ML091890825
| ML091890825 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Indian Point  |
| Issue date: | 07/08/2009 |
| From: | Barkley R NRC Region 1 |
| To: | Cipriani I - No Known Affiliation |
| Barkley R | |
| References | |
| Download: ML091890825 (2) | |
Text
July 8, 2009 Isabella Cipriani 75 West Street #6D New York, New York 10006
Dear Ms. Cipriani:
I am responding to a letter you wrote to Mel Gray of this office on May 22, 2009. The letter was sent to our Washington office and took some time to get routed to the office where Mr. Gray and I work, which is just outside Philadelphia. I handle technical communications for our office and reply back to concerned citizens, local officials, and members of Congress who write to us with nuclear safety questions and concerns.
In your letter, you expressed a concern about a recent piping leak at Indian Point. This piping leak occurred from a small hole that corroded through a pipe buried seven feet underground; thus the condition of the pipe was not visible to Mr. Grays four onsite NRC inspectors. Once Entergy staff identified tell-tale signs of leakage, the pipe was promptly dug up and the corroded section replaced in a few days. The pipe which corroded continued to perform its function of allowing water to flow back to a storage tank. Most nuclear power plant piping, particularly that which performs a nuclear safety function, runs above ground through buildings and thus is visible and accessible to our resident inspectors and the Indian Point staff. The NRC requires that nuclear safety-related piping that runs underground be periodically checked for integrity (by means other than direct visual examination) through tests that verify correct flow or pressure is maintained in the piping. Our inspection staff will continue to monitor and assess the adequacy of actions operators of the plant take to prevent this problem in the future.
As for the safety of nuclear power plants, I urge you to learn more about the matter by visiting the NRCs website at www.nrc.gov. It contains a lot of information about nuclear power plant design, reactor safety features, and the work of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, including the wide range of nuclear safety aspects we regulate and inspect. If you do not have a technical background, I urge you to check out the icon marked, For Students & Teachers, which will provide you with explanations of this complex technology in laymans terms.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to give me a call at (610) 337-5065.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Richard S. Barkley, PE Technical Communications Assistant
ML091890825 OFFICE RI/TCA RI/DRP RI/RA NAME RBarkley MGray MDapas DATE 06/23/09 06/29/09 07/01/09