ML19208D235
| ML19208D235 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 08/17/1979 |
| From: | Gossick L NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Bauman R HOUSE OF REP. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19208D236 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909280141 | |
| Download: ML19208D235 (2) | |
Text
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o UNITED STATES 8 " 3,([ g NUCLEAR REGUL/. TORY COMMISSION
"/ r WASHINGTON. D. C. 20555
'g AUG 17 1973 The Honorable Robert E. Bauman United States House of Representatives Washington, D. C.
20515
Dear Congressman Bauman:
I apologize for not providing this response to you sooner but, as you are aware, the Commission and staff have been occupied with continued support of the efforts at Three Mile Island, Orders to other facilities, appearances before the President's Commission and various comittees of Congress that are investigating the Three Mile Island accident, and the realignment of our own resources and priorities to give imediate atten-tion to the problems resulting from the accident.
On May 25, 1979, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission directed its staff to prepare an Enviromental Assessment of proposals to decontaminate and dispose of radioactively contaminated waste water from the Three Mile Island Unit 2 facility (TMI). The first portion of the Assessment will deal with the proposed decontamination of the intermediate level waste
, water using the EPICOR-II system at TMI. The Assessment will include discussions of potential risks to the public health and safety, including occupational exposures and the risk of accidental releases, and a discus-sion of alternatives to the EPICOR-II system. The licensee has been directed by the Commission not to operate the EPICOR-II system, pending completion of this portion of the Assessment and opportunity for public comment. However, testing of the EPICOR-II system without using con-taminated waste may proceed.
Furthermore, except for discharge of waste water decontaminated by ]the existing EPICOR-I systeml/ and discharge of industrial waste water 2 as consistent with the facility operating license, no discharge of processed intermediate level waste water will be permitted until completion of a second portion of the Assessment dealing with any such proposed additional discharges. This portion will include a discussion of alternatives to discharge into the Susquehanna River.
1/ Primarily pre-accident waste water from Unit 1 which has been partially contaminated by water from Unit 2, with an activity level of less than mately 10 ge per ml prior to treatment and with an activity level approxi-1 microcur microcuries per m1 in the discharge canal after treatment.
2] Waste water slightly contaminated (approximately 10-7 microcuries per ml) due to leakage from secondary plant service support systems. The dis-charge of this industrial waste water is necessary to maintain TMI Unit 2 in a safe condition.
79092801,
1052 090 m._
The Honorable Robert E. Bauman The decontamination and disposal of high-level waste water will be the subject of a subsequent Assessment. When completed, a copy of each Asssessment prepared on this matter wi,ll be made available to the public.
Of prime consideration in the matter of TMI liquid waste processing, as in all matters for which we have responsibility, is the health and safety of the public. The course of action that we are following, as described above, will assure that a thorough safety review and Environmental Assessment are completed and that the health and safety of all off-site population groups will be protected.
Sincerely, (Signed) Lee V. Gossick Lee V. Gossick Executive Director for Operations
.