ML19308E132
| ML19308E132 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 02/28/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Hurst J AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19308E133 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8003210019 | |
| Download: ML19308E132 (3) | |
Text
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION t
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February 28, 1980 Mr. James Hurst 617 Briarcliff Road Middletown, PA 17057
Dear Mr. Hurst:
I am writing in response 6s your letter to Commissioner Gilinsky regarding discharges of water into the Susquehanna River subsequent to the accident at Three Mile Island.
I regret that this answer to your letter has been delayed.
The accident and its consequences have created a substantial increase in the agency's workload, which has prevented me from responding to you as promptly as I would have liked to.
Your letter makes reference to the release to the river of 4,000 gallons of water containing strontium-90, a radioactive element that emits beta radia-tion. The entire event started as a normal routine release of waste water from the Unit No. I waste evaporator condensate test tank. Prior to initiat-ing a release, the licensee is required by plant Technical Specifications to -
sample the contents of the tank and analyze the sample for the principal gamma emitters.
In addition, the licensee is required by the Technical Specifications to take a portion of that sample and add it to the composite sample of all previous batches of liquid releases made during the month. At the end of the month the composite sample is analyzed for strontium-89 and 90.
Both of the above actions were completed by the licensee.
It should be noted that the NRC does not require that the analysis for strontitf. be performed on every batch prior to release because the concentration of strontium is normally (1) well below the detection limits of the analytical method, and (2) orders of magnitude lower than the principal gamma emitters, such as iodine and cesium.
On July 26, 1979, the release from Unit No. 1 was initiated and during the release an NRC inspector questioned the licensee as to whether or not a gross beta analysis had been performed. At this point, Met-Ed management suspended the release and performed a number of analyses. The analysis for concentra-tions of strontium-89 and 90 indicated that prior to discharge to the river, the effluent concentrations for these isotopes were within both Federal and State government radioactivity standards.
In the future, nevertheless, Metropolitan Edison will monitor all water discharges for beta radiation.
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.j With regard to your concern about the release of contaminated water, except for releases of liquids containing only low or nondetectable levels of radio-activity to the Susquehanna River, such releases are not currently permitted.
Before such releases take ple,:e, the tapact will be evaluated by the NRC and the evaluation will be made available to the public. By this course of action, we will assure that a thorough assessment is completed prior to release of the contaminated liquids and that the health and safety of the offsite population will be protected.
As a result of releases containing only low or nondetectable levels of radio-activity, the levels of radioactivity in the Susquehanna are indistinguishabla from existing background levels at public water supply intakes from the river.
These levels have been confirmed by independent measurements made by the NRC, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Consnonwealth of Pennsylvania.
With regard to your concern about the release of radioactive gases from the reactor building of TMI Unit 2, such releases are also not currently permitted.
Before the gases are disposed of by any method, the impact will be evaluated by the NRC and the evaluation will be made available to the public. The Commission has also decided that concerned citizens should be given the oppor-tunity to present their viewra orally at a public meeting prior to any approval of proposals to dispose of radioactive gases in the THI Unit 2 reactor build-ing. By this course of action, we will assure that a thorough assessment is completed prior to release of the contaminated gases and that the health and safety of the offsite population will be protected.
I appreciate your concerns and assure you that every effort is being made to ensure the continued protection of the health and safety of the public, not only at the Three Mile Island Station, but also at all nuclear power plants.
Sincerely.
Original siened by Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
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. 8C.C FORM 338 (9 76) NRCM O240 UU.S. GOVERNo.aENT PR4NTING OFFICE: 1979-289 369 1
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Distribution nocket (Attach original of incoming correspondence) - Docket Nos. 50-289 6 50-320
- NRC/PDR (Xerox copy of incoming and place behind outgoing PDR copy)
!Niner JohnCollins Noliu PChee, Argonne National Laboratory DEisenhut RTedesco RReid DDilanni CNelson HSilver RIngram/IA
- TERA l
- Place these three copies in one envelope and forward to DSB-016.
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