ML19309G673
| ML19309G673 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Dresden  |
| Issue date: | 04/08/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Demuzid V ILLINOIS, STATE OF |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19309G674 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8005070347 | |
| Download: ML19309G673 (2) | |
Text
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APR 8 1980 Docket No. 50-10 The Honorable Vince Demuzio Illinois Senate 4 Valley Lane Carlinville; Illinois 62626
Dear Mr. Denuzio:
Your letter to Pr'esident Carter has been referred to the Nuclear Regulatory Connission (NRC), by the White House, for direct response to your concerns.
We have been reviewing Comonwealth Edison's proposed chemical decontamination of Dresden Unit No.1 since 1974. Our initial review of the cleaning project, completed in 1975, concluM that there would be no adverse environmental impact caused by the operation, that the health and safety of the public would not be endangered by the proposed cleaning, and that the Comonwealth Edison radiological safety program was adequate to assure that the general public and the onsite personnel would not be endangered by the Dresden 1 decontamination project.
A copy of our Safety Evaluation in support of this action is enclosed for your inf ormation.
Since our 1975 authorization Conmonwealth Edison has conpleted its materials
' test program and construction of the necessary support facilities to carry out the project in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner. Our review of the testing program and the facility construction is continuing and will be completed prior to the chemical cleaning that is currently scheduled for the first half of 1980.
The NRC is fully comitted to satisfying all requirements of the National Environmental.'olicy Act (NEPA). Our regulations which implement the NEPA requirements are contained in Title 10, Part 51.5, of the United States Code of Feceral Regulations.
These regulations are in conformance with guidelines issued by the President's Council on Environmanal Quality (CEQ) which were in effect prior to July 30, 1979. They identify the types of actions for which NRC nust prepare an environmental impact statement.
The Honorable Vince Demuzio The Commission is presently in the process of modifying our Environmental Protection regulations to take into account, voluntarily, the regulations promulgated by CEQ which became effective July 30, 1979. We have concluded that this action is not one of these actions requiring an environmental impact statement under current Commission regulations.
While our regulations do not require the preparation of an environmental impact statement, we are evaluating the environmental impact of the proposed action to determine whether an environmental impact statement should be prepared because of specific circumstances related to this particular action.
If it is determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared, a negative declaration and environmental impact appraisal will be prepared in accordance with Sections 51.7 and Sl.5(d) of our pro-cedures for envir~onmental protection. We will complete our review and issue the appropriate statement or appraisal prior to the Dresden decontamination.
In your letter to President Carter, you referred to a letter from students of the American Medical Student Association, University of Illinois, Urbana /
Champai gn.
For your information, we have enclosed a copy of the NRC response to that letter.
I hope this letter is responsive to your request.
Sincerely, Cd;/nlI;ni by
- 11. 2. C:::t:a Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosures:
1.
Safety Evaluation 2.
Letter to AMSA i
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y 0NITED STATES
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION wasMiwcTow. o'. c. sosss SA ETY EVALUATION BY Thi OFFICE OF NUCLEAR R.O." TOR REGULATION SUPPORTING AUNORIIATION TO CHEMICALLY DECONTAMISATE THE PRIMARY COOLING SYSTEM AT DRESDEN UNIT 1 CORIO. WEALTH EDISON COMPANY
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DRESDEN NUC!. EAR POWER STATION UNIT 1 D3CKET NO. 50-10 1
IhTRODUCTION By letters dated December 16,1974, April 1,1975 a.,d April 14, 1975, the Come:nwealth Edisen Co=pany (CECO) requested autnori:ation to carry out a chemical decontamina:ien of the interior surface: of the Dresden Unit 1 primary coolan systen.
The pu pese of the decontanination is to remove a deposition of activated cerrosion produc s which is tigh:Ir bonded to the primary coolant system ii d ec=ponents. The presence of the corresion products in the
.p p ng an system results in high levels of radiation in ad,iacent areas and limits access to these areas for the purpose of in-service inspection, routine maintenance and plan: codifications.
CECO has tentatively scheduled the che=ical cleaning project to begin in Jarua:y 1977 with an anticipated return to service scheduled for July 1977.
EVALUATION De staff's review of CECO's proposed
- chemical decontanination of the interior surfaces of the Dresden Unit i pri=ary ' cool nt system has been ce=pleted.' ne results of this' review are as foliows:
1.
Enviren= ental I= pact ne. che.ical decontaminstion of the Dresden 1 pri=ary coolant system will be perfor=ed en-irely within a closed decontamination syste=,
De system has been designed so that no che:ical or radiological l
wastes will be released to -he environmen-from the decer.tamir.ation A11 wastes generated in' the process will be either'solidfried proc es s.
for offsite burial a:.a licensed burial ground er reprocessed for reuse onsite. De solid wastes preduced are similar in type and quantity to these handled reu:inely at the site.
Deref:re, no adverse envaronmental irpacts are anticipned due to the decontamination.
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2.
Materials Compatibility The staff has reviewed the results of the material testing progra=
that has been carried out in support of the ' roposed Dresden I p
The test progra= was organized to look l
at corrosive effects during the deconta=ination process and possible~
decontamination program.
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residual effects during subsequent reactor operation.
r co:pleted Based upon our review of the results of the testing progra
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d those aseects of the caterials cc:patibility that we consider to be As a result of our discussions with CECO's consultant.
importani.
Dr. Craig Cheng of Argonne National Laboratory, we find that the re:2ining program will be conducted in a manner that will answer our presen:1y' unresolved concerns and the test results will be adequately, interpreted and reported.
We cenclude that upcn the successful completica of the testing progra=
des cribed in the submittals and with an adequate sun'eillance and inspectica program, the Dresden Nuclear Power Station Unit I can be subjected to the described chemical cleaning process without undue corresion or other deleterious materials co=patibility effects that the integrity of the primary coolant syste would adversely effect and connected syste:s.
A small number of items of concern have not been resolved to the However, we conclude tha.
staff's full satisfaction at this time.
autheri:ation to cr.rry out the' chemical decontamination should be granted in anticipation of the successful resolution of these open items in the near fu:ure.
at this time as requiring resolution to the staff's satisfaction:
The materials test progft:: will be completed and the test results will be analyzed and reviewed prior to the beginning '
(a) of the cleaning process.
Su veillance specimen's in ad'dition to those now planned will be determined by mutual agreement with the applicant and a schedule (b) fer specimen withdrawal will be stated.
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A pre-service inspection program for the primary co (c) to return to power.
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Effluent Treat =ent Systems j
We have determined that the effluent treatment syste=, if constructed as described in the CECO submittals, is capable of handling the types and quantities of effluents expected to be generated bf the decon-Our revice was limited to the use of the syste tarination progrom.
for c'.ecical decontamination only, and use of the system for any et;.er purpose subsequent to that program must b, reviewed prior to such us e.
4.
Radiological Safety We have further concluded that the radiological safety progra=.
described in the sub=ittals is adequate to assure that the health and safety of ~ the public and the ensite personnel will not be endangered -
by the Dresden I decontanination project.
CONCLUSIC.T We have concluded, based on the considerations discussed above, that:
(1) because the chemical cleaning does not involve a significant increas e in the probability or censequen:.es of accidents previously considered a..d does not involve a significan: decrease in a safety targin, the cleaning
. project.does not involve a significant ha:ards consideration, (2) there is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will nt-be endangered by operatien in the preposed manner, and (3) such activities.
will be conducted in compliance with the Co::issien's regulations and the issuance of this amendment will not be inimical to the co. con defense an security or to the health and safety of the public.
Date:
December 9,1975 2
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