ML18086B161

Emergency Planning Info.

ML18086B161
Person / Time
Site:	Salem
Issue date:	12/18/1981
From:	Byrne B NEW JERSEY, STATE OF
To:
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ML18086B158	List: ML18086B157 ML18086B160 ML18086B161
References
NUDOCS 8112290479
Download: ML18086B161 (16)

Text

EMERGENCY PlANNING INFORMATION TO NEIGHBORS OF SALEM GENERATING STATION 8112290479 811218 PDR ADOCK 05000272 F PDR NEWJERSEY

TO NEIGHBORS

Dear Resident of New Jersey:

OF SALEM This brochure is part of an extensive, on-going GENERATING STATION program by the State of New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Public Service Electric & Gas Company to ensure the safety of persons living in the vicinity of the Salem Generating Station. The actual danger posed by the plant is very small. However, since radioactive materials are involved in the production of electricity at the Salem Station, a Radiological Emergency Response Plan (RERP) has been developed to provide area residents with maxi-mum protection in the case of a radiological accident. This brochure gives information on the Salem Station and the Radiological Emergency Response Plan.

I ask you to read this brochure now and then place it with your other important papers for future reference.

It is the hope of all the agencies involved that y ou will find this brochure informative and enlightening.

Sincerely, Brendan Byrne Governor New Jersey

What is the purpose of Why do we need How does Salem this pamphlet? emergency plans? Station work?

This pamphlet is provided to you, The oil, chemical and transportation In a "fossil fueled" power plant, coal, the neighbors of Salem Generating industries all have emergency plans. oil, or gas is burned in a furnace Station, to give you information about So does the nuclear industry. Should to provide heat to change water to the emergency plans which would be a serious accident ever occur at the steam. The steam, under high pres-implemented in the unlikely event of Salem Station, the emergency provi- sure, rushes against the blades of a a nuclear power plant emergency. sions which we will briefly explain machine called a turbine-much like have been established to minimize wind passing through a windmill.

or prevent any public health con- The turbine turns a large magnet sequences. inside a coil of wire, and electricity is generated.

The Three Mile Island accident showed that when a serious nuclear accident At a nuclear power plant like Salem occurs, there is a considerable amount Station, the furnace mentioned above of time between the occurrence of is replaced by a nuclear reactor. Heat the accident and the potential for a is produced in the reactor by split-release of radioactivity which could ting atoms.

reach the public. This time allows a Uranium, because it is the only sub-wide variety of protective actions to stance found in nature whose atoms be taken. Recent changes to Federal split readily, is the fuel used in a 2

regulations require utilities and state fission reactor. When an atom of and local governments to develop or uranium is hit by a minute particle improve plans to protect people in called a neutron, the result is fission.

what they call the emergency plan- This fission releases lightweight ning wnes. These zones are described atoms, energy as h eat, and several on page 6. new neutrons. The supply of neu-trons in the nuclear power plant's reactor is controlled to maintain the fission process (chain reaction). The heat produced is used to turn water into steam. A nuclear plant uses this steam to produce electricity in exactly the same way as in plants fueled by coal, oil, or natural gas.

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3 Is Salem Station safe? the Three Mile Island accident, no What about the member of the public has ever been Safety is the primary consideration in exposed to any significant radiation .

possibility of. a nuclear the design of all nuclear power plants. explosion?

At the first sign of an abnormal opera- The nuclear power industry remains tion, automatic safety devices will shut the most strictly regulated industrial Power reactors cannot the reactor down. The Salem Station enterprise in United States history. undergo a nuclear explos ion reactors, like those in all commercial No energy system is perfectly safe. The amount of fissionable uranium nuclear power plants, have many Nuclear power plants are designed to needed for an explosion must be very overlapping safety features . Even if the highest quality standards. Many concentrated and then must be rapidly several should fail, there would still be layered safety systems are incorpo- forced together into a compact shape. A back-up systems to assure the safety rated to prevent any accident that power reactor contains only 3 percent of the plant. could cause the release ofradioactivity fissionable material. The remaining Salem Station and all other nuclear and to minimize the consequences 97 percent of the fuel is material that power units have an outstanding safety should one occur. However, accidents does not fission readily. Instead it record. After 25 years of operation of that can result in the release of sub- tends to stop the nuclear reaction, commercial nuclear power plants, and stantial quantities of radioactivity are and acts as a safety feature.

despite what you may have read about theoretically possible.

