ML061840455

E-mail from Habighorst to Boland and Skokowski Re Briefing with Senator Obama'S Staff

ML061840455
Person / Time
Site:	Braidwood
Issue date:	12/12/2005
From:	Peter Habighorst NRC/EDO
To:	Boland A, Richard Skokowski NRC/RGN-II
References
FOIA/PA-2006-0115
Download: ML061840455 (3)

Text

S.SS.fl *Lt.d*  %.LIt* *t4 J ~tA~ S r i 1qj

.,/' * /

"I * .* .

From: Peter Habighorst To: Anne Boland; Richard Skokowski Date: Mon, Dec 12, 2005 11:21 AM

Subject:

Briefing with Senator Obama's Staff Anne and Rick, Appreciate the support to brief Senator Obama's staff member ..... Attached is a summary of this briefing...Please coordinate with Tom Combs and myself for periodic sampling updates and when to schedule the final briefing on this matter...thanks CC: Thomas Combs deleted Information in this record was of tnformatioa in accordance with the Freedom Act, exzmti -

FOdAl-Oa **

Congressional Staff Briefihg on December 12, 2005 Status Update on Braidwood Tritium Contamination and identification within offsite residential wells.

The staff from Region mI (DRS, DRP, PAO, SLO), OCA, OEDO offices briefed Todd Adisen (Senator Obama's office).

NRC Discussion Topics:

• Licensee has recently drilled approximately 40 test wells offsite around a pond north of the plant's owner controlled area.

• Some tritium was found to contaminate the pond (3,000 - 5,000 pci/L). A vacant lot near the site boundary on the south side of the pond, tritium samples were recorded at approximately 33,000 pci/L.

• A total of seven resident drinking wells have been sampled. One of the seven currently have tritium concentrations above background (1/10 the EPA drinking standard). Three additional residents east of the plume exposure are currently being sampled.

0 NRC has reached out to four residents for additional samples. Three of four have accepted the NRC's request for an additional sample. All of the licensee's samples have been split by the NRC with a confirmation of one is still above background.

• The resident who declined an additional sample, is at the location where the tritiunri is above background. The resident was happy with the licensee's information regarding the results and health impacts.

Why has this migration occurred? NRC's response was that it was believed to be from spills that occurred in 1998 and 2000. NRC does not believe an active leak currently exists. The licensee has temporarily suspended liquid radioactive releases.

Will we issue penalties or enforcement actions? The region will continue to evaluate this issue and any findings will be dispositioned with the ROP

• Licensee is currently working on dose assessments in pathway

• Tonight approximately 8-9 household residents will attend a licensee sponsored meeting with the NRC (SRI and PAO) and Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

0 Little media interest in this event

Oj 0 A number of plants have had conditions in which tritium did not reach the public domain inadvertently, such as on-site spills, leaks, or unusual occurrences. For example, six sites since the early 1990 have reported trace amounts of tritium above background within the on-site monitoring wells.

• Reinforced that routine, planned, controlled and monitored liquid releases including radioisotope of tritium occur at each of the power plants. NRC regulations dictate the amount of radioisotopes during planned discharges.

• NRC staff provided the basis for our tritium release rates in 10 CFR 20 Appendix B.

Senate staff member was interested in one more followup and status of test results going forward. Coordination between Region III and OCA.