ML19242E045
| ML19242E045 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | James O'Reilly NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | VIRGINIA, UNIV. OF, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909060215 | |
| Download: ML19242E045 (1) | |
Text
_
s hlG r
go miCg fo, UNITED STATES E'
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
,. 7
$J' ', ' '
E REGION 11 pl [e[
4 101 MARIE TTA ST., N.W., SUITE 3100 o,
'g, ' N -
ATLANTA, GEORGI A 30303 AUG 101979
.v1Mb1NIA, WhivgN51Ty Up 3CNOUL uF ENw1 net. RING AND APPL,IED l LMAMLUTTESVILLt.
~
VA 22901 Enclosed is IE Balletin No. 79-19, which requires action by you vith regard to your NRC license.
Should you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely,
- \\
'&-V y
6Q James P. O'Reilly Director Enc 1ccures:
1.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months D
D aaS
- T mq U i! a o UU w-m.,.c.=_
79090602/f N
Accession No:
7908070515 SSINS No:
6820 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 PACKAGING OF LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE FOR TRANSPORT AND BURIAL Description of Circumstances:
Low-level radioactive waste is that waste which can be transferred and shipped to one of three waste burial facilities which are located in and licensed by the Agreement Stater of Nevada, South Carolina, sad Washington.
On July 10, 1979, the Governors of the three states notified NRC Chairman Hendrie of the serious and repeated disregard for rules governing the shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement.ctate, DOT and NRC rules follow:
Improperly packaged uranium fines igniting 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 14, 1979.
On July 2. 1979, three of twelve steel containers shipped to the Beatty burial facility we re found to be leaking radioactive material. The material was described on the Sill of lading as being a solid inorganic salt (evaporator concentrates solidified with urea formaldehyde) from a reactor facility. The Governor of the State of Nevada ordered the drums to be shipped out of the state and the burial facility was temporarily closed.
On July r, the first shipment into the reopened Beatty facility contained free liquid in " solid" material.
The radioactive contents were sand filters used at an insitu leaching process at a uranium mill.
CD Forty-three shipments with sixty-three deficiencies were observed during the EQ package inspection program between April 10 and July 5,1979, by the Agreement O
State of South Carolina, at the Barnwell, S.C. burial facility. The shipments p were from reactor, medical, industrial and military facilites.
gj On June 28, 1979, the Federal Highway Administration issued a Notice of Violation to a reactor facility propas.i.uka $JA#EN
. 17 tion resulting from improper closurk m -
"g for improper loading of the drums oy DUPLICATE DOCUMENT Entire document Previously entered P^:
These are a few examples of shipmeni i facilities which did not fully meet into system under,.
which were developed to protect the 7 70 b o7 o VG Governors of the three States with ]
ANO that if the situation is net rectify n
would deny use of the three burial (
4 No. of pages:
t