What is Radiation? We h ave been living with radiation from the b eginning of time. Radia-Radiation is energy in motion. It is tion com es from the air we breathe, invisible, tasteless and silent-and food we eat, water we drink, the perhaps this is the reason that some home w e live in, and the earth under believe there is something m ysterious our feet. All of this radiation occurs about radiation. There isn 't; we know naturally. Other radiation is man a great deal about it. Heat, light and made such as X-rays used in medical radio waves are types of radiation. and dental diagnosis and therapy.

The radiation from the operation of a nuclear plant is no different from our natural "background" radiation.

It consists of a stream of particles or rays which come from the centers of some ty pes of atoms. There are three types ofradiation which need to be described: alpha particles which tra-vel about an inch in air and can b e stopped by a sh eet of paper, beta par-ticles which travel a few feet and can 4 be stopped by an inch of wood, and gamma rays w hich travel a greater distance and can be stopped by a dense material such as lead or concrete shielding. Radiation occurs in a nuclear reactor as a result ofth e fission process.

Low-level radiation can be measured in millirem s, an accurate unit of mea-sure of radiation's biological effect on man . One thousand millirems equals one rem.

The average resident ofNew Jersey or Delaware is exposed to approximately 125 millirems per year from natural sources. Man-made sources such as den-tal and medical X-rays can contribute, on the average, another 90 millirem s per year.These amounts are not consid-ered of any significance to health. In fact, the additional exposure to radi-ation experienced by a person living TYPICAL RADIATIO EXPOSURE LEVELS immediately outside a typical nuclear plant property only rarely exceeds Natural Millirem s Man-made 1 millirem per year.

Background Per Sources of To put the risk ofradiation in perspec-R_

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~s tive, consider these facts. The average From cosmic rays (the sun) 35 from coast-to-coast j e t fli g ht 4 American receives 6 millirems a year From air 5 From color televisio n 6 from watching color TV for three From building materials 34 From one ch est X-ray 50 hours a day or 3000 times more than From food 25 From living within a 0.002 from a plant. The average jet plane SO-mile radius of a (per year) passenger receives 4 millirems from Fro m ground 11 nuclear power plant a round trip between New York and California or 2000 times more than from a plant.

The truth is that a nuclear plant adds so little radiation to the environment that it is difficult even to measure it against the natural background radiation.

How does radiation affect us?

- - - Reinforced concrete Any effect from radiation will depend containment bui ldin g upon the nature and energy level of

....+- + - - - Steel containment liner the particles and rays to which you are exposed, the length of time you '\------ +--+- - - Reactor vessel are exposed to them, how much of nn :t-+--- ----+-- + - - - Fuel cladding your body is exposed and how much LlLl +-t- -----1-.+- I - - - - Fuel radioactive material is collected in your body.

When emissions from radioactive substances enter the human body in large enough amounts they can damage cells by ionizing (removing the electrons from) atoms. Ifthe damage is great due to an unusually large amount of radiation, adequate steam generators and pumps and repairs may be impossible and the How is the public goes below-ground as well as above.

consequences severe. If the dam - protected from radiation 2 . Reactor Vessel and Steel age is slight, or takes place slowly, in a nuclear power plant? Piping. The reactor vessel, 5 the body can usually make repairs.

The main idea behind the power which holds all the fuel assem-plant design is to keep the radiation blies, has 8 1h-inch-thick steel How is radiation inside the plant. This involves plac- walls. The piping is made com-detected? ing barriers between the radiation pletely from thick-walled stain-and human beings. less steel.

Although radiation is invisible, tasteless, odorless, and silent, it can be The barriers at Salem Station are: 3. Fuel Cladding. This is a 12-detected and measured by many types 1. Containment Building. This foot -long sealed metal tube made of instruments. These instruments is a leak-tight, concrete and steel of zirconium alloy. These tubes, allow federal, state and utility person- building. Its walls are made fro m called rods, contain fuel pellets.

nel to continuously monitor radiation 41h-foot-thick reinforced concrete levels around Salem Station. In the lined with steel plate, which is event of an accident, these monitoring attached to a 16-foot-thick rein-activities would be greatly increased forced concrete floor. More than to obtain accurate information in any just a building, the containment area th at might be affected. completely encircles the reactor,

What happens should agencies is to protect the public frnm exposure to direct radiation from the radioactivity be released? plant or from radioactive material To provide a basis for emergency which may have been released into planning, Federal authorities analyzed the air or water.

possible releases of radioactive mate-It is for this area that protective actions rial to the environment. This detailed analysis, which took into account the such as sheltering and evacuation effects of a radioactive release from may be used in the event of a potential a serious accident, resulted in the release or actual release of radioactive establishment of predesignated areas material. These actions are explained surrounding a nuclear power plant. on pages 7 and 8 and on the enclosed These areas are called emergency placard.

planning zones. TWo such zones The second zone is the ingestion were established. exposure zone and is the area within The first zone is the plwne exposure a circle having a radius of 50 miles.

zone and is the area within a 10-mile The station is at the center oft he circle.

radius from the station. Within this Within this area the conswnption of area the first concern of emergency potentially contaminated foods such as 6

How are events or accidents classified and what actions may have to be taken during each?

