IR 05000255/1985019
| ML20137E578 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palisades  |
| Issue date: | 08/12/1985 |
| From: | Greger L, Lovendale P NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION III) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20137E574 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-255-85-19, NUDOCS 8508230282 | |
| Download: ML20137E578 (5) | |
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U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
REGION III
Report No. 50-255/85019(DRSS)
Docket No. 50-255
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License No. DPR-20 Licensee:
Consumers Power Company 212 West Michigan Avenue Jackson, MI.49201 Facility Name:
Palisades Nuclear Generating Plant Inspection At:
Palisades Site, Covert, MI Inspection Conducted:
July 30-31, 1985 BMJ/M Inspector:
P Date D
Approved By:
L. R. Greger, Chief 8//MM Facilities Radiation Protection Date Section Inspection Summary Inspection on July 30-31, 1985 (Report No. 50-255/85019(DRSS))
Areas Inspected:
Routine, unannounced inspection of the radiation protection program including:
training and qualifications, solid radioactive waste, transportation activities, open items, and a cooling tower overflow event.
The ' inspection involved 12 inspector-hours onsite by one NRC inspector.
Results:
No violations or deviations were identified.
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0508230282 850813ADOCK 05000255 PDR PDR
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OETAILS 1.
Persons Contacted
- C. Axtell, Health Physics Superintendent
- W. Beckman, Radiological Services Manager E. Bogue, Radiation Safety Supervisor
- N. Campbell, Senior Health Physicist J. Firlet, Plant Manager
- D. Fitzgibbons, Licensing Engineer
- M. Grogan, RMC Supervisor L. Kenaga, Staff Health Physicist
- D. Malone, Senior Engineer
- R. McCaleb, QA Director
- C. Anderson, NRC Resident Inspector
- E. Swanson, NRC Senior Resident Inspector The inspectors also contacted other licensee employees including radiation protection technicians and members of the engineering and maintenance staffs.
- Denotes those present at the exit meeting.
2.
General This inspection, which began at 7:00 a.m. on July 30, 1985, was conducted to review the operational radiation protection and radwaste programs, including training and qualifications, solid radioactive waste, trans-portation activities, open items, and a cooling tower overflow event.
During plant tours, the inspector noted a significant improvement in plant housekeeping and access controls.
Area postings were good.
3.
Licensee Actions on Previous Inspection Findings (Closed) Violation (255/84006-04; 255/85022-02; 255/85010-04; 255/85010-06):
Failure to follow radiation protection procedures.
The inspector verified that corrective actions outlined in licensee responses dated August 15, 1984, December 21, 1984, and June 20, 1985, had been taken.
No further procedure compliance problems were noted.
(Closed) Open Items (255/85010-01; 255/85010-03):
Technician staffing levels and excessive turnover.
Since May 1985 the authorized number of radiation protection technician positions has been increased by one to a total of 25.
Although only nineteen of these positions are filled, the technician staff appears to have stabilized and contracted technicians are being utilized to fill the vacant positions.
(Closed) Open Item (255/85010-05):
Numerous minor leaks from pipe
..gs and valves in radioactive systems.
The licensee's program to reduce the number of outstanding work requests for repair of these leaks was reviewed.
Good progress was observed.
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(Closed) Open Item (255/85010-07):
Improve sensitivity of the portal monitors.
A procedure revision to improve the sensitivity of the portal monitors has been implemented.
No problems were noted.
No violations or deviations were identified.
4.
Training and Qualifications The inspector reviewed the training and qualifications aspects of the licensee's radiation protection, radwaste, and transportation programs, including:
changes in responsibilities, policies, programs, and methods; qualifications of newly hired or promoted radiation protection personnel; and provisions for appropriate radiation protection, radwaste and trans-portation training for station personnel.
Also reviewed were management I
techniques used to implement these programs and experience concerning self-identification and correction of program implementation weaknesses.
Training and qualifications of selected radiation protection staff members were reviewed including conformance to ANSI N18.1-1971 selection criteria and Regulatory Guides 1.8 and 8.27.
