Information Notice 1987-03, Segregation of Hazardous and Low-Level Radioactive Wastes

Segregation of Hazardous and Low-Level Radioactive Wastes

ML031130644
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Three Mile Island, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, 05000000, Zimmer, Fort Saint Vrain, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant, Skagit, Marble Hill
Issue date:	01/15/1987
From:	Jordan E NRC/IE
To:
References
FOIA/PA-2009-0209 IN-87-003, NUDOCS 8701130002
Download: ML031130644 (4)

SSINS No. 6835 IN 87-03 UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 January 15, 1987 IE INFORMATION NOTICE NO. 87-03: SEGREGATION OF HAZARDOUS AND LOW-LEVEL

RADIOACTIVE WASTES

Addressees

All NRC licensees.

Purpose

This notice is provided to inform all licensees who generate low-level radio- active waste that their internal controls should be sufficient to preclude

inclusion of nonradioactive hazardous wastes (as defined by EPA regulations)

in low-level radioactive waste to be disposed of at low-level waste disposal

sites. It is suggested that recipients review this notice for applicability

to their facilities. Suggestions contained in this information notice do

not constitute NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or written

response is required.

Description of Circumstances

During a recent state Inspection at the Richland, Washington waste disposal

site, an inspector discovered a drum leaking elemental mercury. This suggests

that some licensees who generate waste are not fully complying with their

responsibility to ensure that wastes which are not radioactive, but may contain

other hazardous wastes, are segregated at the point of generation and disposed

of properly. In this particular instance the waste package contained elemental

mercury and mercury compounds, which are hazardous wastes, and trash along with

small amounts of radioactive waste. The licensee could have easily segregated

the wastes, but either had no procedures for doing so or did not implement

them. The licensee's failure to segregate the wastes was discovered at the

disposal facility during routine inspection of waste shipments before burial.

Subsequently, the licensee was denied future access to the site, pending

demonstration that adequate corrective measures were in place. Revised pro- cedures that were reviewed by the State of Washington and implemented by the

licensee, have allowed the licensee access to the site.

Discussion:

The three currently operating low-level radioactive waste disposal sites are at

Barnwell, South Carolina; Beatty, Nevada; and Richland, Washington. According

to the 10 CFR 61.52(a)(11), only wastes containing or contaminated with radio- active material may be disposed of at such a facility. These sites are not

authorized to receive and dispose of hazardous waste under the Environmental

IN 87-03 January 15, 1987 Protection Agency's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations.

Licensees who generate low-level radioactive waste should review their procedures

for waste management to ensure that actions have been implemented to segregate

hazardous waste from low-level radioactive waste.

No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.

If you have any questions about this matter, please contact the Regional

Administrator of the appropriate regional office or this office.

Edward L. Jordan, Director

Division of Emergency Preparedness

and Engineering Response

Office of Inspection and Enforcement

Sher Bahadur, NMSS

(301) 427-4495 Attachment:

List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices.

• SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCES

OFC  :*PSAS:IE  :*SMPB:IE  :*NMSS  :*C:SMBP:IE  :*C:EGCB:IE  :*D:DI:IE

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NAME :DGable :AGrella :SBahadur :GSjoblom :RBaer :JPartlow

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DATE :12/3/86sc :12/10/86 :12/9/86 :12/10/86 :12/31/86 :12/22/86 OFC  :*DD:DEPER:IE :D:P  :  ::

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Attachment 1 IN 87-03 January 15, 1987 LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED

IE INFORMATION NOTICES

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Information Ua

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• .w. Subject Issue Issued to

B7-02 Inadequate Seismic Quali- 1/15/87 All power reactor

fication of Diaphragm facilities holding

Valves by Mathematical an OL or CP

Modeling and Analysis

87-01 RHR Valve Misalignment 1/6/87 All PWR facilities

Causes Degradation of holding an OL or CP

ECCS in PWRs86-110 Anomalous Behavior of 12/31/86 All BWR facilities

Recirculation Loop Flow holding an OL or CP

in Jet Pump BWR Plants86-109 Diaphragm Failure In Scram 12/29/86 All BWR facilities

Outlet Valve Causing Rod holding an OL or CP

Insertion

86-108 Degradation Of Reactor 12/29/86 All PWR facilities

Coolant System Pressure holding an OL or CP

Boundary Resulting From

Boric Acid Corrosion

86-107 Entry Into PWR Cavity With 12/29/86 All power reactor

Retractable Incore Detector facilities holding

Thimbles Withdrawn an OL or CP

86-106 Feedwater Line Break 12/16/86 All power reactor

facilities holding

an OL or CP

86-105 Potential For Loss Of 12/19/86 All holders of OL or CP

Reactor Trip Capability for PWR or BWR

At Intermediate Power

Levels86-104 Unqualified Butt Splice 12/16/86 All pressurized and

Connectors Identified In boiling-water reactor

Qualified Penetrations facilities holding

an OL or CP

86-14 Overspeed Trips Of AFW, HPCI, 12/17/86 All power reactor

Supplement 1 And RCIC Turbines facilities holding

an OL or CP

OL = Operating License

CP = Construction Permit

IN-86 December , 1986 Discussion:

The three currently operating low-level radioactive waste disposal sites are at

Barnwell, South Carolina; Beatty, Nevada; and Richland, Washington. According

to the 10 CFR 61.52(a)(11), only wastes containing or contaminated with radio- active material may be disposed of at such a facility. These sites are not

authorized to receive and dispose of hazardous waste under the Environmental

Protection Agency's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations.

Licensees who generate low-level radioactive waste should review their procedures

for waste management to ensure that actions have been implemented to segregate

hazardous waste from low-level radioactive waste.

No specific action or written response is required by this information notice.

If you have any questions about this matter, please contact the Regional

Administrator of the appropriate regional office or this office.

Edward L. Jordan, Director

Division of Emergency Preparedness

and Engineering Response

Office of Inspection and Enforcement

Sher Bahadur, NMSS

(301) 427-4495 Attachment: List of Recently Issued IE Information Notices.

I L I /A a A

OFC :PSAS:IE :SMPB:IE :NMSS 6-:C: MBP:IE :DD:DI:IE 7 :DI:

____------ ;-:------~~~~~--------------- -:- - _--

NAME :DGable :AGrell :SBahadur' :G IVtldm :RSpess d :JPart w

DATE :12/*5/86sc 12/,1 y~ :12/a /86 :12//0/86 :1 /8686 OFC :D IE :P

D:DEPER:IE  :

NAME rtz ELJordan  :

DATE :J.117 8 J :12/ /86  :  :  :

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