ML19256B630
| ML19256B630 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Kansas State University |
| Issue date: | 08/10/1979 |
| From: | Seyfrit K NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV) |
| To: | Faw R KANSAS STATE UNIV., MANHATTAN, KS |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7908160062 | |
| Download: ML19256B630 (1) | |
Text
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611 RY AN PL AZA ORIVE. 5UI T E 1000 AR LING TO' A, T E X AS 16012 August 10, 1979 In Reply Refer To:
Docket t;o. 50-188 Kansas Strate University Department of fluclear Engineering ATTN:
Dr.
R. E. Faw, Director Nucicar Reactor Facil.'ty Manhattan, Kansas 66502 Gentlemen:
Enclosed is IE Bulletin No. 19-19, which requires action by you with regard to your reactor facility with an operating license.
Should you have questions regarding this Bulletin or the actions required of you, please contact this office.
Sincerely,
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Karl V. Seyfr't Director
Enclosures:
1.
IE Bulletin No. 79-19 2.
1.l u t of Bulletins Isaued in Last Six ?!anths t
79 0816 0 0G1
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY CO?L'!ISSION OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WASIllNGTON, D.C.
20555 IE Bulletin No. 79-19 Date: August 10, 1979 Page 1 of 3 PACKAJING OF LOW-LE'lEL ?.ADI0 ACTIVE WASTE FOR TRANSPORT AND BURIAL Descriptic.n of Circumstances:
Low-level radioactive waste is that waste which can be transferred and shipped to or.e at 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 f acility were founci to be leaking radioactive material.
The material was described on the hill of lading as being a solid inarganic 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
- t. sed 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, South Carolina burial f acility. The shipments were from reactor, medical, industrial and military facilities.
On June 28, 1979, the Federal liighway Administration issued a Notice of Violaticr. to a reactor facility proposing a $10,000 fine for truck contamina-tion resulting fro.n improper closures on 55 gallon drums of LSA material and for improper loading of the drums on the vehicle.
These are a few examples of shipments facilities which did not fully meet NR DUPLICATE DOCUMENT which were developed to protec* the he Governors of the three States with lic' Entire document previously that if the situation is not rectified en te reci into system under:
would deny use of the three burial site ANO No. of pages: