ML19247B892
| ML19247B892 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Humboldt Bay |
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | Engelken R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | Crane P PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7908170035 | |
| Download: ML19247B892 (1) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES
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[ ' ;, lg,'.'k NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION jjv nEGION V i
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7 1900 N. CAllFORNIA BOULEVARD o, 'fidjhl,;
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SUITE 202, WAL 1UT CREE K PLAZA
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,a August 10, 1979 Docket flo. 50-133 Pacific Gas and Electric Company 77 Beale Street San Francisco, California 94106 Attention: Mr. Philip A. Crane, Jr.
Assistant General Counsel Gentlemen:
Enclosed is IE Bulletin fio. 79-19 which requires action by you with regard to your reactor facility (ies) with an operating license.
Should you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact t;iis office.
Sincerely,
/bl].c.t w-
,Y,1 R. H.' Engel ken Director
Enclosures:
1.
IE Bulletin llo. 79-19 2.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months cc w/ enclosures:
W. Barr, PG&E W. Raymond, PGSE E. Weeks, PG&E, Huaboldt Bay t
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- 7 908170
Accession tio:
7908070515 SSIflS ?!o:
6820 UtilTED STATES tlUCLEAR REGULATORY COMillSSI0il 0FFICE OF IiiSPECTION AND ENFORCEMEllT WASHINGT0tl, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin tio. 79-19 PACKAGItiG 0F LOW-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE WASTE FOR TRANSPORT AtlD BURIAL Description of Circumstances:
Low-level radioac'.ive waste is that waste which can be transferred and shipped to one of three ' aste burial facilities which are located in and licensed by the Agreenent States of Nevada, South Carolina, and Washington.
On July 10, 1979, the Governors of the three states notified NRC Chairman Hendrie of the serious and repeated disrecard for rules covernino the shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement State, D0T and NRC rules follow:
Improperly packaged uraniun fines igniting packaged liquid scintillation vials in combustible waste is believed to have caused a fire and destruction of a truck at the Beatty, flevada burial facility on May 14, 1979.
On July 2,1979, three of twelve steel containers shipped to the Beatty burial facility were found to be leaking radioactive material.
The material was described on the bill of lading as being a solid inoraanic salt (evaoorator concentrates solidified with urea formaldehyde) from a reactor facility.
The Governor of tr.: State of Nevada ordered the drums to be shipped out of the state and the burial facility was temporarily closed.
On July 30, the first shipment into the reopened Beatty facility contained free liquid in " solid" material. The radioactive contents were sand filters used at an insitu leachir.q process at a uranium mill.
Forty-three shipments wit.1 sixty-three deficiencies were observed during the package inspection progracn between April 10 and July 5,1979, by the Agreement State of South Carolina, at the Barnwell, S.C. burial facility. The shipments were from reactor, medical, industrial and military facilities.
On June 28, 1979, the Federal Highway Adm,inistration issued a Notice of Violation to a reactor facility propos^F t' N " "9 - h mtruc Lcontamina-fouptreATE DOCUMENT "P""
tion resulting from improper closures e 63QZdb for improper loading of the drums on t,r These are a few examples of shipments
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fnt ument previous 1y entered system under:
facilities which did not fully neet NF ['
which were developed to protect the hr
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Governors of the three Stal.es with li.
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that if the situation is not rectifie O
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would deny use of the three burial si g k
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