ML061710353

NRC Email from Cassidy to Phalen, Emailing Drop in Notes

ML061710353
Person / Time
Site:	Braidwood
Issue date:	02/10/2006
From:	Cassidy J NRC/RGN-III
To:	Phalen M NRC/RGN-III
References
FOIA/PA-2006-0115
Download: ML061710353 (4)

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"UW I From: John Cassidy gVol To: Phalen, Martin Date: 2/10/06 3:32PM

Subject:

Emailing: Drop in notes.wpd.

Your files are attached and ready to send with this message.

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Subject:

Emailing: Drop in notes.wpd Creation Date: 2/10/06 3:32PM From: John Cassidy Created By: jgc3 @nrc.gov Recipients ch-po.CHDO MJP (Martin Phalen)

Post Office Route ch_po.CHIDO Files Size Date & Time MESSAGE 436 02/10/06 03:32PM Drop in notes.wpd 17793 02/10/06 03:32PM Options Expiration Date: None Priority: Standard Reply Requested: No Return Notification: None Concealed

Subject:

No Security: Standard

Braidwood Groundwater Contamination

Background

On November 30, the licensee reported tritium was identified in off-site monitoring wells.

Current sample results have identified levels of tritium as high as 285,000 picocuries per liter in deep wells (25') onsite and offsite. Offsite levels in shallowwells have been identified as high as about 59,000 picocuries per liter (non-drinking water well) and at about 1400 - 1600 picocuries per liter in one residential drinking water well.. Initial sample results (including independent NRC samples of residential wells) have detected levels of tritium consistent with the licensee's results.

On December 16, 2005, the State of Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued the licensee a Violation Notice for contaminating the groundwater.

Status Liquid radwaste is being stored onsite in temporary storage tanks. Radwaste discharges will not resume until the blowdown line integrity is verified. As part of that inspection, members of the Region III staff observed the licensee's non-destructive evaluation of sections of the blowdown line. The results of that testing are under evaluation.

Although the results of that testing are under evaluation, another offsite vacuum breaker failure occurred on January 15, 2006, releasing non-radioactive water onto the ground.

The licensee has extended its communications of the incidents to additional members of the public. On January, 26, 2006, the licensee issued a letter that has been sent out to the three local zip codes surrounding the site (approximately 2700 addressees). The letter provides the message that has been communicated through the licensee'spress briefings - accepting responsibility for the contamination, stating that the contamination poses no health or safety hazard, and describing the licensee's current course of action. The licensee has also developed a WEB site (www.BraidwoodTritium.info) to provide updated information to the public The licensee is continuing its evaluation of the tritium contamination and its proposals for remediation. Recently, the licensee identified additional contamination in groundwater at an offsite location which is owned by the Forest Preserve District. In one of three groundwater well locations, the licensee measured tritium at about 24,500 picoCuries per liter (shallow well).

NRC split-sample

-licensee's recover.analyses are ongoing, as are NRC ins ection activities to assess the efot adpumi i

~.

Meetings A licensee meeting with nearby residents took place on December 12, 2005, which Region III staff and State officials attended.

On December 20, 2005 and January 23, 2005, members of the Region III staff participated in meetings between and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the licensee in Springfield, Illinois, which the licensee discussed the apparent origin of the contamination, its monitoring program and initial characterization, and the its future plans.

Region III and Headquarters staffs (OGC, NRR, OEDO, S On Wednesday, January 25, 2006, Chicago media ran front-page reports of the events at the station, and the licensee conducted a media briefing that *as also reported.

On Thursday, January 26, 2006, Exelon conducted a second meeting with residents living near the Braidwood facility. This meeting was a continuation of the licensee's communication plan with local stakeholders (approximately 25-30 local residents and 2 local news reporters), which was also attended by State regulatory agencies. The topics were the current status of characterizing the tritium contamination,.financial remedies, and remediation plans/progress.

The residents expressed concerns related to potential health effects, to property values, and to the delay in identifying and communicating the 1998 and 2000 leaks. Region III attended the meeting, and limited questions of the NRC were raised.

The City of Godley, which is a town immediately SouthWest of the site, conducted a town meeting on February 7, 2006, to discuss the potential impacts from the tritium contamination.

The town was previously impacted by diesel fuel oil spills from Braidwood that occurred in the late 1990s. The NRC was invited to attend and did paticpate as a panel memeber.

The licensee is planning a "Community Information Night" at some time in February 2006, which Region III plans to attend.