ML19242C882
| ML19242C882 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vallecitos, Vallecitos Nuclear Center File:GEH Hitachi icon.png |
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | Engelken R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | Darmitzel R GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7908140080 | |
| Download: ML19242C882 (1) | |
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,,3 August 10, 1979 Docket flos. 50-70 50-73 General Electric Company Vallecitos Nuclear Center Vallecitos Road Pleasanton, California 94566 Attention:
Mr. R. W. Carmitzel, !!anager Irradiation Processing Operation Gentlemen:
Enclosed is IE Bulletin ;o. 79-19 which requires action by you with regard to your reactor fecility(ies) with an operating liccnse.
Should you have questions r.jarding this Bulletin or the actions requirad of you, please contact this of fice.
Sincerely, u/,
,y,4p u r.c; -
1 R. H. Engelken
,i>,, t Director
Enclosures:
1.
IE Bulletin i;o. 79-19 2.
List of Sulletins Issued in Last Six I4cnths t
790814m L
Accession No:
7903070515 SSI!;S No:
6820 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY CC"filSSION OFFlCE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEftENT WASHINGTO'l, D.C.
20555 Auqust 10, 1979 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 PACKAGING 0F LOW-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE UASTE FOR TRANSPORT AND BURIAL Description of Circunstances:
Low-level radioactive waste is that waste which can be transferred and shipped to one of three waste burial fac ilities which are located in and licensed by the Agreenent States of Nevada, South Carolina, and Washington. On July 10, 1979, the Governors of the thrae states not1fied NRC Chairnan Hendrie of the serious and repeated disrecard for rules covernina the shipnents of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreenent State, DDT and NRC rules follow:
Inproperly packaged uraniu, fines ianitinp packaged liquid scintillation vials in combustible waste is believed to have caused a fire and destruction of a truck at the Beatty, Nevada burial facility on May la,1979.
On July 2,1979, three of tuelve steel containers shipped to the Beatty burial facility were found to be leakino radioactive material.
The natorial was described on the bill of lading as being a solid inorcanic salt (evaoorator concentrates solidified with urea formaldehyde) fron a reactor facility.
The Governor of the Si. ate of Nevada ordered the drums to be shipped out of the state and the burial facility was temporarily closed.
On July 30, the first shi nent into the reopened Deatty facility contained i
free liquid in " solid" naterial. The radioactive contents were sand filters used at an insitu leachinq process at a uranium nill.
Forty-three shipments with sixty-three deficiencies were observed during the package inspection program between April 10 and July 5,1979, by the Agreement State of South Carolina, at the Barnwell, S.C. burial facility. The shipments were fran reactor, nedical, industrial and nilitary facilities.
On June 28, 1979, the Federal Highway Administration issued a Notice at Violation to a reactor facility proposing a $10,000 fine for truck contanina-tion resulting from inproper closures on SS-aallon drums of LSA naterial and for inproper loading of the drums on the vehicle.
These are a few examples of shipments of radionctive raterial to burial facilities which did not fully neet NRC, DOT ana Aqreenent State requirements which were developed to protect the health and safety of the public. The Governors of the three States with licensed burial facilities have indicated that if the situation is not rectified, they may have to initiate actions which would deny use of the three burial sites by violators.
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8 IE Bulletin fio. 79-19 August 10, 1979 Paqc 2 cf 3 Sources of Information:
The DOT regulatory requircrants can be found in 49 CFR Parts 170-179.
The f!RC regulatory requirements can be found in 10 crR Parts 19 to 71.
The NRC reqd-latory requirenents for Aqreenent State licensees in non-agreement states are in 10 CFR Part 150.
Copies of the requlations nay be purchased from the Superintendent of Docunents, U. S. Governnent Printinq Office, Uashington, D.C. 20402.
information about licensinq requirements for URC packages can be obtained from the i;RC Transnortation Branch (301-427 4122).
Information about DOT packaginq and transport requirements can be obtaired by calling the DOT Office of Hazardcas Materials (202 426-2311).
