ML17228A208

NPDES Noncompliance Notification:On 930503,sewage Treatment Plant Effluent Tested & Found to Have Ph Value of 3.6 Std Units.Util Believes That Acidic Solution Mistakenly Poured Down Plant Drain.Sodium Carbonate Added to Sys

ML17228A208
Person / Time
Site:	Saint Lucie
Issue date:	07/06/1993
From:	Sager D FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT CO.
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
L-93-134, NUDOCS 9307140239
Download: ML17228A208 (5)

Text

ACCEI ERAT DOCU1MXNT DIST UTION SYSTEM lg REGULA Z INFORMATION DISTRIBUTIO YSTEM (RIDS)

ACCESSION NBR:9307140239 DOC.DATE:.93/07/06 NOTARIZED: NO DOCKET FACIL:50 335 St. Lucie Plant, Unit 1, Florida Power & Light Co. 05000335 AUTH.NAME AUTHOR AFFILIATION SAGER,D.A. Florida Power & Light Co.

RECIP.NAME RECIPIENT AFFILIATION R Document Control Branch (Document Control Desk)

SUBJECT:

NPDES noncompliance notification:on 930503,sewage treatment plant effluent tested & found to have pH value of 3.6 std units. Util believes that acidic solution mistakenly poured D down plant drain. Sodium carbonate added to sys.

DISTRIBUTION CODE: IE23D COPIES RECEIVED:LTR ENCL SIZE:

TITLE: Environmental Event Report (per Tech Specs)

NOTES RECIPIENT COPIES RECIPIENT COPIES ID CODE/NAME LTTR ENCL ID CODE/NAME LTTR ENCL PD2-2 LA 3 3 PD2-2 PD D 1 1 NORRIS,J 1 1 D

INTERNAL: ACRS 5 5 NRR/DRSS/PEPB 1 1 NRR/Pb@S ILRB 1 1 OGC/HDS3 1 1 RE LE 01 1 1 RGN2 1 1 EXTERNAL: NRC PDR 1 1 NSIC 1 1 D

D D

NOTE TO ALL"RIDS" RECIPIENTS:

PLEASE HELP US TO REDUCE WASTEI CONTACT THE DOCUMENT CONTROL DESK, ROOM P1-37 (EXT. 504-2065) TO ELIMINATEYOUR NAME FROM DISTRIBUTION LISTS FOR DOCUMENTS YOU DON'T NEED!

TOTAL NUMBER OF COPIES REQUIRED: LTTR 17 ENCL 17 il

< Jbl'

0 0 P.O. Box 28, Ft. Pierce, FL N954-0128 July 6, 1993 L-93-134 10 CFR 50.36b 10 CFR 50.4 EPP 3.2.1 U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attn: Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555 Re: St. Lucie Unit 1 Docket Nos. 50-335 Deviation of the NPDES Permit On May 3, 1993, the effluent pH of the Unit 1 Sewage Treatment Plant was observed to be 3.60 standard units which is below the 6.0 standard units required by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. This deviation is being reported to the Environmental Protection Agency in the Monthly Discharge Monitoring Report. A copy of the event is attached and is being sent pursuant to Section 3.2.1 of the St. Lucie Unit 1 Environmental Protection Plan.

Should you have any questions on this information, please contact us. 4 Very truly yours, D. A.

Vice St L DAS:JJB:kw

'l ger r sident t

cc: Stewart D. Ebneter, Regional Administrator, Region II, USNRC Senior Resident Inspector, USNRC, St. Lucie Plant Attachment DAS/PSL N919-93 4 BAAL <

9307240239 930706 PDR ADQCK 05000335 8 PDR an FPL Group company

~ /p i

4 I ~ gvv.

"i,gb 0

.~. ~ <J ~.g I

E

Florida Power L Light Company - St. Lucie Plant NPDES Permit No. FL0002208 Outfall Serial Number: 004-1 Monitoring Period: May 1 - May 31, 1993

¹ On Monday, May 3, 1993, at 8:30 AM, the St. Lucie Plant Unit 1 Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) effluent was tested and found to have a pH value of 3.6 Standard Units (SU) ~

FPL believes that an acidic solution was mistakenly poured down a plant drain causing the depressed pH value in the STP effluent. A sample, previously collected on Friday, April 30, 1993, at 8:30 AM was within the specified limit for pH. Therefore, the event appears to have occurred vier the weekend.

Upon discovering the STP effluent situation, corrective action was initiated immediately by adding sodium carbonate to the system. By 9:25 AM the effluent pH had returned within permit limits of 6.0 to 9.0 SU. During this event, flow in the intake/discharge canal, which receives the STP effluent, was 500,00 gallons per minute. Therefore, no adverse effect on the environment was observed or is expected.

Equipment has been purchased to continuously monitor the influent pH to the STP.

When installed, this type of excursion can be avoided by taking corrective action to neutralize the system before the pH of the effluent from the STP is outside the effluent limits. The source of this pH excursion has been investigated and will be addressed through the plant's chemical control program. Corrective action has included memos written to all departments who have been issued acids. These departments were reminded of the proper methods for disposal of acidic solutions.