Four classifications are used by th e plant emergen cy response personnel to notify state emergency management officials and th e public of the severity of an emergency at Salem Station. A description of these classifications, as well as utility, state, local and public response actions, are outlined below.

CLASSIFICATION DESCRIPTION AND EXAMPLE UTILITY ACTION STATE ACTION COUNTY AND LOCAL ACTION PUBLIC ACTION Notification A Notification of an Unusual 1. Evaluate situation. 1. Acknowledge utility No action. No action.

of an Unusual Event would be required by 2. Notify state. information.

Event minor event s which are oflen 2. No further action.

non-nuclea1; such as the iajury to a plant worker, an automatic plant shutdown or potentially severe weather - - -

conditions.

Ale rt An Alert is required by 1. Evaluate situation. 1. Acknowledge utility 1. Acknowledge state No action.

events which are either 2. Notify state. information. information. Public may be provided adversely affect ing or may 3. Activate the Onsite 2. Notify local authm*it ies. 2. No furth er action. information by state over adversely affect reactor Emergency Center. 3. Partially activate State EBS radio.

safety. Examples of such 4. May activate the Offsite Emergency Operations conditions would be the Emergency Center. Center.

failure ofa component in a 4. Put Radiation Monitoring safety system or an event teams on standby.

outside the plant such as a tornado or hurricane. Prob-

!ems leading to an Alert, ordinarily, would not cause a release ofradioactivity although the release of small quantities is possible.

Site Ar ea A Site Area Emergency des- 1. Evaluate situation. 1. Acknowledge utility 1. Acknowledge stat e The public should tune Emerge n cy ignates problems such as 2. Notify state. information. information. to EBS radio station. (See serious leakage of water 3. Activate the Onsite 2. Notify county authorities. 2. Activate Emergency enclosed placa rd.) State from the reactor coolant Emergency Center. 3. Activate Emergency Operations Center. officials will provide infor-system, damage to stored 4. Activate the Offsite Operations Cent er and 3. Mobilize loca l emergency mat ion over EBS on what used fuel, or a fire in a safety Emergency Center. mobilize the state's response orga nizat ions. actions should be taken.

area or in a safety system. emergency response Releases of radioactivity are organizations.

possible or m ay already be 4. Provide information to occurring. the public over the EBS radio stations.

Gener a l A General Emergency is 1. Evaluate situation .

Em ergency declared for a serious con- 2. Notify state.

dition such as an accident 3. Notify counties direct ly.

where there exists a clear 4. Activate the Onsite potential for damage to the Emergency Center.

fuel in the reactor. Releases 5. Activate the Offsite of radioactivity are possible Emergency Center.

or may already be occurring.

milk or fresh vegetables is the main concern of emergency agencies. Pro-tective actions for this emergency

---

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EMERGENCY PLANNING zo (EPZ - INGESTION) 50mi.

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I * * )lo planning wne may include: restricting consumption of water (except bottled (80 km) ~

,, Indicates variable response boundary water) and unprocessed milk and wash-ing fresh fruits and vegetables.

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What happens at Salem Station if an accident --

EMERGENCY PLANNING

. - - -.... ,..zolVE (EPZ-PLUME) ._.,

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Assessment of an accident and evalu-

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ation of the possibility ofa release of plume exposure radiation is the responsibility of the staff at Salem Station. In accordance

\ pathway The response with federal guidelines, they deter- \ area for the mine the appropriate classification. \ ingestion exposure pathway would What happens next?