Action To Be Taken By Licensees:
To assure the safe transfer, pacLaqing, and transport of low-level radioactive waste, each licensee is expected to:
1.
Maintain a current set of 00T and NRC requlations concerning the transfer, packaging and transport of low-level radioactive waste naterial.
2.
Maintain a current set of requira"nts (license) " aced on the waste burial firn by the Agreenent State of Nevada, Souti Carolina, or Washington before paciaging low-level radioactive waste naterial for transfer and shipnent to the Agrec~ent State licensee.
If a waste collection ccatractor is used, obtain the appropriate requirements from the contractor.
3.
Designate, in writing, people in your organization who are responsible for the safe transfer. packaging and transport of low-level radioactive raterial.
4.
Provide managenent-approved, detailed instructions and operatinq procedures to all personnel 'avolved in tt. 'ransfer, packaging and transport of low-level radioactive naterial.
Special attention should be given to controls on the chenical and physical form of the low-level radioactive material and on the containment integrity of the packaging.
5.
Provide traininq and periodic retrainino in the DOT and NRC regulatory renuirements, the waste burial license requirements, and in your instruc-tions and operatinq procedures for all personnel in"olveo in the transfer, packaging and transport of radioactive naterial. l'ali 'ain a record training dates, attendees, and subject raterial for future inspections by fiRC personnel.
6.
Provide training and periodic retraining to those enployees who operate the processes uhich generate waste to assure that the volume of low-level radioactive waste is minimized and that such waste is processed into acceptable chenical and physical form for transfer and shipnent to a low-level radioactive waste burial facility.
I.
IE Bulletin No. 79-19 Auqust 10, 1979 Page 3 of 3 7.
Establish and implement a management-controlled audit function of all transfer, packagina and transport activities to provide assurance that personnel, instructions and procedures, and process and transport equip-ment are functioning to ensure safety and compliance with regulatory requirements.
8.
Perforn, within 60 days of the date of this bulletin, a nanagement-controlled audit of your activities associated with the transfer, packaginq and trans-port of low-level radioactive waste. Maintain a record of all audits for future inspections by NRC or DDT inspectors.
(Note: If you have an estab-lished audit functi n and ha1;e performed such an audit of all activities in Items 1-6 within the past six months, this audit requirement is satisfied.)
9.
Report, in writino within 45 days, your plan of action and schedule with regard to the above items.
In addition, provide responses to the three questions below.
Reports should be submitted to the Director of the appropriate NRC Regional Office and a copy should be forwarded to the NRC Giiice of Inspection and Fnforcenent, Division of Fuel Facility and Materials Safety Inspection, Uashinoton, D.C.
20555.
Provide answers for 1978 and for the first six nonths of 1979 to the following questions:
1.
How nany low-level radioactive waste shipments did you nake? What was the volune of low-level radioactive waste shipped?
(Power reactor licensees who report this information in accordance with Technical Specifications do not need to respond to this question.)
2.
What was the quantity (curies) of low-level radioactive waste shipped? What were the major isotopes in the low-level radioactive waste?
(Power reactor licensees who report this information in accordance with Technical Specifications do not need to respond to this question.)
3.
Did you generate liquid low-level radioactive waste?
If the answer is 'yes,' what process was used to solidify the liquid waste?
Licensees who do not generate low-level radioactive waste should so indicate in their responses and do not need to take other actions specified in the above items.
Approved by GAO, B180225 (R0072); clearance expires 7-31-8t.
- noroval was given under a blanket clearance snecifically for identified qet
- c problens.
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IE Bulletin No. 79-19 Enclosure tugust 10, 1979 Page 1 of 3 LISTING OF IE BULLETINS ISSUED IN LAST SIX MONTHS Bulletin Subject Date Issued Issued To No.
