ML061710162

NRC Email from Skokowski to Caldwell, Braidwood Groundwater Tritium Issue

ML061710162
Person / Time
Site:	Braidwood
Issue date:	11/30/2005
From:	Richard Skokowski Division of Nuclear Materials Safety III
To:	Caldwell J NRC/RGN-III
References
FOIA/PA-2006-0115
Download: ML061710162 (2)

Text

I* E*;*h *Briadwood Gr-oundwater Tritiurh issue __________ ___________ Page 1 From: Richard Skokowski To: James Caldwell Date: 11/30/05 5:16PM

Subject:

Briadwood Groundwater Tritium Issue Jim, Please see the attached. If you have any questions please contact me or Steven Orth.

Thanks, Rick CC: Anne Boland; Cynthia Pederson; Geoffrey Grant; Gregory Roach; Jan Str'asma; John House; John Robbins; Mark Satorius; Nirodh Shah; Peter Habighorst; Roland Lickus; Stephen Klementowicz; Steven Orth; Steven West (nformation in this record was deleted in accordance with the Freedom of Act, exemptions 1nIoima00 o

(-9 FOI-*

liN-irolhS i~h I~ai zo~{rO(u*(waer: Titwurn" 1sse.'wpd ........ Page 1 Braidwood Groundwater Tritium Issue On November 30, 2005, the licensee informed the Braidwood resident inspectors of higher'than expected tritium levels identified in on-site monitoring wells. The licensee believes that the; higher levels of tritium were due to a historical event related to past vacuum breaker valve leaks in the'circulating water blowdown line to the Kankakee River. (The most probable source of the tritium is from planned effluent releases that use the circulating water blowdown line as the path to the. Kahkakee River.) Specifically, the licensee found tritium levels as high as 58,000 picocuries/liter at the site property line. (The EPA limit for tritium in drinking water is 20,000.

picocuries/liter, and the NRC release limit is 1,000,000 picocuries/liter at the unrestricted boundary.) The history of vacuum break valve leaks include:

• November 1998

• Vacuum Breaker Valve 3. Approximately three million gallons leaked on to the site property.

• December-2000 ...... VacuumBreaker Valve 2.' Aprxmtl lrem in gallons leaked on to the sit-propeify.

• May 2005 ** Vacuum Breaker Valve 1. Few gallons contained with the valve pit.

Based'on the groundwater tritium levels, the concentration levels of the planned releases during the 1998 time frame, and the decay rate of tritium (half life 12.3 years) the licensee believes the elevated tritium is associated with the 1998 leakage.

As a'result of these indications, the licensee has contacted the following:

IEMA: Asst. Director Wright (and others)

Corinne Gordon, Illinois District Representative (i.e., State Congresswoman)

Tom Dahl, Illinois State Senator Mayor of Braidwood.

They also plan to contact Illinois EPA.

The off-site area in the vicinity of where the elevated tritium levels were found Include 3 houses to the west and to the north is a small pond and several undeveloped lots for sale. The licensee planned to contact the homeowners to request drinking water samples and to obtain well samples from the land-owner to the north. These samples are to be analyzed by an independent lab.

Based oh the samples and the hydrology, the licensee believes the plume (body of tritiated water) is headed to the north.

Region Ili will be'sending a Senior Radiation Specialist to Braidwood site on Tuesday (Deýember 1,2005) to -assist the resident inspectors in their evaluation of the situation.

• • corrective actions for the early leaks were Increased walkdowns of the circulating water blowdown.