ML13162A363
| ML13162A363 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Braidwood  |
| Issue date: | 05/31/2013 |
| From: | Exelon Generation Co |
| To: | Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| Download: ML13162A363 (12) | |
Text
Appendix D Cultural Resources Correspondence Braidwood Station Environmental Report
This Page Intentionally Left Blank Braidwood Station Environmental Report Appendix D - Cultural Resources Correspondence Table of Contents Letter Page Michael P. Gallagher, Exelon Generation, to Anne E. Haaker, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency ................................................................................................................................ D-1 Anne E. Haaker, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, to Michael P. Gallagher, Exelon Generation ................................................................................................................................ D-7 Byron and Braidwood Stations, Units 1 and 2 Page D-iii License Renewal Application
This Page Intentionally Left Blank Braidwood Station Environmental Report Appendix D - Cultural Resources Correspondence on Generation.
November 09,201 2 Ms. Anne E. Haaker Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Preservation Services Division Illinois Historic Preservation Agency 1 Old State Capitol Plaza Springfield, Illinois 62701-1 507
SUBJECT:
Exelon Generation, LLC - Braidwood Station Units 1 and 2 License Renewal Application. Request for Information on Historic and Archaeological Resources
Dear Ms. Haaker:
Exelon Generation, LLC (Exelon) plans to apply to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for renewal of the operating licenses for Braidwood Station (Braidwood) Units 1 and 2, in June 2013. The existing operating license for Unit 1 will expire on October 17, 2026, and the existing operating license for Unit 2 will expire on December 18, 2027. Renewed licenses would allow Braidwood Units 1 and 2 to operate until 2046 and 2047, respectively.
As part of the license renewal process, the NRC requires license renewal applications to include environmental reports assessing the impacts from license renewal activities on historic and archeological resources on the Braidwood site and within the transmission line right-of-way (ROW) that connects the plant to the transmission system. Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), this letter seeks input from the Illinois SHPO regarding such effects in the vicinity of Braidwood. Later, the NRC may also request an informal consultation with your office in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 USC 470), and the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations (36 CFR 800).
Project Features Braidwood is located in northeastern Illinois, about 60 miles southwest of Chicago, in Will County. The property is approximately 1 mile from the town of Godley, 2 miles from the town of Braidwood, and 6 miles from the town of Wilmington, as shown in Figure 1.
The Braidwood site property includes approximately 4,457 acres, of which approximately 2,537 acres comprise the cooling pond. Formerly a strip mine, the cooling pond was created during 1980 through 1981 by pumping water from the Kankakee River into the mine excavations. Braidwood is situated in an area of relatively flat to rolling terrain.
Agriculture is the dominant land use within a 6-mile radius of the site.
The nuclear generating facilities at Braidwood are sited in the northwest quadrant of the site and include the two reactor containment buildings and related structures, a switchyard, administration buildings, warehouses, and other features. The cooling pond makeup water intake and blowdown discharge pipelines run in a ROW from the northeast site boundary to a location on the Kankakee River approximately 5 miles east.
Byron and Braidwood Stations, Units 1 and 2 Page D-1 License Renewal Application
Braidwood Station Environmental Report Appendix D - Cultural Resources Correspondence Two 345-kilovolt (345-kV) electrical transmission lines collocated in a single ROW, shown on Figure 2, were constructed with the station to connect it to the electric grid at the location of the former Crete transmission substation (TSS) (now retired) and are considered to be within the scope of the license renewal project. The ROW, which is owned and maintained by Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd), is referred to as the Braidwood-to-Crete (retired) ROW for purposes of the license renewal project, but it has also been referred to in other documentation as the Braidwood-to-Davis Creek ROW. The Braidwood-to-Crete (retired) ROW ranges from 315 to 455 feet wide and extends approximately 55.5 miles east of the station and passes through a region that is primarily agricultural or rangeland. The area is mostly remote, with low population densities. The ROW crosses Will and Kankakee counties as well as the Kankakee River. In locations where the ROW passes through farmland, the land generally continues to be used as farmland.
Identification of Historic and Archeological Resources Using the National Register Information System (NRIS) on-line database, a search was conducted to identify any historic properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) within a six- mile radius of the Braidwood property, which encompasses the ROW for the cooling pond makeup water intake and blowdown discharge pipelines, and within two miles of the transmission line ROW of interest. No sites listed on the NRHP were found within this search radius.
A search of the Illinois State Archaeological Site Files identified 455 previously recorded archaeological sites within six miles of the Braidwood facility, or within two miles of the transmission line ROW of interest. No archaeological sites have been recorded on the Braidwood property. Twenty-one of the 455 previously recorded sites intersect the transmission line ROW. Table I lists the archaeological sites that intersect the transmission line ROW from Braidwood to the former location of the Crete substation.
Activities During the License Renewal Term Renewal of the Braidwood Units 1 and 2 operating licenses will involve neither new construction, nor any land disturbing activities, changes to plant operations, or modifications of the transmission system that connects the plant to the regional electric grid. Operation and maintenance activities during the terms of the renewed licenses are only expected to occur in previously disturbed areas or existing ROWs. Hence, Exelon believes that continued operation and maintenance of Units 1 and 2 over the license renewal terms (i.e., an additional 20 years for each unit), including maintenance of the ROWs for the transmission line and cooling pond makeup water intake and blowdown discharge pipelines, would not adversely affect any archeological or historically significant resources. Even so, Exelon Generation is implementing specific procedures, including a Cultural Resources Management Plan (CRMP), for protecting cultural resources in undisturbed areas from activities related to operation and maintenance on the Braidwood plant site, including the ROW for the cooling pond makeup water intake and blowdown discharge pipelines. Therefore, effects on cultural resources from future activities would be identified in advance and avoided or appropriately mitigated.
