ML19247B898
| ML19247B898 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Berkeley Research Reactor |
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | Engelken R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | Schmeltzer L CALIFORNIA, UNIV. OF, BERKELEY, CA |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7908170046 | |
| Download: ML19247B898 (1) | |
Text
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August 10, 1979 Docket tio. 50-224 University of California Department of fluclear Engineering Berkeley, California 94720 Attention:
Lawrence Schceltzer E. H. & S. Officer Gentlemen:
Enclosed is IE Bulletin ;o. 79-19 which requires action by you with regard to your reactor fac'lity(ies) with an operating license.
Should you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely, lddn rt'"
- tR. H.'Engelken
,T Director
Enclosures:
1.
IE Bulletin lio. 79-19 2.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months 62b221 0N 0
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o Accession No:
7908070515 SSIllS No: 6820 UNITED STATES
'"' CLEAR REGULATORY COP 111SS10N 0-CE OF INSFECTION AfiD EttFORCEf1Ef!T WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 PACKAGIliG 0F LOW-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE WASTE 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 facilities which are located in and licensed by the Agreement 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 disreaard for rules coverning the shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement State, DOT 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, Nevada burial facility on flay 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 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 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 leaching process at a uranium mill.
Forty-three shipments with sixty-three deficiencies were observed during the package inspection program between April 10 and July 5, 1979, by the Agreenent State of South Carolina, at the Barnwell, S.C. burial facility. The shipments were from reactor, medical, industrial and military facilities.
Gn June 28, 1979, the Federal Highway Administration issued a Notice of Violation to a reactor facility proposing a $10,000 fine for truck contanina-tion resulting from improper closures on 55-gallon drums of LSA material and
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for improper loading of the drums on the
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-a DUPLICATE DOCUMENT These are a few examples of shipments of facilities which did not fully meet NRC, Entire document previously entered which were developed to protect,the heal into system under:
Governors of the three States with licer p
5 that if the situation is not rectified, ANO weuld deny use of the three burial sites No. of pages:
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