HL-4817, Forwards Assessment of Results of Augmented Radiological Environ Monitoring Program for Yrs 1992 Through 1994

Forwards Assessment of Results of Augmented Radiological Environ Monitoring Program for Yrs 1992 Through 1994

ML20087G389
Person / Time
Site:	Hatch
Issue date:	03/28/1995
From:	Beckham J GEORGIA POWER CO.
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
HL-4817, NUDOCS 9504040194
Download: ML20087G389 (15)

Text

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O Georgia Power Compan;f 1 '

,a ' 00 inwirness Center Pardway ' .. ,

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. .4 Birmingham. Alabama 35201 ,

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., J. T. Beckham,' Jr. Georgia Pbwer-2 Vice President Nuclear .

ftn souton doctnc system

. . Hatch Project s A rch 28, 1995

' Docket Nos. 50-321. HL-4817  ;

50-366-

^

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission  ;

ATTN: Document Control Desk :

Washington, D. C. 20555' ,

Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant Assessmento' f Results of Augmented Radiological Environmental Monitoring Pronram for the Years 1992 Through 1994 1 Gentlemen:

Georgia Power Company's (GPC's) letter to the NRC dated January 7,1987,'provided a description of an augmented Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program (REMP)

. that was initiated on December 15,1986, following the release of radioactive water from j the spent fuel storage pools at Plant Hatch to an onsite swamp on December 3 and 4,  ;

1986. By lettes dated March 31,1988; April 3,1989; and March 31,1992, GPC '

provided the results of the augmented REMP and appropriate program modifications for- +

the periods of December 15,1986, through 1987; 1988; and 1989 through 1991, .

respectively.

Enclosed is an assessment of the program results for the years 1992 through 1994. The assessment indicates that radioactivity levels in the swamp continue to decrease. ,

Consequently, the assessment period is being extended to 5-years. The next status report - s, will be submitted by April 2000 at which time GPC plans to discontinue the augmented i REMP.

Please contact this office should you have any questions.

1 i-Sincerely, l

040139 Q@bK3 (f. T. Beckham, Jr.

7 j

W H O/eb

Enclosure:

(See next page.)

[/- g 9504040194 950328 PDR ADOCK 05000321 l R PDR I

~

GeorgiaPower d U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Page Two March 28,'1995

Enclosure:

Assessment of Results of Augmented Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program for the Years 1992 through 1994 cc: Georgia Power Company Mr. H. L. Sumner, Jr., Nuclear Plant General Manager NORMS U. S. Nuclear Rerulatorv Commission. Washington. D. C.

Mr. K. Jabbour, Licensing Project Manager - Hatch U. S. Nuclear Regulatorv Commission. Region 11 Mr. S. D. Ebneter, Regional Administrator Mr. B. L. Holbrook, Senior Resident Inspector - Hatch 1

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HL-4817

l L Enclosure

- A==*==maat of Results of Augmented Radiological

'- Environmental Monitoring Program for the Years 1992 Throuah 1994

. On December 3 and 4,1986, an event occurred at the Hatch Nuclear Plant (HNP) in 4 which radioactive water from the Spent Fuel Storage Pools (SFSP) ) was released into the onsite swamp east of the cooling towers. As a result of this event, Georgia Power Company (GPC) initiated an augmented radiological environmental monitoring program concerning the swamp on December 15,1986. This program, as described in a letter to the NRC dated January 7,1987, calls for a periodic assessment of the program's results 1 l

and any appropriate modifications to the program (including termination) as a l

consequence of the assessment.

Past assessments of the results of this program were reponed to the NRC by letter as given below:

Psliad Date of Letter 12/15/86 through 1987 03/31/88

, '1988 04/03/89 1989-1991 03/31/92 This report provides the assessment of the program's results for the years 1992 through 1994 with modifications thereto.

The program commitment for the years 1992 through 1994 calls for the annual collection -

of samples at Locations A, PL-2, PL-3, MBC and at a background location for gamma isotopic analysis. Collections were also made at Location B each year and at Location H in 1992 and 1994. In 1993, the collection for Location H was inadvertently taken about 15 yards south of the position intended. This unintended position is labeled Location '

New H. Collections were also made at Location New H in 1994. The activities of the manmade radionuclides found in each of the samples collected at these select locations during 1992-1994 are provided in Table 1. The average activities at these select locations for each year from 1987 through 1994 are presented in Table 2.

