ML19291B852
| ML19291B852 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 10/26/1979 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Albert L AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19291B853 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7911130384 | |
| Download: ML19291B852 (2) | |
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UNITED STATES g
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 3
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'E WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 p'!
October 26, 1979 a.,
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Mr. Lauren Albert 57 Clifford Drive West Hartford, CT 06107
Dear Mr. Albert:
This is in reply to your letter of March 3!
1979, to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
I am sorry for the delay but we have been very busy with the after.ath of the Three Mile Island accident.
With regard to your remarks about keeping the public informed, the NRC systematically makes information available to the public on abnomal occurrences at facilities licensed by the NRC.
Each occurrence is required to be included in a Licensee Event Report, which is made available in the NRC Public Document Room in Washington and in a Local Public Document Room usually in a public library in a community near the site of a nuclear power plant. News releases on events of particular interest are issued. The NRC Annual Report, which is for sale by the Government Printing Office, contains a section on abnomal occurences. Recently, the NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards published a " Review of Licensee Event Reports (1976-1978)"
(Report NUREG-0572 of September 1979 available from the GP0 Sales Program of the NRC). During the three year period under review, approximately 8,700 Licensee Event Reports were filed, describing events ranging from the trivial to those of major safety significance.
As to the situation at an abandoned nuclear reactor site in Georgia that you referred to, this pertains to a Radiation Effects Reactor that was owned by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation and was located in Dawson County. That reactor was partially dismantled and disposition was made of the component parts and other special nuclear and byproduct materials in accordance with the regulations of the Atomic Energy Commission. The facility license was terminated on August 31, 1971. Any radioactive material remaining as contaminants was licensed by the State of Georgia.
The site, consisting of a 10,000 acre tract designated as the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area, was purchased by the City of Atlanta for future construction of an airport.
In October 1976, the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which had taken over responsibilities for environmental radiation surveillance in March 1976 from the Georgia Department of Human Resources, sent a field survey team to the area because of increased interest in the property by hunters.
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Mr. Lauren Albert October 26, 1979 The survey showed traces of residual radiation in five areas, of @ich two were in excess of NRC guidelines for unrestricted use. Those two areas were closed to the public; one building was sealed and it and another area were fenced and posted and patrols were increased. This was done not be-cause the areas were dangerous but because of a policy that the public receive the minimum exposure reasonably achievable. Since then, the only evidence of trespass has been a hole broken into the sealed building. The breach was ima,ediately repaired, and the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources directed that additional signs be placed on the fences, patrols be increased, and anyone caught trepassing be arrested.
The NRC arranged for a contractor to conduct an aerial survey of radiation over the entire 10,000 acre tract. That survey in the Summer of 1978 and subsequent ground investigations confirmed that the only areas showing radiation other than that from natural sources were the ones found by the Georgia field survey. The two restricted areas will remain closed and under surveillance. Hunters, hikers, and campers can use the remainder of the tract without fear of radiation. There are no contaminated areas outside the boundaries or along the Etowah River, and water samples show no man-made radiation in the ground water.
As to hydrogen gas explosions at the Millstone Nuclear Power Station, there were two such explosions at Unit No.1 on Decei.c 13, 1977. The first did only modest damage in the offgas system, which was designed to withstand such anticipated explosions. The second blew the door off a room under the stack. A worker was thrown to the ground by the second explosion and received some contaimination with radioactive material. He was decontaminat-ed and treated for lacerations and possible concussion at a nearby medical facility and was then released.
No significant exposures to radiation or radioactive material occurred. On December 23, 1977, the NRC found that, based on its on-site and in-office review of the actions taken by the licensee to identify the cause and consequences of the explosions and to prevent similar events, normal operations could be resumed with no threat to the health and safety of the general public or workers at Millstone Unit No. 1.
In closing, I would like o reiterate that it is the policy and the practice of the NRC to make infonnation publicly available on accidents or other abnormal events concerning activities or facilities licensed by the NRC.
Sincerely, f
Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
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