ML19316A050
| ML19316A050 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Oconee  |
| Issue date: | 08/02/1976 |
| From: | Schwencer A Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Parker W DUKE POWER CO. |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7911210617 | |
| Download: ML19316A050 (4) | |
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AUG 2 1976 Docket Hos. " " -
~ 50-270 and 50-237 Duke Power Company ATTN: Mr. William O. Parker, Jr.
Vice President - Steam Production 422 South Church Street P. O. Box 2178 Charlotte, North Carolina 28242 Gentlemen:
We are currently reviewing your proposed Appendix B Technical Specification change to the pH discharge limit for the Oconee Nuclear Station, as submitted in your letter of May 13, 1976, and find that we cannot complete our evaluation without additional infonnation for an environmental appraisal.
The Oconee technical specifications, as they are now written, stipulate that "all water discharged from the wastewater collection basin shall have a pH between 6.0 and 8.5".
This specification was based on our FES conclusio'i that the pH in the holding pond should be within the range of 6.0 and 8.5 (FES, page 95). You have requested that the upper limit on the pH be raised to 9.0, but you have not given a reason for the change, other than that it would be consistent with chemical effluents as stated in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendment of 1972, nor have you described the environmental inpact of the change.
Under the second memorandum of understanding between NRC and EPA, the NRC is obliged to review its technical specification water effluent limits with the objective of obtaining consistency with the NPDES Permit (Federal Water Pollution Control Act). This can only be done, however, after a NEPA review of the impact has been done, if the cha..ge warrants such a review. The FES for Oconee describes the pH of the Keowee River to be approximately 6.6 and the annual reports indicate the pH to be found in the range of 5.8 to 7.0, indicating the river is mildly acidic.
The impact to the aquatic biota of water released at pH values higher than what naturally occurs in the river was not evaluated in the FES.
The pH limits are already somewhat outside this range, thus an increase in the limit requires a NEPA rey;iew. We therefore request that you a...
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Form AEC.318 (Rev. 9 53) AECM 0240 W u. s. oovsanusnt ammvine orrics ista.sas. nee 7 911210 Q7
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AUG 2 1976 Duke Power Company provide us with the additional infonnation identified in the enclosure.
Sincerely,
%LhD A. Schwencer, Chief
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Operating Reactors Branch #1 Division of Operating Reactors
Enclosure:
DISTRIBUTION:
Additional Information Required Docket (3)
NRC PDR (3) cc w/ enclosure:
Local PDR See next page ORB-1 Reading KRGoller TJCarter ASchwencer GZech SMSheppard Attorney, OELD OI&E(5)
JRBuchanan TBAbernathy DEisenhut BGrimes ACRS (16)
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Fene AEC.318 (Rev. 9-55) ABCM 0240 W u. s. sovannuswr enintine orrics: isra.sas.see
unhc Pos:er Conpany 3-August 2, 1976 cc:
'Ir. Wil)lem L.
Porter Du' e Po, er Company P.
O.
Box 2173 422 South Ci.ntch Street Cnarlotte, l. orth Carolina 28242 Fir. Troy D.
Conner Conner 5 k'notts 174 7 l'ennsylvania Avenue, IN Washington, D. C.
20006 Ocouee Public Library 201 Soc.n Spring Street Walhalla, South Carolina 29691
s INFORMATION REQUESTED -'OCONEE' TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION CHANGE 1.
Identify all important aquatic species populttions which are intolerant to high pH levels and may be found in the area of the discharge; indicate data sources.
2.
Describe the distribution and abundance of species identified in 1 above, and the sampling methodologies for determining distribution and abundance.
Indicate confidence limits, and reference methods of estimating distribution and abundance.
3.
Estimate the additional impacts to the species populations identified in 1 and 2 above.
Describe methods used for estimating the impact 3.
4.
If data are not available for 1 and 2 above, propose a sampling program to collect the information and include this program in Section 4 of the Technical Specifications.
5.
If the impact determined in 3 above is significant, propose a permanent environmental surveillance condition for inclusion in Section 3 of the Technical Specifications.
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