All of the sampling locations except for New H and the background location are shown in Figure I and/or Figure 2. The annual collections were made on September 14,1992, October 4,1993, and October 4, or November 30,1994. At least two samples were taken at each location on the collection dates. The samples were composed of substantial quantities of root and other organic material, mud, and sediment. All of the laboratory analyses were performed at GPC's Environmental Laboratory in Smyrna, Georgia.

HI 4817 E-1

' Enclosure .

Assessment of Results of Anonwav ~ e d Radialnoir.1 Environmental Monitoring Program for the Years 1992 Through 1994 e

In 1994, muck samples were also collected at all of the other monitoring locations in the

. swamp where collections have not been made since 1987. The only manmade - 1 radionuclide found at these other locations (in 1994) was Cs-137; its activity in each of the 1 samples collected is provided in Table 3. In Table 4, the average activities at these other j locations for 1987 are compared with those for 1994.- )

~

Location A is situated in the swamp pond adjacent to the point where the water from the I SFSP entered the swamp. Location B is positioned in an effluent stream from the pond; it i

- is the only effluent stream from the pond when the water level in the river is low. Under I high water conditions, Location H lies along a release pathway.

Locations PL-2 and PL-3 lie along the plant's eastern propeny line. Location MBC lies l along the right bank of Bay Creek adjacent to its entry into the Altamaha River. Bay l Creek provides a drain for the swamp; the mouth of Bay Creek is about three quarters of a l mile east of the plant's eastern property line. Location PL-2 lies on the left bank of Bay l Creek. The background location, like the swamp, lies in the floodplain of the Altamaha ,

River but is positioned about 0.8 miles upstream of the plant's discharge and on the  ;

opposite side of the river. l

. From an examination of the results presented in the tables, the following observations are j made.  ;

i As shown in Tables 1 and 2, Eu-154 was found in one of the samples collected in 1992 at -  !

the background location. This radionuclide is not released from the plant. An explanation i for its presence at this location has not been determined.  !

As might be expected, the activities found in the samples collected at Location A continue .

to dominate those collected elsewhere both in the number of radionuclides detected and in l the levels of these radionuclides. In general, the levels diminish with distance from  ;

Location A. i The variability in the activity levels found in the samples which were collected on the same l dates at approximately the same locations (that is, within several feet of each other) as j i

shown in Tables I and 3 suggests a lack of uniformity in surface contamination. It also reflects the difficulty in obtaining replicate samples, especially at locations where there is a preponderance of root matter in the soil. Effons were made in obtaining samples to an .

average depth of approximately one inch. The variability may also be attributed in part to  !

a failure in obtaining each sample to this depth.

l 1

HL-4817 E-2 l 1

l 1

l

^

' Enclosure Assessment of Results of Augmented Radiological i Environmental Monitoring Program for the Years 1992 Through 1994 t

l Table 2 shows a generally steady reduction in the activity levels with time at the select locations as a consequence of decay and weathering. It should be noted that, due to the migration of the radioactive material through the swamp, activity levels deep in the swamp (locations PL-2, PL-3 and MBC) can be characterized as mixed or even slightly increasing. Table 4 echoes this general reduction throughout the swamp.

Only radionuclides with halflives greater than 2 years - namely, Co-60, Cs-134 and Cs-137 - were found in the samples collected during this three year period. Except at Location A, the levels found for Co-60 and Cs-134 (with radiological halflives of 5.3 and 2.1 years, respectively) were at most only a few times their nominal detection levels.

The swamp might be considered to have retumed to a pristine condition when the levels found in the samples are not significantly different from those found at the background location. On a practical bar,is, this mees that only Cs-i37 which has a radiological half life of 30.2 years would be found at a level of about 400 pCi/kg dry. Except at Location A, the Cs-137 levels generally found during 1994 were only a few times greater than that for the background location.

Since reductions in the activity levels are anticipated to continue at about the same relative rate, a longer period for reporting is warranted. Henceforth, the program is modified to l extend the assessment period up to five years. As a minimum, muck samples will continue  :

to be collected annually at Locations A, PL-2, PL-3, MBC and at a background location for gamma isotopic analysis. By April 1,2000, GPC will provide a written report of the assessment of the program results for the Years 1995 through 1999. Barring significant .

adverse changes in the results of that assessment, the augmented REMP will be terminated i at that time.

t e

HL-4817 E-3

3 .