No problems were noted.
One radiation protection technician is currently attending training classes at Midland.
All other radiation protection technicians have completed this training.
The licensee expects to have the six technician vacancies filled and the incumbents attending classes at Midland by l
October 1985.
No violations or deviations were identified.
5.
Solid Radwaste The inspector reviewed the licensee's solid radioactive waste management program, including:
determination whether changes to equipment and procedures were in accordance with 10 CFR 50.59; adequacy of implementing procedures to properly classify and characterize waste, prepare manifests,
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and mark packages; overall performance of the process control and quality l
assurance programs; adequacy of required records, reports, and notifica-tions; and experience concerning identification and correction of programmatic weaknesses.
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The licensee has only 750 cubic feet of solid radioactive waste onsite; considerably less than the 9000 cubic feet stored onsite as of March 1985.
In addition, the licensee has cleaned out and refurbished their storage facilities.
l The licensee does not segregate solid radwaste for possible disposal as clean waste and currently has no firm plans to do so.
However, the licensee does attempt to minimize the amount of material taken in to the controlled area such as boxes and other packaging materials.
No violations or deviations were identified.
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6.
Transportation Activities The inspector reviewed the licensee's transportation of radioactive materials program, including:
determination whether written implementing procedures are adequate, maintained current, properly approved, and acceptably implemented; determination whether shipments are in compliance with NRC and 00T regulations and the licensee's quality assurance program; determination if there were any transportation incidents involving licensee shipments; adequacy of required records, reports, shipment documentation, and notifications; and experience concerning identification of programmatic weaknesses.
The inspector observed radioactive waste shipment preparations.
The waste was prepared for shipment in accordance with D0T and NRC regulations.
The licensee has not heard any negative reports from the burial site regarding their shipments since June 1983. An audit of transportation activities conducted by the corporate office in September 1984 did not reveal any significant problems in this area.
No violations ~or deviations were identified.
7.
Cooling Tower Overflow The inspector reviewed the licensee's response to a cooling tower overflow event which occurred during this inspection, including:
the adequacy of the licensee's sampling program for determining if any release of radioactive material occurred, the responsiveness of the radwaste group to the event, and corrective measures planned to prevent radiological releases in the event of a recurrence.
On July 31, 1985, at about 10:30 a.m., a problem with the cooling tower control panel caused a bypass valve to open which diverted all the water flow to the cooling tower basin.
This caused an estimated 350,000 gallons of water to overflow the basin and flood the south end of the site including the south radwaste building.
Although some low level contamina-tion was present in some portions of the building, the majority of the building had recently been decontaminated.
The licensee immediately initiated a sampling program to determine if any radioactive material had been washed from the south radwaste building to the lake via the storm sewer system and a nearby trench. Water samples taken inside the radwaste building showed some low level contamination, 4.4E-6 microcuries per milliliter cobalt-60 and 2.2E-6 microcuries per milliliter cesium-137 which are less than unrestricted area maximum permissible concentrations (MPC).
Also, a water sample taken just outside the radwaste building showed 1.7E-7 microcuries per milliliter cesium-137 which is also only a fraction of MPC.
No radioactivity was found-in the water samples taken from the liquid pathways from the site to the lake.
The licensee is continuing to evaluate sand samples collected, but it appears that no significant release to the lake occurred as a result of this event.
This event was similar to an event which occurred in December 1981 (Inspection Report No. 50-255/81-27).
This matter, including possible corrective measures to prevent future flooding of the south radwaste building, was discussed during the exit meeting and will be reviewed further during a future inspe tion.
(255/85019-01)
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Exit Meeting The inspector met with licensee representatives (denoted in Section 1) at the conclusion of the inspection on May 2, 1985.
The inspector summarized the scope and findings of the inspection.
The inspector also discussed the likely informational content of the inspection report with regard to documents or processes reviewed by the inspectors during the inspection.
The licensee did not identify any such documents as proprietary.
The licensee stated that steps to prevent future flooding of the south radwaste building (dikes) as a result of future cooling tower overflow events would be explored, t
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