Two major US aquifers contaminated by natural uranium

Source: Phys Org

Nearly 2 million people throughout the Great Plains and California live above aquifer sites contaminated with natural uranium that is mobilized by human-contributed nitrate, according to a study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

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The study reports that 78 percent of the uranium-contaminated sites were linked to the presence of nitrate, a common groundwater contaminant that originates mainly from chemical fertilizers and animal waste. Nitrate mobilizes naturally occurring uranium through a series of bacterial and chemical reactions that oxidize the radioactive mineral, making it soluble in groundwater.

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"It needs to be recognized that uranium is a widespread contaminant," said Weber, assistant professor of biological, Earth and atmospheric sciences. "And we are creating this problem by producing a primary contaminant that leads to a secondary one."

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The High Plains aquifer—the largest in the United States—provides drinking water and irrigation for an eight-state swath that stretches from South Dakota through Nebraska and into northern Texas. As California's largest reservoir, the Central Valley aquifer sits beneath some of the state's most fertile agricultural land. According to a 2012 census from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the two aquifers irrigate cropland that accounts for one-sixth of the annual revenue generated by U.S. agriculture.

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"We hope that this study serves as a catalyst to get other people interested in this issue," she said. "If the problem is this widespread, more research needs to be done. We're limited by the data that's been collected, and uranium isn't often monitored."

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Read more: http://phys.org/news/2015-08-major-aquifers-contaminated-natural-uranium.html

Regulators issuing draft report on Nevada nuclear dump plan

Source: Associated Press

A key study in a series leading to licensing hearings for the long-stalled Yucca Mountain national nuclear waste dump in Nevada finds what the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is calling a small chance that radioactive contamination could get into the environment.

A Nevada state official said Friday he'll challenge the NRC findings about the proposed Yucca Mountain project on technical and legal grounds.

"They're saying that the impacts are small," Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects chief Bob Halstead said. "From my review of the document, I'm skeptical that they have complied with the requirement that they imposed on the Energy Department in 2008" to update an initial 2002 environmental impact report.

The commission announced Thursday that it'll post its draft supplement to the document, called the Yucca Mountain Environmental Impact Statement, on Aug. 21 in the Federal Register. It plans meetings next month in Maryland, Las Vegas and Nye County before issuing a final document early next year.

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Read more: http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2015/08/regulators-issuing-draft-report-on-nevada-nuclear-waste-dump-plan.html

UPDATE 1-Japan nuclear utility says no special precautions over volcano

Source: Reuters

Japanese utility Kyushu Electric Power said on Monday that it was monitoring activity at a volcano near its Sendai nuclear plant, but did not need to take any special precautions after authorities warned of the risk of a larger-than-usual eruption.

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The precautions by Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority for volcanic eruptions were "wanting in a number of important respects" and did not meet international standards, said John Large, chief executive of Large & Associates, a nuclear engineering consultancy.

Large wrote a report this year on the Sendai plant's ability to withstand being hit by volcanic ash and has testified in court about the issue.

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"With Kyushu's volcanoes clearly more active, Sendai should be shut immediately," said Aileen Mioko Smith, executive director at activist group, Green Action, claiming there was no viable evacuation plan for the plant.

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Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/17/japan-nuclear-volcano-graphics-picturesu-idUKL3N10S2UN20150817

Swiss without nuclear power after shutdown

Source: The Local

Switzerland on Monday was temporarily without nuclear power because all of its reactors were out of service for repairs or maintenance.

Utility company KGD announced on Sunday night that it was disconnecting the Gösgen nuclear plant in the canton of Solothurn from the grid to resolve a steam leak problem.

The utility said that to perform the needed repairs it had to turn off the plant to cool the the impacted area.

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Gösgen is one of four nuclear power plants in Switzerland with the others already down for repairs and servicing, the SDA news agency reported.

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Read more: http://www.thelocal.ch/20150817/swiss-without-nuclear-power-after-leak-forces-shutdown

PG&E, former employee to hold talks on nuclear power plant

Source: Eureka Times-Standard

Two talks and presentations will be held on Wednesday regarding the nuclear program at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Humboldt Bay Power Plant, though their tones will likely be much different.

PG&E is set to hold a public open house at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the ongoing decommissioning of the plant’s nuclear power facility known as Unit 3.

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Earlier on Wednesday at the Arcata City Library, former Eureka resident and former plant nuclear control technician Bob Rowen is set to hold a lecture and Q&A session to discuss the allegations he has raised about the plant’s operations and government oversight.

Having already written a book on the topic, “My Humboldt Diary: A True Story of Betrayal of the Public Trust,” Rowen claims PG&E and government agencies — like the now defunct Atomic Energy Commission — made decisions or intentionally ignored incidents of radioactive exposure to both power plant employees and members of the surrounding communities.

After bringing his allegations forward, Rowen claims he and other employees were fired in 1970 as retaliation with subsequent police investigations, attempts to smear his character and even death threats occurring in the aftermath.

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Read more: http://www.times-standard.com/events/20150815/pge-former-employee-to-hold-talks-on-nuclear-power-plant

Russian government regulator threatens to block Reddit over cannabis thread

Abe's nationalism reflected in conservative political movement, but polls show voter dissent

Japan and WW2 S Korea protests hit WW2 anniversary - BBC News

Japan and WW2: S Korea protests hit WW2 anniversary

Source: BBC



Protesters in South Korea have burned anti-Japan placards outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul, on the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two.

The surrender freed the then-unified Korea from 35 years of occupation but some believe Japan has failed to properly atone for its actions during the war.

In North Korea, clocks have been put back by 30 minutes, so the country does not remain on 'Tokyo time'.

Stephen Evans reports from Seoul.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33945245

Iran gives U.N. watchdog information about past nuclear activities

Source: Reuters

Iran has given the U.N. nuclear watchdog information regarding its atomic past, a milestone in potentially meeting a condition for sanctions relief under an accord reached with world powers last month.

Alongside the July 14 agreement to curb its nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions, Iran signed a deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resolve outstanding questions about the possible military dimensions (PMD) of its past nuclear activities.

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For months, Iran had been stalling an IAEA investigation into the possible military aspects of its past nuclear activities, relating mostly to the period before 2003, saying the agency's data for its investigation was fabricated. The IAEA says it takes no information at face value.

Under the road-map, the IAEA could ask Tehran to provide more clarification by Oct. 15 so that the watchdog can write a final PMD report by the end of the year.

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The agency has come under fire by U.S. politicians for not disclosing its road-map agreement with Iran, which the U.N. body says is in line with its normal nuclear safeguards proceedings.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/15/us-iran-nuclear-iaea-idUSKCN0QK0F420150815