ML14023A795

U.S. Geological Survey - Request for Additional Information Review of the Emergency Plan for the License Renewal for the Geological Survey Triga Reactor

ML14023A795
Person / Time
Site:	U.S. Geological Survey
Issue date:	01/28/2014
From:	Geoffrey Wertz Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch
To:	Nuccio V US Dept of Interior, Geological Survey (USGS)
Wertz G
References
Download: ML14023A795 (5)

Text

January 28, 2014 Mr. Vito Nuccio Reactor Administrator Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey PO Box 25046 MS 975 Denver Federal Center Denver, CO 80225-0046

SUBJECT:

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: REVIEW OF THE EMERGENCY PLAN FOR THE LICENSE RENEWAL FOR THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TRIGA REACTOR (TAC NO. ME1593)

Dear Mr. Nuccio:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is continuing its review of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS, the licensee) application dated January 5, 2009 (a redacted version of the safety analysis report provided with the application is available on the NRCs public Web site at www.nrc.gov under Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML092120136), as supplemented, for the renewal of Facility Operating License No. R-113 for the USGS TRIGA Reactor (GSTR). Your license renewal application letter indicated that there were no changes needed to your current emergency plan. However, the NRC staff review of your license renewal application includes a review of your current emergency plan, titled Emergency Plan for the U.S. Geological Survey TRIGA Reactor Facility, Revision 13, dated October 2013, submitted to the NRC via letter dated December 6, 2013. Our review identified one question, which is provided in the enclosed request for additional information (RAI). Please provide your response to the enclosed RAI within 30 days from the date of this letter In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 50.30(b), you must execute your response in a signed original document under oath or affirmation. Your response must be submitted in accordance with 10 CFR 50.4, Written communications.

Information included in your response that is considered sensitive, or proprietary, that you seek to have withheld from the public, must be marked in accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, Public inspections, exemptions, requests for withholding. Any information related to security should be submitted in accordance with 10 CFR 73.21, Protection of Safeguards Information:

Performance requirements. Following receipt of the additional information, we will continue our evaluation of your license renewal request.

V. Nuccio If you have any questions about this review, or if you need additional time to respond to this request; please contact me by telephone at 301-415-0893 or by electronic mail at Geoffrey.Wertz@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA Alexander Adams for/

Geoffrey A. Wertz, Project Manager Research and Test Reactors Licensing Branch Division of Policy and Rulemaking Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-274

Enclosure:

RAI cc: See next page

U.S. Geological Survey TRIGA Reactor Docket No. 50-274 cc:

Environmental Services Manager 480 S. Allison Pkwy.

Lakewood, CO 80226 State of Colorado Radiation Management Program HMWM-RM-B2 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South Denver, CO 80246 Mr. Timothy DeBey Reactor Director U.S. Geological Survey Box 25046 - Mail Stop 424 Denver Federal Center Denver, CO 80225 Test, Research, and Training Reactor Newsletter Universities of Florida 202 Nuclear Sciences Center Gainesville, FL 32611

ML14023A795; *concurred via e-mail NRR-106 OFFICE DPR/PRLB/PM* DPR/PRLB/LA NSIR/DPR/DDEP/ORLOB DPR/PRLB/BC DPR/PRLB/PM NAME GWertz PBlechman JAnderson AAdams (AAdams for)

GWertz DATE 01/23/2014 01/27/2014 01/28/2014 01/28/2014 01/28/2014

OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING REVIEW FOR THE EMERGENCY PLAN FOR THE RENEWAL OF THE FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE FOR THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TRIGA REACTOR LICENSE NO. R-113; DOCKET NO. 50-274 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is continuing its review of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS, the licensee) application dated January 5, 2009 (a redacted version of the safety analysis report provided with the application is available on the NRCs public Web site at www.nrc.gov under Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML092120136), as supplemented, for the renewal of Facility Operating License No. R-113 for the USGS TRIGA Reactor (GSTR). The NRC staff review of your current emergency plan identified one question provided below. Please provide your response within 30 days from the date of this letter.

1. In the GSTR Emergency Plan, Section 4.2.1.5, on page 9, the sentence in Revision 12 states, "Continuous air monitor reading exceeds 10K [1000] cpm [counts per minute] above background, while Revision 13 states, Continuous air monitor reading exceeds 10K cpm above background from radionuclides being released from the reactor. The licensees letter dated December 6, 2013, describing the changes made in Revision 13 of the emergency plan, states that this change was made to prevent a radionuclide release from a non-USGS reactor source from initiating a reactor emergency. The reactor building has other laboratories in it that are doing research with radionuclides, but they are not a part of the reactor operations. It would not be appropriate to declare a reactor emergency when a radionuclide release occurs from a different facility.

Explain how the responsible GSTR staff member would differentiate a release from the reactor versus a release from other laboratories when using this criterion to determine an Unusual Event emergency declaration. Are there other specific reactor or facility parameters that would exist prior to, or simultaneously with, the release, to differentiate the source? Provide detailed information in your response.

Enclosure