79-18 Audibility Problems 8/7/79 All Power Reactor Encountered on Evaluation facilities with an of Personnel Frca High OL Noise Areas 79 17 Fipe Cracks in Stagnant 7/26/79 All PWR's with Borated Water Systems at operating license PWR Plants 79-16 Vital Area Access Controls 7/26/79 All Holders of and applicants for Power Reactor Operating Licenses who anticipato loading fuel prior to 1981 79-15 Deep Draft Pump 7/11/79 All Power Reactor Deficiencies Licensees with a CP and/or OL 79-14 Seismic Analyses for 6/2/79 All Power Reactor As-Built Safety-Related facilities with an Piping System OL or a CP 79-13 Cracking In Feedwater 6/25/79 All PMRs with an System Piping OL for action. All BWRs with a CP for information.
79-02 Pipe Support Base Plate 6/21/79 All Power Reactor (Rev. 1)
Designs Using Concrete Facilities with an Expansion Anchor Bolts OL or a CP 79-12 Short Period Scrams at 5/31/79 All GE BWR Facilities BWR Facilities with an OL 79-11 Faulty Overcurrent Trip 5/22/79 All Power Reactor Device in Circuit Breakers Facilities with an for Engineered Safety OL or a CP Systens 79-10 Requalification Training 5/11/79 All Power Reactor Progran Statistics Facilities with an OL nCSJ L
4 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 Enclosure August 10, 1979 Page 2 of 3 LISTING OF IE BULLETINS ISSUED IN LAST SIX MONiliS Bulletin Subject Date Issued Issued To No.
79-09 Failures of GE Type AK-2 4/17/79 All Power Reactor Circuit Breaker in Safety Facilities with an Related Systems OL or CP 79-C3 Events Relevant to SWR 4/14/79 All BWR Power Reactor Reactors Identified During Facilities with an OL Three Mile Island Incident 79-07 Seismic Stress Analysis 4/14/79 All Power Reactor of Safety-Related Piping Facilities with an OL or CP 79-05C&C6C Nuclear Incident at Three 7/26/79 To all PWR Power Mile Island - Supplenent Reactor Facilities with an OL 79-06B Review of Operational 4/14/79 All Ccnbustion Engineer-Errors and Systen Mis-ing Designed Pressurized aligreents Identified Water Power Reactor During the Three Mile Facilities with an Island Incident Operating License 79-06A Review of Operational 4/18/79 All Pressurized Water (Rev 1)
Errors and Systen Mis-Power Reactor Facilities alignments Identified of Westinghouse Design During tha Three Mile with an OL Island Incident 79-06A Review of Operational 4/14/79 All Pressurized Water Errors and System Mis-Power Reactor Facilities alignments Identified of Westinghouse Design During the Three Mile with an OL Island Incident 79-06 Review of Operational 4/11/79 All Pressurized Water Errors and System Mis-Power Reactors with an alignments Identified OL except B&W facilities During the Three Mile Island Incident CO) n\\; >
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IE Bulletin No. 79-19 Enclosure August 10, 1979 Page 3 of 3 LISTING OF IE BULLETINS ISSUED IN LAST SIX MONTHS Bulletin Subject Date Issued Issued To No.79-05B Nuclear Incident at 5/21/79 All B&W Power Reactor Three flile Island Facilities with an OL 79-05A Nuclear Incident at 4/5/79 All B&W Power Reactor Three liile Island Facilities with an OL 79-05 Nuclear Incident at 4/2/79 All Pwer Reactor Three flile Island Facilities with an OL and CP 79-04 Incorrect Weights for 3/30/79 All Power Reactor Swing Check Valves Facilities with an Manufactured by Velan OL or CP Engineering Corporation 78-12B Atypical Weld Material 3/19/79 All Power Reactor in Reactor Pressure Facilities with an Vessel ',: elds OL or CP 79-03 Longitudinal Welds Defects 3/12/79 All Power Reactor In AS!E SA-312 Type 304 Facilities with an Stainless Steel Pipe Spools OL or CP 11anufactured by Youngstown
'g Welding and Engineering Co.79-01A Environmental qualification 6/6/79 All Power Reactor of Class 1E Equiptnent Facilities with an (Deficiencies in the Envi-OL or CP ronmental Qualification of ASCO Solenoid Valves) u'.,
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