The station Emergency Duty Officer ~~-++~~~1~~~-

r!\ have the some relative shape but would be 7

immediately notifies the Nuclear Reg- 1 -=....,......=

ulatory Commission and New Jersey and Delaware officials who are respon- I Transport of milk to dairy sible for implementing the state's radiological emergency plans. I processing center Following this notification procedure, and depending on the severity of the accident, municipal, county, state and Is that all I need do at Do rwt call the police or fire depart-federal emergency personnel would ments for information. They will need be mobilized, if necessary, to protect first-turn on a radio? to keep their phone lines clear for the public. Yes. The radio stations listed on the emergency phone cal/,s.

enclosed placard are members of the Emergency Broadcast System. (Please You are a/,so asked to limit the use How will I be notified? of your telephone to essential cal/,s to post this card within easy reach, Area residents within the 10-mile ensure that the telephones are available perhaps attach it to the side of your plume exposure zone will be notified for emergency cal/,s.

refrigerator.)

by a combination of sirens and radios, and police and fire depart- The Emergency Broadcast System ment personnel using public address (EBS) is used by local agencies to systems. The siren sound would be inform the public in New Jersey and distinctive with each cycle lasting 3 Delaware of severe weather condi-to 5 minutes. Upon hearing an alert, tions and other events that might you should turn to a radio station threaten their health, safety or well-listed on the enclosed placard. The being. The Emergency Broadcast Sys-Coast Guard and marine police will tem allows state officials to interrupt alert boaters. regular radio programming with emergency information and repeat the broadcasts as often as required.

By tuning to this system you will have the most timely and accurate information concerning the accident and how it may affect you.

What type of tioners and all ventilation leading outdoors.

information or

2. Listen to your radio for further instructions will I instructions. Do rwt evacuate unless receive over the radio? an order is given.

The type of instructions or informa- Evacuate. You may be advised to tion you will receive will depend evacuate.

on the area in which you live, the Once you are ordered to evacuate, manner in which any radiation is you should:

8 1. Close all doors and windows, turn released, the amount released and the direction and speed of the wind. off stoves, heaters, fans and air For instance, should a significant conditioners.

release of radioactive material to the 2. Place a white piece of cloth or any air occur and be carried away by a other similar white object on your relatively slow wind, people within mailbox or on the front door so the area downwind from the plant that it is clearly visible.

might be directed to: 3. Consult the card attached to the back of this booklet for evacuation Tuke Shelter. The take shelter routes.

directive would require that you: 4. Follow radio instructions to

1. Go indoors, close external doors, evacuate to a specific Congregate windows, and turn off air condi- Care Shelter.

What plans have been made for school children?

Special care has been taken in preparing New Jersey's emergency plan to protect school children. At the begin-ning of the school year, the parents will receive a letter outlining the features of the school evacuation plan.

The plan contains the following provisions:

• If an accident occurs, school officials will be con-tacted by the local emergency management organization.

• The children will be assembled, counted, and transported on school buses to a specific Reception Center.

• Once the school buses arrive at the designated Reception Center for that school, the children will be counted once again, and cared for until their parents arrive.

It is important for parents to read and retain the letter containing details of the evacuation plan for school children. It specifies the Reception Center their children will be taken to, information on how to pick up their children once they have arrived there, and emergency numbers to call for additional information.

Should parents lose this letter, copies are readily available at the school.

What do I do if I do not have transportation?

Those unable to drive or without personal means of transportation should complete and return the card insert in the back of this pamphlet.

Agencies maintain rosters of individ-uals with special transportation needs and will provide help. Please mail this card as soon as possible so that assist-ance can be provided during an emergency.

Where are New Jersey's Congregate Care Shelters located?

New jersey's designated Shelters are:

1. Salem County Community College Hollywood Avenue 9 Carneys Point Woodstown High School

2. Lafayette-Pershing Elementary School Shell Road 9.* Salem County Vocational- 18. Landis Junior High School Technical Schools 61 West Landis Avenue Carneys Point Woodstown-Salem Road Vineland

3. Paul W. Carleton Elementary Woodstown 19. Vineland High School School East Maple A venue 10. Woodstown High School 2880 East Chestnut A venue East Avenue Vineland Penns Grove Woodstown 20. Memorial Junior High School

4. Penns Grove High School

11. Mary S. Shoemaker Elementary Fifth and Broad Street Harding Highway School Millville Carneys Point E. Millbrooke A venue 21. Millville Senior High School

5. Penns Grove Middle School Woodstown Wade Boulevard County Road (East Maple A venue)

12. Woodstown Middle School Millville Penns Grove Lincoln Avenue 22. Holly Heights School

6. Field Street Elementary School Woodstown 2515 East Main Street Field Street

13. Glassboro College Millville Penns Grove Route 322

7. Delaware Ordnance Shop Glassboro 78 Din Area Main Shop *for emergency workers and their Central Road 14. Arthur P. Schalick High School Elmer-Centerton Road families only.

