ML18100B150
| ML18100B150 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem  |
| Issue date: | 06/10/1994 |
| From: | Meyninger R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | Williams C NEW JERSEY, STATE OF |
| Shared Package | |
| ML18100B149 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9406270124 | |
| Download: ML18100B150 (2) | |
Text
Federal Emergency Management Agency Region II 26 Federal Plaza. Room 1337
- New York, NY 10278-0002 Colonel Carl A. Willi~s, State Director Of £ice of Emergency Management State of New Jersey Department of Law andiPublic Safety Division of State Pol~ce P.O. Box 7068 West Trenton, New Jersey 08628-0068 Dear Colonel Williams~
- .IUN 1 0 1994 During the May.24, 19 4, Artificial Is-land Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP-) E roise, one Deficiency was identified under REP Objective 7, Plum Dose Projection, at the Emergency Operations Facility (EOF).
This Deficiency pertains specifically to the New Jersey Bureau of Nucl ar Engineering (NJBNE) at the EOF for failure to
( 1) adequate!
- consider utility Protective Action Recommendations (PAR) in providing New Jersey-State decision-makers with appropriate.. PARs I to protect the public heal th and safety and,.*
(2) make projected doae estimates on a tiinely basis.
The procedures used ~ the EOF resulted in the issuance of a PAR that was not sufficie tly protective of public health. NJBNE staff uses a "decision tree 1 (SOP-305) to make PAR recommendations that are subject to variol interpretations at each "branch".
Implied in this procedure ia the requirement, under certain conditions,.
that emissions into t environment must occur before the projected dose is estimated for comparison with the Protective Action Guides (PAG) and there is in*ication of need for protective actions.
One of the more impo~tant considerations for protection of the public is the evalua;tion. of the potential for future loss of containment.
Should the potential. indicate that PAGa Jn!!.Y be exceeded, evacuation ~s indicated even though emissions have not yet begun.
The Env!~iironmental Protection Agency's "Manual of Protective Action G ides and Protective Actions for Nuclear Incidents" (EPA 400-R 92-001, October 1991) is consistent with this.
position. *The NJBNE p ocedure is not consistent with this position since it requires emis ions to the environment before the projected dose is estimated~
\\Therefore, the procedure doea not provide suffici_ent public health protection, since it is not consistent with EPA 400, due to the failure to give sufficient weight to the potential loss of co~tainrnent leading to exceeding the PAGs in advance of the ac-q.ial emission of radionuclides into the environment.
9406270124 940616 PDR ADOCK 05000272 F
. PDR Enclosure
-1 I
Given that the Plantf.. as in General Emergency status and the.fact that the Utility. was n a better position to evaluate the potential for significant relea es into the environment, the PAR recommended by the NJBNE staff wa;s not appropriate.
The Utility declared !the General Emergency at 2000 *and issued its first.PAR at 2007 fo~ Evacuation of the N, NNE, and NE Sectors, 0 to 5 miles, and Shel t~r all other a 0 to 5 miles.
The Utility issued its second PAR at 2045 for Evacuation of all Sectors 0 to 5 miles; Evacuation of the N, NNE, and NE Sectors 5 to 10 miles, and Shelte~ ali remaining Sectors 5 to 10 miles.
The NJBNE staff did at agree with these Utility PARs, issuing a
~AR for Sheltering 0 to 5 miles at 2027.
This PAR remained until 2141, when the NJBN staff issued a PAR for Evacuation of all Sectore, O to 5 mile, approximately one hour after the release began* at 2045.
. Spe i~ically, the first dose. projections were completed at 2140, a proximately one.hour after the release began at 2045.
Once an em ssion of radionuclides into the environment
. begins, an aggressi~ effort should be made to accwnulate all necessary informatio to make an accurate dose assessment.
This information was avail le from the Utility as dose projections made by Utility staff at 103 indicated, but the NJBNE staff did not make the necessary a.fort to retrieve this information and, as a result, the NJBNE/EO~ dose projection was not timely.
Based on the prec,ding information~ the Federal Emergency Management Agency (F MA) has determined this to be a Deficiency.
Because of the poten ial impact of a Deficiency on the protection of the public health nd safety, it should be corrected within 120 days from the date 6f this letter through appropriate remedial actions, including re'medial exercises, drills, or other actions.
Please coordinate w.ilth this office the date and time of the pertinent remedial adtions and identity of the involved State and county participants J,ithin 30 days from the do.ta of this letter.
If there are any questions, please contact Stanley Mcintoeh, RAC Chairman, at 212-225-17204.
"/Ji.7th Dr. Rita Regional