ML19224B720
| ML19224B720 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 06/19/1979 |
| From: | NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE) |
| To: | Wlker R HOUSE OF REP. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7906220107 | |
| Download: ML19224B720 (2) | |
Text
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The Honorable Robert S. Walker United States House of Representatives 4
Washington, D.C.
20515
Dear Congressman Walker:
I am pleased to respond to your letter of May 7, 1979, concerning
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liquid releases from the Three Mile Island (TMI) facility to the 1
Before addressing your specific concerns, I wish Susquehanna River.
operations at to assure you that all radiological waste management TMI are being reviewed by Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff the health and safety members located onsite in order to assure that of the public is protected.
A description of present liquid effluent release practices at TMI and the status of future planning should alleviate your r :ncerns.
ht No water from within the Unit 2 containment or primary systet been processed or released, since the water still contains relatively large amounts of radioacMvity.
Metropolitan Edison will be evaluating The alternate methods of water cleanup and disposal or discharge.
plans developed by Metropolitan Edison will be made public and will receive a detailed review by the NRC in order to ensure that liquid waste processing and disposal or discharge operations will not adversely effect offsite populations. The result of the NRC's review and evaluation will also e made available to the public.
Presently, the NRC has approved a TMI procedure which permits the release of liquids containing low or nondetectable levels of radioactivity; the water that has been released using this procedure has originated from Unit 1, which was not involved in the accident.
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. The procedure requires that both the NRC and the State of Pennsylvania be notified of liquid effluent release.
A summary of the liquid releases e
and resultant environmental impacts and doses to the public from March 28 through May 11, 1979 is attached.
These releases have resulted in doses to the public which are far below the applicable annual design objective dose limits of 3 millirem to the whole body or 10 millirem, tc any organs, as found in Appendix I to 10 CFR Part 50.
In fact, environmental sa=ples have shown that the levels of radioactivity in the Susquehanna are indistinguishable from existing background levels at public water supply intakes from the River.
This has been confimed by independent measurements made by the NRC, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Cecmonwealth of Pennsylvania.
As described above, you see that no processing of highly radioactive liquids is being conducted or is planned for the near future.
This procedure allows the concentratien of radioactivity in liquids to be reduced through the process of radioactive decay.
If discharges of these processed liquids are planned by Metropolitan Edison and approved by the NRC, we will require that the conditions for release to the River will remain the same as for nor=al operation.
Our objective remains to fully assure the health and safety of the public through our review and approval of liquid waste management operations.
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