Oldman Route 553

8. Kingsway Regional High School Pittsgrove (Elmer)

Kingsway Road Swedesboro 15. Cumberland Regional High School Silverlake Road Upper Deerfield

16. Bridgeton High School West Avenue Bridgeton

17. Cherry Street Elementary School Cherry Street Bridgeton

What do I take to the Are Take Shelter Congregate Care Shelter and Evacuate the only if I'm evacuating? protective actions I Avoid excess baggage. Suggested might have to take?

items to take are: No, you may be asked to:

Personal items: R estrict your Movem en t. Dur-

a. Prescription medicines and ing an emergency, officials may ask prescriptions you to avoid certain areas. Officials

b. Soap and towels may erect b arrier s, roadblocks, etc.,

c. Shaving articles to control access to evacuation or take-

d. Sanitary supplies shelter areas. The objective of Access

e. Toothpaste and Control is to prevent the public from toothbrushes inadvertently entering potentially

f. Toilet paper contaminated regions.

g. Eyeglasses and dentures h . Important personal effects R estrict Consumption ofFood, Milk and Water. You may be asked Children and infant's to restrict your consumption of water, supplies: milk or fresh vegetables until the

a. Disposable diapers and possibility of contamination is over.

10 powder

b. Bottles

c. Milk/formula (dry or canned only) d . Favorite go-to-sleep toy Other supplies ifreadily available:

a. Flashlight

b. Portable radio/batteries

c. Plastic or paper bags

d. Hand tools (for car repairs)

Assuming an area is I'm a farmer-what do I have to do?

evacuated, how will Because a major accident at Salem Farmer's Information homes be protected? Station might have a significant impact P.O. Box 570 on your activities, a special brochure Newark, NJ 07101 Access to and from evacuated areas has been prepared to provide detailed will be controlled by state and local Attn: Emergency Preparedness-15A information. Tu receive this publica-law enforcement forces. Police and tion, please mail the attached card fire crews will constantly patrol as soon as possible or send a letter to:

evacuated areas to protect property.

As a first protective step, all doors and windows should be locked by homeowners prior to departure.

11

How do we know that Is this plan only for this emergency plan radiological emergencies?

will work? Federal and state officials are con-The State and utility emergency stantly improving methods for dealing plans are jointly tested in a major with emergencies, whether the emer-exercise every year. Past exercises gencies are caused by natural or man-have been observed by federal offi- made hazards (floods, storms, train cials and have demonstrated that the derailments). There is, however, a plans can protect the health and safety real need for us as individuals to of the public. They are regularly think about how we should act, and reviewed and revised to take into what we should do in an emergency.

consideration changes to the emer- Our hope is that this pamphlet has gency organizations and lessons prompted this type of thinking.

learned during the yearly exercise. Remember, although the emergency plan outlined here is directed toward a nuclear accident, the concepts, emergency equipment and training provided for these plans can be used to cope with any type of emergency.

12

SAL EM GENER ATING STATION (j

\\'HATTO DO \\'HERE TO GO INCASEOFA EVACUATION NUCLEAR ACCIDENT .* ROUTES 1

LISTEN FOR 3 TO 5 MINUTE SIREN BLASTS AND HORNS 2 TURN ON YOUR RADIO The radio stations listed 3 IF ORDERED TO TAKE SHELTER Polloe, fire department and below will provide the most Remain In your home, Coast Guard personnel using up-to-date information close all doors and w indows, public address systems will ooncernlng what to turn off air conditioners, provide basic instruction& assemble. what to do and and use phone only during whereto go. a personal emergency.

WDEL 1150(24 hrs. ) WNNN-FM 101 . 7 WMVB-FM 97 . 3(24 hrs.)

WSTW-FM 93. 7(24 hrs. ) WSNJ 1240 WMVB 1440 WJIC 1510 WSNJ-FM 107. 7 WWBZ 1360

~IFYOUAREORDEREDTOEVACUATE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~-

Bring these items with you Additional information Check these y Clothing, medicines. baby food, Handicapped-non o Shut off water, electricity, gas blankets. pillows. food, sanitary ambulatory-register with your D Close all blinds. draperies supplies. portable radio. flashlight. local fire deportment for D Check your home for security first aid kit. batteries. assistance. D Lock the doors D Check your neighbor If school is in session children will be transported to a safe area and cared for until you arrive.

Their safety is first and foremost.

Please don't go to schools to pick up children.

Follow polioe instructions. stay tuned to your radio and remain calm

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