ML061840059

E-mail from Orth to Braidwood Communication Team, Braidwood Tritium - Recent Contamination Contours, Etc

ML061840059
Person / Time
Site:	Braidwood
Issue date:	12/08/2005
From:	Steven Orth NRC/RGN-III
To:
References
FOIA/PA-2006-0115, FOIA/PA-2010-0209
Download: ML061840059 (5)

Text

Stephen Klementowicz - Braidwood Tritium -- Recent Contamination Contours, etc. . Page 1]

From: Steven Orth To: Braidwood Communications Team Date: 12/8/05 8:37AM

Subject:

Braidwood Tritium -- Recent Contamination Contours, etc.

Greetings, The licensee provided the attached map this morning, which provides a cumulative diagram of onsite and offsite sample results. However, no residential wells are included.

Residential Wells - Region III contacted four of the residents whose wells were sampled by the licensee to offer to provide an independent sample and analysis. Three of the four have accepted the Region III offer, and samples are being obtained (yesterday afternoon and this morning). The person who's well (shallow well < 30') had the positive H-3 result of about 1150 picoCuries per liter declined our offer. From our conversation, he appeared to be very content with the licensee's communications and the split sample that the NRC had been provided.

Licensee Sampling Plan -- Licensee has reported to Region III that it will continue well sampling in all directions to ensure that they have identified the extent of the contamination. In addition, they are also installing wells to characterize the vertical component of the aquifer. From this information, they will be developing options for potential remediation.

Meetings -- The licensee has scheduled a meeting on Monday, December 12 at the site (7:00 pm Central Time) to discuss the matter with nearby residents. This meeting has not been opened to the general pubic. The meeting attendees include the licensee, residents who have been contacted by the licensee, and State personnel (Illinois EPA, EMA, Public Health).

PN -- Region Ill issued an update to the PN, which is also attached.

Thank you, Steven Orth US NRC Region III

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Stephen Klementowicz - PNO-RIII-05-016A.wpd Page 111 Stephen Klernentowicz PNO-RIII-05-01 6A.wpd Page 1]

December 7, 2005 PRELIMINARY NOTIFICATION OF EVENT OR UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE --

PNO-RIII-05-016A This preliminary notification constitutes EARLY notice of events of POSSIBLE safety or public interest significance. The information is as initially received without verification or evaluation, and is basically all that is known by the Region III staff on this date.

Facility Licensee Emergency Classification Braidwood 1 and 2 __ Notification of Unusual Event Exelon Generation Co. __ Alert Braceville, Illinois _ Site Area Emergency Docket: 50-456 and 50-457 _ General Emergency License: NPF-72; NPF-77 X Not Applicable

SUBJECT:

POTENTIAL OFF-SITE MIGRATION OF TRITIUM CONTAMINATION (UPDATE)

DESCRIPTION:

On December 6, 2005, the licensee notified the NRC that low levels of tritium had been found in a drinking water well at an off-site residence as it continues to evaluate and characterize the migration of tritium in groundwater near the plant. Tritium, which is the radioactive form of hydrogen, occurs in small quantities in nature and is also produced during reactor operations.

The licensee's initial evaluation indicated that the tritium in the groundwater was a result of past leakage from a pipe which carries normally non-radioactive circulating water discharge to the Kankakee River, about five miles from the site. Several millions gallons of water leaked from the discharge pipe in 1998 and 2000. The discharge pipe is also used for planned liquid radioactive effluent releases with the effluent mixing with the circulating water being discharged.

(Braidwood, like most nuclear plants, releases small concentrations of radioactive liquids under controlled and monitored conditions and within limits imposed by the NRC.) The licensee is continuing to evaluate the tritium contamination to assure they have identified all possible leakage paths from the circulating water discharge line.

Preliminary sampling results from the drinking water well at a residence about 1/4 mile from the site boundary showed a tritium level of 1,150 picocuries per liter, which is a small fraction of the EPA drinking water standard of 20,000 picocuries per liter. Samples have been collected at several other residential drinking water wells in the area and no measurable levels of tritium above background were found, according to licensee data.

Measurable levels of tritium have been found offsite in shallow monitoring wells drilled last week to assess the tritium movement and in a small pond. The offsite sampling program was initiated after the licensee has measured tritium levels in shallow onsite monitoring wells as high as 58,000 picocuries per liter. The highest level found in an offsite shallow monitoring well is CONTACTS:

John House Steven Orth

Stephen Klementowicz - PNO-RIII-05-016A.wpd Page 2:

630/829-9824 630/829-9827

Stephen Klementowicz - PNO-RIII-05-016A.wpd Page 31i PNO-RIII-05-016A 34,000 picocuries per liter. These levels of tritium are a small fraction of NRC limits for radioactive effluent releases to the environment and do not represent a health and safety hazard.

Region Ill dispatched a radiation specialist to the site on December 1, 2005, to assist the NRC resident inspectors in their review of the circumstances surrounding the elevated measurements and the licensee's activities addressing the elevated tritium levels. The NRC has also split samples with the licensee for both drinking water wells and monitoring wells and sent the samples to an NRC contract laboratory for independent analysis. The first results are expected on December 9, 2005. Additional NRC independent samples are planned, and this preliminary notification will be updated as NRC analytical results become available.

The licensee is continuing to evaluate the tritium movement and is developing plans for further monitoring and possible mitigation measures. The licensee issued a news release on December 1, 2005, and has contacted affected property owners as well as State and local officials.

Region III was notified of the initial elevated tritium measurements on November 30, 2005. The information in this preliminary notification has been reviewed with licensee management and is current as of 11 a.m. on December 7, 2005.