ML19253A698
| ML19253A698 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Lynchburg Research Center |
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | James O'Reilly NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | Engelder T BABCOCK & WILCOX CO. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909110022 | |
| Download: ML19253A698 (1) | |
Text
T/l e
/ g>R RIGg'o UNITED STATES
[ % ',.,f(',j NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION 11
% -'f/
s 3.h
[
101 MARIETT A ST., N.W., SUlTE 3100 o,
ATLANT A, GEORGI A 30303 6,
- t..a g"
AUG 101979 In Reply Refer To:
RII:JPO 50-13 50-99 Babcock and Wilcox Company Attn: T C. Engelder, Director Lynchbitrg Iescarch Center P. O. Box 1260 Lynchburg, Virginia 24505 Gentlemen:
Enclosed is IE Bulletin No. 79-19, which requires action by you vith 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 this office.
Sincerely, S
C55YW k James P. O'Reilly Director Enc 1csures:
1.
List of Bulletins Issued in Last Six Months
'8009 L 1 0 EC G M 9= M2Q 3373Co
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 RADI0 ACTIVE WASTE FOR TRANSPORT AhT BURIAL Descriptior o 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 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 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 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 }H ohvav Administration issued a Notice of Violation to a reactor freilit:
- #if 6M *MW '. o 'st{ P 7 o-tion resulting from improper c dDUPLICATE DOCUMENT v 0 # tJ U,/.
j
-- a for improper loading of the drH g
Entire document previously entered
}
These are a few examples of sh jintosystemunder:
i 7f Ohd76S/$
li facilities which did not fully a which were developed to protec )
ANO Governors of the three States /
that if the situation is not r f No. of pages:
h I
1 would deny use of the three bu j I
~~ = _____