will be briefed on Sunday by NRC resident inspectors -- the agency staff who work on-site every day -- plant officials and executives, said Mark Becker, a spokesman at the Nebraska Public Power District, the agency that runs the plant.
Water levels there are down after upstream levees failed, Becker said, relieving worries that water will rise around the Brownville plant as it has at another nuclear plant north of Omaha in Fort Calhoun.
Local shop owner Katy Morgan, 28, said her fears have been assuaged by information she has received via plant officials, who give out emergency radio equipment to residents within a 10-mile radius of the Cooper plant.
"I know everybody freaks out when they talk about nuclear," said Morton, who runs a boutique on Brownville's main thoroughfare. "I suppose if there was a drastic increase in the river I would be concerned. If they say 'evacuate' then I would be concerned," Morton said.
Jaczko will also visit on Monday the Fort Calhoun plant in the town of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, about 20 miles north of Omaha, an agency official said.
Flood water up to 2-feet deep is standing on the site of the 478-megawatt Fort Calhoun plant, which will stay shut down until the water recedes, the NRC said.
On Sunday afternoon, workers accidentally deflated an auxiliary berm at the plant, said Omaha Public Power District spokesman Jeff Hanson.
Hanson said the "aqua dam" was a supplemental measure that provided workers "more freedom" but was not essential to keeping the plant dry.
"The plant itself is still protected," Hanson said. Floodwater would need to rise over 7 feet to flow over the berms and enter the plant, Hanson said, adding that the supplemental dam was not in original flood prevention plans.
An NRC inspection at Fort Calhoun two years ago indicated deficiencies in the flood preparation area, which have now been remedied, the agency said.
(Writing by Eric Johnson; Editing by Tim Gaynor)

last msm report to come out

Flood berm collapses at Nebraska nuclear plant

By JOSH FUNK - Associated Press,TIMBERLY ROSS - Associated Press | AP – 44 mins ago
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BROWNVILLE, Neb. (AP) — 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 until an off-site power supply was connected Sunday afternoon, according to OPPD.
NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said the loss of the berm at Fort Calhoun nuclear plant doesn't threaten the safety of the plant.
"There are other structures and systems in place that can ensure they will continue operating safely," Jaczko said.
Jaczko will tour the Fort Calhoun plant Monday. His visit was scheduled last week. On Sunday, he toured Nebraska's other nuclear power plant, which sits along the Missouri River near Brownville. Cooper nuclear power plant is about 75 miles south of Omaha and run by the Nebraska Public Power District.
Jaczko said he can't predict what the river will do this summer but that NPPD and OPPD seem to be taking appropriate steps to defend against flooding.
Jaczko spent much of his tour of Cooper asking NPPD officials and the NRC's local inspectors questions about the plant and this year's flooding. He said his visit was designed to gather information.
NPPD officials have been monitoring river levels closely during the flooding, and they have already brought in more than 5,000 tons of sand to build barricades protecting the Cooper plant, the onsite power substations and the plant's access roads.
Accessing critical parts of the plant requires visitors to use ladders or steel stairs to climb over sandbag barriers both outside and inside the doors. When the Jaczko saw one of Cooper's two back-up diesel generators, he had to climb over three different sandbag barriers to get there.
The Cooper plant remains dry because it sits at an elevation above the river level. The base of Cooper and its storage area for used nuclear fuel is 903 feet above sea level while on Sunday the river was just above 899 feet.
Cooper would be shut down if the river rose to 902 feet above sea level, but officials say that is unlikely.
"This plant is designed to deal with a flood much higher than we are seeing — 906 feet," Jaczko said.
Both nuclear plants issued flooding alerts earlier this month, although they were routine as the river's rise has been expected. Cooper 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.
___
Josh Funk Associated Press Writer Timberly Ross contributed to this report from Omaha and can be reached at twitter.com...


latest as of 06/26/2011 at 11:40pm cst

reply to post by donlashway


Nothing important, just the need to ramble on a bit:
So I started a petition, to shut Cooper Nuclear Power Station down Just In Case, not fear mongering or conspiratcy, just let's be safe, Just In Case, (like taking an unbrella when you know it's going to rain). On facebook I encountered the pros; nuclear industry experts ($100k+ saleries), who search social media sites full time disrupting any open discusion of the subject. They were extreemly helpful pointing out my mistakes and lack of knowledge. It's my own reation that I found so puzzling, calm and serien. They did not convince me there wasn't any danger, it was the confermation that someone was spending big bucks just to control the story that got to me. Now, I'm hoping it was just industry PR not the fact that this threat is real. Fort Randle dam is now nearly full that's the last of them, NRC did the job saying there's problems at Cooper and that they will get involved, rains still coming down. Waiting on what's next.....

www.salon.com...

Originally posted by Nosred
reply to post by butcherguy

 

The floodwaters also surrounded auxiliary and containment buildings, which are designed to handle water up to 1,014 feet above sea level. The Missouri River is at 1,006.3 feet and isn't expected to exceed 1008 feet.

About what? That the water won't rise above 1,014 feet?

Well, I guess you guys have a right to worry since when nothing happens you're all going to look like idiots.

Edit: And then I get to say, "I told you so". And I will say it.

edit on 26-6-2011 by Nosred because: (no reason given)

Yup....because this is ALL about YOU are your bragging rights.



Back to the story....in the above linked article, there is a picture of the plant surrounded by water. I think any reasonable person, would have some concern in this situation when we are talking about a matter of a few feet seperating our nation from a possible nuclear disaster situation. We have seen in the past weeks just how powerful and unpedictable this flooding is. All it would take is another system, a warm spell to create a large melt-off of the stil HUGE snow pack in the mountains, or a near-by levee to go.

This is walking a tight-rope.

Nosred...here's to hoping you get to stroke your ego

Originally posted by Nosred
reply to post by butcherguy

 

The floodwaters also surrounded auxiliary and containment buildings, which are designed to handle water up to 1,014 feet above sea level. The Missouri River is at 1,006.3 feet and isn't expected to exceed 1008 feet.

About what? That the water won't rise above 1,014 feet?

Well, I guess you guys have a right to worry since when nothing happens you're all going to look like idiots.

Edit: And then I get to say, "I told you so". And I will say it.

edit on 26-6-2011 by Nosred because: (no reason given)

And the bumbling idiots who are know-it-alls in control of the situation PUNCTURED and COLLAPSED theIr own AQUA DAM !!!!

Yeah, your right, there is NOTHING to worry about..................

reply to post by donlashway


someone has been busy: www.nppd.com...



and a bit more history on Cooper: sustainabledevint.com...
WOW

reply to post by donlashway
Wow is right!

Three separate instances of hydrogen explosions at the Cooper plant! One demolished a building.

They didn't even need a flood to have explosions.

Gotta love that safe nuclear power.