In the case of the Braidwood-to-Crete (retired) ROW, ComEd has established maintenance procedures for transmission line ROWs that involve minimal land Byron and Braidwood Stations, Units 1 and 2 Page D-2 License Renewal Application
Braidwood Station Environmental Report Appendix D - Cultural Resources Correspondence disturbance and are unlikely to result in inadvertent adverse impacts to potential historic or archaeological resources.
As stated earlier, this letter seeks input from the Illinois SHPO regarding the effects that license renewal activities may have on historic and archeologically significant resources in the vicinity of Braidwood. After your review of the information provided in this letter, Exelon would appreciate your sending a letter detailing any concerns you may have about historic and archaeological resources in the area of Braidwood, or within two miles of the ROW of interest, or alternatively, confirming that operation of Braidwood over the license renewal terms would have no effect on known historic or archaeological resources.
Because Exelon will incorporate a copy of your response, as well as this letter, into the Braidwood license renewal environmental report that will be submitted to the NRC as part of the Braidwood license renewal application, your response will be most helpful if it is received by December 14,2012.
Please refer any questions regarding this submittal to Nancy Ranek, our License Renewal Environmental Lead, at (610) 765-5369. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Michael P Gallagher
Enclosures:
Figure 1: Project Location Map Figure 2: Braidwood-to-Crete (retired) Transmission Line ROW Table 1: Archaeological Sites Located within 2 miles of the Braidwood Transmission Line ROW Byron and Braidwood Stations, Units 1 and 2 Page D-3 License Renewal Application
Braidwood Station Environmental Report Appendix D - Cultural Resources Correspondence
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- I ? ~ " S Figure1: Project Location Map Byron and Braidwood Stations, Units 1 and 2 Page D-4 License Renewal Application
Braidwood Station Environmental Report Appendix D - Cultural Resources Correspondence Byron and Braidwood Stations, Units 1 and 2 Page D-5 License Renewal Application
Braidwood Station Environmental Report Appendix D - Cultural Resources Correspondence Table I: Archaeological Sites Located within 2 miles of the Braidwood Transmission Line ROW.
w
.-- - -- -Site
-- -
Number - - a -- - - ---. - -- Site
-- -
Type 1 1111rO"i179 1 Prehistoric 1 i l
--
l ~
- -
~ - ? ---
-- - - --
Prehistoric
- .-- --- -I 1 111CA181 1 1
Prehistoric I t-----11~~288 - --Archaic -- - a -n-- d ~ -o- o d l a n d m I 11W1233 I Early Woodland Habitation 1 I - - -11W1236 - - - I - -- Archaic-
-
and Middle
- - -Woodland
- - -
-
I 11W1237 Late Archaic - Habitation 1 - - 11W1238
-- -.-
1 I -- --- -.
Prehistoric
--. -.
-
Habitation I 11W12136 Prehistoric Unknown I 11W12139
--.---
1 I
Prehistoric Unknown I I
11W12140 Prehistoric Unknown I 11W12149 1 Historic
-
1 Archaic 1 IlW12156 1 I
Early Archaic 1 I1 11W12157 11W12158
--
I
- -
Prehistoric Unknown Historic 1 I1 I
11Wl2169 --
Prehistoric Unknown 11W 12427 1 Middle Archaic 1 11W 12429 Prehistoric Unknown 1 IIW 13362 I Earlv Industrial 1 Byron and Braidwood Stations, Units 1 and 2 Page D-6 License Renewal Application
Braidwood Station Environmental Report Appendix D - Cultural Resources Correspondence
/ Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
- 4 Old State Eap!loi Plaza a Springfield, t!i~rrois6270t-1512 vvww.~lIrnois-hisiory.gov Will County PLEASE REFER TO: IHPA LOG #007111312 Braidwood SE of SR 129 NRC Operating license renewal, Exelon Generation, LLC November 15, 2012 Michael P. Gallagher Exelon Generation, LLC 200 Exelon Way Kennett Square, PA 19348
Dear Mr. Gallagher:
We have reviewed the documentation submitted for the referenced project(s1 in accordance with 36 CFR Part 800.4. Based upon the information provided, no historic properties are affected. We, therefore, have no objection to the undertaking proceeding as planned.
Please retain this letter in your files as evidence of compliance with section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. This clearance remains in effect for two (2) years from date of issuance. It does not pertain to any discovery during construction, nor is it a clearance for purposes of the Illinois Human Skeletal Remains Protection Act (20 ILCS 3440).
If you are an applicant, please submit a copy of this letter to the state or federal agency from which you obtain any permit, license, grant, or other assistance.
Sincerelv.
Anne E. Haaker Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer ior :he speech!hear;ng !mpaksd is avar3,lab!eat 277-524-7128. It is not a A te;er).pet'~r!iei voice or far iine.
Byron and Braidwood Stations, Units 1 and 2 Page D-7 License Renewal Application
Braidwood Station Environmental Report Appendix D - Cultural Resources Correspondence This Page Intentionally Left Blank Byron and Braidwood Stations, Units 1 and 2 Page D-8 License Renewal Application