'T' Tabie'1-Activity of Manmade Radionuclides found in Each Sample Collected At Select. Locations During 1992, 1993 and 1994

--(pC1/kg dry)

Location 1992 1993 1994 Sample No. 1 2: 3 1 2 3 1 2' F --

Ha.ckoround .;

Cs-137 445 411 323- 346 426 478  :

Eu-154 72 l I

A Co-60 1660 2350' 1190 985 952 945 833 837 Cs-134 795 713 646 310 363 304 188 270 Cs 137 10400 9790 9100 4120 4230 3870 3810' 3900

{

g Co-60 41 29 62 Cs-137 107 105 239- 191- 177 149 -i 11 Cs-137 46 42 520 527  :

EftLil '

Co-60 72 Cs-134 74 66  ;

Cs-137 1800 1730 1100 1360 i

EL_2 Cs-137 953 879 580 583 585 715-. ,

i EL_3 'l Cs-137 288 287 132 123 136 131 MBf Co-60 70 101 78 171 97

.Cs-137 305 303 363 390 271 260 l

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. Table 2 (Sheet ~1 of 2)- ~

- J Average Activity of~ Manmade Radionuclides Found in Samples i Collected at Select 1.ocations in Each of the'Following Years

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j (pCi/kg dry) I Loeation- 1932 1933 1932 193H 1111 1932 1932 1914.

Backaround Cs-137 342 369 708 280 418 428 335 452 Eu-154 72  ;

A <

Mn-54 1684 '183 513 i

Fe-59 430 Co-58 270

)

Co-60 6202 3628 4627 2567 1312 1733 961 835 l' Zn-65 3118 631 Sb-125 658 Cs-134 10892 3642 3153 1400 576 718 326 229 Cs-137 19813 10708 12790 7667 5010 9763 4073 3855 B

Mn-54 74 Co-60 168 61 74 68 58 35 62 Zn-65 165 Cs-134 680 218 '296 100 Cs-137 1390 743 896 800 277 106 215 163 H

Mn-54 23 Co-60 38 61 Cs-134 490 264 248 43 Cs-137 1100 955 999 455 136 44 524 i-

",~ .

Table 2 (Sheet 2 of 2)  ;

Average. Activity of Manmade Radionuclides Found in Samples l Collected at Select Locations in-.Each of the Following Years (pC1/kg dry) ,

Loeation ]3HZ 1933 19]L9 1933 1931 1992 1933 1914 e

New H Co-60 72 Cs-134 70  ;

Cs-137 1765 1235' El d Co-60 27 49 Cs-134 194 67 145 Cs-137 1457 927 558 1450 1205 916 582 650 EL.3 Mn-54 24 Cs-134 340- 91 84 Cs-137- 1488 862 76 870 967 288 128- 134 MEC.

Mn-54 47 Co-60 68 34 34 48 70 90 134 )

Zn-65 95 Cs-134 331 224 Cs-137 807 556 419 280 298 304 377 266 i

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Table 3 Activity of Cs-137 Found in Each Sample-Collected at Other Locations During 1994 (pCi/kg. dry)

Location Sample No. 1 2 D 1490 1300 E 1420 1570 ,

F 1260 1180.

G 1700 1730 .

I 1210 1110 J 351 352 K '145 394 ,

L 1010 602 Z 214 181 PL-1 170 204 NOTE: No other manmade radionuclides were found in these samples.

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E Table 4 (Sheet 1 of 2)

Average Activity.of Manmade Radionuclides Found In .

Samples Collected At Other Locations During 1987 and .1994 ,

(pC1/kg dry) t Loeation 1931, 1921 D [

Mn-54 62 Co-60 168 Cs-134 720 Cs-137 1505 1395-l E

Mn-54 45 g Co-60 137 i Zn-65 220

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Cs-134 1645  :

Cs-137 4050 1495 i

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Mn-54 73 Co-60 85 i Zn-65 97 Cs-134 l

745  ;

Cs-137 2350 ~1220 I

G Mn-54 80 Co-60 320  ;

Zn-65 455 Cs-134

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4250 Cs-137 8800 1715 1

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Mn-54 45

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Co-60 27 j Zn-65 110  ;

Cs-134 1800 I Cs-137 3900 1160

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Table 4 (Sheet 2 of 2) l Average Activity of Manmade Radionuclides Found In. #

Samples Collected.At Other Locations During 1987 and 1994 .

(pC1/kg dry).

Location 193 1 1931 j i

d i Mn-54 23. ..

Cs-134 1000 Cs-137 3000 352 .

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Co-60 76 Cs-134 1100  :

Cs-;37 2530 270 L

Co 36 Cs-134 1260 ,

Cs-137 3130 806 Z '!

Co-60 57 l Cs-134 341 Cs-137 1250 198  ;

EL 1  !

Cs 134 308 i Cs-137 2810 187 1

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