ML062990043
| ML062990043 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Bailly |
| Issue date: | 10/13/1977 |
| From: | Case E Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Herbst R US Dept of Interior (DOI) |
| References | |
| FOIA/PA-2007-0015 | |
| Download: ML062990043 (3) | |
Text
0 UNITED STATES.
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION tWASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 1-,*
0 OCT 13 1977 Docket No. 50-367 The Honorable R. L. Herbst Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Office of the Secretary United States Department of the Interior.
Washington, D. C. 20240
Dear Mr. Herbst:
This is in response to your letter of September.14, 1977 to SMr.
L. V. Gossick wherein.you indicate the Department of Interior's concerns about construction and operation impacts of Northern Indiana Public Service Company's(NIPSCO) fossil generating station and Nuclear 1 Station on the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
We understand that you offer these concerns in support of Secretary Andrus' declaration to preserve the integrity of the lakeshore, by monitoring each step of the project's progress and insisting upon the resolution of problems as they are identified.
We recognize the Department's responsibilities for the National Lakp.shore and we will cooperate to the fullest extent possible in assisting the Department in fulfilling those responsibilities.
For its part, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has been continuing to fulfill its responsibility, under NEPA, to consider carefully all of the effects of construction and operation of the.Bailly Nuclear Plant on the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
By the terms, of the construction permit, the Commission staff reviews and evaluates the results of NIPSCO's monitoring programs to assure that the impacts do not exceed those determined to be acceptable during the licensing process.
Such monitoring programs permit the staff to require mitigating action if it appears that acceptable impact levels will be exceeded.
As you indicated, NIPSCO received an amended construction permit to install a slurry wall in lieu of a well point dewatering system that had been evaluated and found acceptable in public hearings.
The slurry wall installation and anticipated operation had been thoroughly ventilated in the NRC adjudicatory public hearings where it was determined that it should provide significant reduction in the amount of dewatering requifred in placing the foundations.
It appears that the slurry wall has reduced the previous approved well point dewatering by 80% to 90%, which is consistent with the expectations discussed on the record of the slurry wall proceeding.
i)
Mr.' R. L. lierbst 2
The NRC staff has, in response to your letter, initiated several actions of interest to you.
On September 21, 1977, members of NRC's and NIPSCO's staffs met and discussed proposed changes in foundation pile installation, including well point dewatering, your letter and your concerns.
As a result of the meeting, the staff planned a site visit to gain first hand knowledge of the most recent monitoring well history and construction activities as they affect the interdunal ponds.
This is in addition to the periodic NRC staff review of NIPSCO's monitoring program.
Further, the NRC staff is requiring NIPSCO, in addition to filing monthly reports regarding the monitoring well data, to telephone the monitoring well data to the NRC on a more frequent basis while the monitoring well data are being evaluated and the monitoring criteria confirmed, or adjusted, as required.
The staff, further, prohibited the operation of the well point dewatering system, except for a demonstration during the site visit, until a more detailed assess-ment could be completed.
The actual site visit of the NRC staff took place on September 23, 1977.
On September 27, 1977, Mr.
H. R. Denton, Director of the Division of Site Safety and Environmental Analysis, and several NRC staff members met with Dr. T. W. Sudia, Chief Scientist with the National Park Service (NPS),
several members of the NPS, and representatives of the Department of Justice.
The various concerns presented in your letter were discussed in detailand several possible approaches to addressing these problems were identified.
Of those approaches discussed, it was apparent that the first step should be to divorce the short-term dewatering problem associ-ated with the nuclear plant construction from the potentially longer-term impacts of the fossil plants' ash ponds as they affect the interdunal ponds.
There was general agreement that this can be achieved.
In order to accomplish this, it was agreed that a more complex monitoring well system will be required.
It was also recognized that there is a need for NPS to provide NRC with guidelines defining NPS goals in sufficient detail as to permit NRC to develop the basis for NIPSCO to provide an engineering solution.
Subsequent to the September 27 meeting, the NRC staff met with NIPSCO representatives to further discuss the proposed change in the method of pile installation and the need for modifying the existing monitoring program to insure that neither the proposed method of pile installation nor the excavation dewatering program will have a measurable impact on the interdunal pond water levels within the National Park.
On September 30, 1977 the NRC staff provided NIPSCO with the criteria necessary to establish a monitoring program to meet these objectives.
The National Park Service will be kept informed as the program progresses.
NIPSCO is to respond with a detailed monitoring program for review and approval to assure that the program meets the criteria.
6 Mr.
R. L. Herbst 3
The third concern, brought out in your letter, is with developing an evacuation plan adequate to protect the health and safety of park visitors.
Although NRC regulations (50.34(a) and 50.34(b)(6)(v)) do not require more than a preliminary plan at the construction stage, and the final plan for an operating license review stage we have initiated activities which will result early in a definitive emergency plan to be developed in cooperation with NPS.
We want to reassure you that NRC will continue to cooperate fully with DOI.
We anticipate that with our staffs working together the concerns you have identified will be resolved expeditiously to both our agencies satisfaction.
Edson G. Case, Actinq Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation cc:
The Honorable United States Richard G. Lugar Senate The Honorable Floyd J. Fithian.
United States House of Representatives
)