ML13184A013

G20130435 - Desalination Plant for Drinking Water within 3.5 Miles of Indian Point

ML13184A013
Person / Time
Site:	Indian Point
Issue date:	07/05/2013
From:	Robert Beall Plant Licensing Branch 1
To:	Madronero D - No Known Affiliation
Pickett D
Shared Package
ML13184A006	List: ML13184A013
References
G20130435, LTR-13-0485, TAC MF2267, TAC MF2268
Download: ML13184A013 (3)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 July 5,2013 Ms. Dorice A. Madronero 4 Regis Court Suffern, NY 10901

Dear Ms. Madronero:

I am responding to your letter dated June 3, 2013, to Allison M. Macfarlane, Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), expressing your concerns regarding the United Water New York's (UWNY) proposed desalination plant on the Hudson River. You stated that the proposed facility will be located approximately 3.5 miles downstream of the Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit (Indian Point) and you have asked why the NRC has not included this facility in the license renewal review for Indian Point and why the NRC is not actively reviewing this application to protect the drinking water supply for New York City.

Before I respond directly to your concerns, please allow me to provide some background information regarding NRC requirements with respect to monitoring and reporting radiological releases and the results of the Indian Point Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program for the 2012 calendar year which is the most recent information available regarding offsite releases.

All nuclear plants were licensed with the expectation that they would release some radioactive material to both the air and water during normal operation. NRC regulations require that radioactive gaseous and liquid releases from nuclear power plants meet radiation dose based limits specified in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 20, the "as low as is reasonably achievable" (ALARA) dose criteria in Appendix I to 10 CFR Part 50, and the Environmental Protection Agency's regulations in 40 CFR Part 190.

Regulatory limits are placed on the radiation dose that members of the public might receive from radioactive material released by nuclear plants. NRC regulations are dose based, such that the dose resulting from the radioactive effluent is the value used by the NRC to determine compliance with regulatory limits. Nuclear power plants are required to report their radioactive gaseous, liquid, and solid effluent releases as well as the results of their radiological environmental monitoring program annually to the NRC. The annual effluent release and radiological environmental monitoring reports submitted to the NRC are available to the public through the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) electronic reading room on the NRC website (www.nrc.gov). The Indian Point 2012 Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report can be located at ADAMS Accession No. ML13144A133. The Indian Point program, initiated in 1958, includes the collection, analysis, and evaluation of radiological data in order to assess the impact of plant operations on the environment and on the general public.

As stated in the Indian Point annual report referenced above, monitoring of the plant discharge identified trace amounts of tritium and Cs-137. The radiation levels and resulting doses from plant operation were a small fraction of doses that can be attributed to natural and man-made background radiation. In summary, plant operations at Indian Point during 2012 did not result in exposure to the public greater than environmental background levels.

D. Madronero - 2 With regard to your concern about the proposed desalination plant not being included in the NRC's license renewal review for Indian Point, this is outside the scope of our review. The license renewal rule focuses the review on plant aging issues for which eXisting activities and requirements may not be sufficient to manage the effects of aging in the period of extended operation. It is expected that licensees are able to detect age-related degradation through performance and condition monitoring programs, technical specification surveillances, and other licensee maintenance activities.

With regard to your concern about the overall safety review of the public drinking water supply, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is the lead government agency. NYSDEC determined that the proposed project required an environmental impact statement (EIS) under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).

A Draft EIS was prepared and NYSDEC determined the Draft EIS was adequate for public review. On January 18, 2012, the NYSDEC issued a Combined Notice of Complete Application and Notice of Acceptance of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Public Hearing and Public Comment Period, which can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/permits ej operations pdf/uwnynotice.pdf. Under SEQRA, NYSDEC conducted public hearings and sought public comments. Legislative hearing sessions were conducted to receive unsworn public statements on the Draft EIS, applications, and draft permits. Additional information is available on the NYSDEC's website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/58678.html.

In summary, the safety and environmental review of the proposed desalination plant is being handled by NYSDEC. While the NRC is not directly responsible for this review, our indirect involvement has been significant by ensuring that radiological releases to the environment by nuclear power plants are monitored, reported, and confirmed to be within regulatory limits. As previously stated, the total releases by Indian Point during 2012 did not exceed environmental background levels. Furthermore, as stated in the Haverstraw Water Supply Project Permit Application (ADAMS Accession No. ML12339A445) that was referenced in your letter, the UWNY's proposed treatment process will be designed to remove various contaminants from the incoming water supply including radionuclides.

I hope I have been responsive to your concerns.

Sincerely M-lI@~ Robert H. Beall, Acting Chief Plant Licensing Branch 1-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

ML12339A445) that was referenced in your letter, the UWNY's proposed treatment process will be designed to remove various contaminants from the incoming water supply including radionuclides.

I hope I have been responsive to your concerns.

Sincerely IraJ Robert H. Beall, Acting Chief Plant Licensing Branch 1-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation DISTRIBUTION: G20130435 I LTR-13-0485 PUBLIC LPL1-1 rlf RidsNrrDorlLpl1-1 RidsNrrDorl RidsNrrMailCenter RidsNrrOd RidsNrrAdes RidsNrrAdro RidsEDOMailCenter RidsOEMailCenter RidsOpaMailCenter RidsOcaMailCenter RidsNrrPMlndianPoint RidsNrrLAKGoldstein RidsRgn1 MailCenter SRotenkroger,R1 RidsAcrsAcnw_MailCTR ADAMS ACCESSION NOS.:

Package: ML13184A006 Incoming: ML13156A188 Incomin Ltr: ML13156A186 Res onse Ltr: ML13184A013 OFFICE LPL1-1/PM LPL 1-1/LA LPL 1-1/BC(A)

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NAME DPickett KGoldstein RBeali DATE 07 105 113 07 I 03 /13 07/05/13