The problem is that if the water picks up debris along the way, that debris could clog the screens over the pipes that lead back to the emergency pumps.

The officials said that visibility is bad under water, adding that sand and debris clog the passageways.

If the plant operators had needed to pump water from this area in an emergency, the debris could have clogged the unit's pumps and prevented the flow of water needed to cool the reactor.

Also, any insoluble debris in the liquid can easily clog the tube.

Sometimes, the researchers said in making their recommendation on Thursday, nets with trapdoors would not be effective, for instance where sea vegetation or debris would clog them.

Before the hurricane, debris had clogged the 20 or so narrow concrete channels running beneath the Tavern Bridge.

Others have suggested there may be a subtle failure of the chemical "house-cleaning" apparatus of the brain so that the debris from normal cell loss accumulates and clogs the nerve cell networks.

On May 28, debris clogged the conduits, causing the creek to overflow on State Street, one of the main thoroughfares of the city.

They said that if the tank were not filled it would be subject to scaling, and debris could clog the lines.

Wet streets glimmered under the street lamps, and leaves and debris clogged the sewer drains in the roads.