ML19249B261
| ML19249B261 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | James O'Reilly NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909040201 | |
| Download: ML19249B261 (1) | |
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UNITED STATES
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101 MARIETT A ST., N.W., SUITE 3100 AT LANT A, G EORGI A 30303
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AUG 101979 NORFULK STATE COLLEGE Eu01 CORPREW AVENUE NURFULK VA 23504 Enclosed is IE Bulletin No. 79-19, which requires action by you with regard to your NRC license.
Fhould you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely, 9
Yl }f~ g Q James P. O'Reilly \\
Director Enclosu es:
1.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months r;<. q ;3 -o v a rs wf
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Accession No:
7908070515 SSINS No: 6820 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICT OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
20555 August 10, 1979 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 PACKAGING OF LOW-LEVEL RADI0 ACTIVE 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 vaste 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 disregard for rules governing the shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to these burial facilities.
Examples of violations of Agreement State, 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 were found to be leaking radicactive 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 deficiincies were observed during the package inspection program between April 10 a.d 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 Administration isst.ed a Notice of Vic1ation to a reactcr facility pcpuia; a $10,000 fine for truck contamina-tion resulting from improper closures on l Q [' j g % ~ p "g jg, mig-g for improper loading of the drums on the F- ' ~~ M 'WM "h
O'JC" 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 healt into system under:
Governors of the three States with licens that if the situation is not rectified, t hO O
AN0 would deny use of the three burial sites No. of pages:
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