ML19329G178
| ML19329G178 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 05/12/1980 |
| From: | Kaufmann R NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | Scarano R NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8007140076 | |
| Download: ML19329G178 (2) | |
Text
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MAY 121980 MEMORANDUM FOR: Ross A.'Scarano, Chief Uranium Recovery Licensing Branch THRU:
Hubert J. Miller, Section Leader New Facilities Section l
Uranium Recovery Licensing Branch FJ0M:
Ronald S. Kaufmann Uranium Recovery licensing Branch
SUBJECT:
MINUTES OF URANERZ PREAPPLICATION MEEiING Place and Date Silver Spring, Maryland - April 23, 1980 Attendees NRC - Jack Rothfleisch Uranerz - Joe Andrews Hubert Miller Chris Froehlich Gregory Eadie Ron Kaufmann a
Purpose Uranerz USA, Inc. (URANERZ) is planning to apply for an NRC Source liaterial and Byproduct Material License to mine uranium in situ at a research and development (R&D) facility in Wyoming. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the administrative aspects of the application, technical issues that concern the NRC and questions from URANERZ about the licensing process.
Discussion Joe Andrews and Chris Froehlich, an attorney and hydrogeologist for URANERZ, respectively, described the R&D uranium in-situ operation that will be proposed in the near future. The proposed site is located in southeastern Johnson County, Wyoming about 15 miles from the Wyoming Minerals Company Irigaray Project.
URANERZ will extract uranium from a well field less than an acre in size, with maximum pumping rates of 100 spm. The ore body is in the Wasatch Formation at a depth of 500-550 feet, is approximately 1.8 million square feet in area, and has an estimated ore grade of 2-3 pounds per ton (0.10 to 0.15% U 0 )*
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addition to the well field, evaporation ponds and a buildi$g containing 8
l processing equipment will be constructed. The application is expected
.to,he ' submitted in the summer of 1980 and the tentative project facility startup date is November 1980.
60
_. _ - _07349 ppg
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Ross A. Scarano 2-NRC staff described the fcllowing administrative aspects and technical concerns that should be reflected in URANERZ application for an NRC license: URANERZ should provide the NRC with ten copies of the application, environmental report and subsequent submittals; the environrnental report should be in a loose leaf binder and printed on standard sized paper so revisions can be made easily; all information submitted to Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality should also go to the NRC; URANERZ should use the White Mesa Safety Evaluation Report and the Teton Exploration Drilling License (SUA-1373) as examples when designing their radiation safety program; NRC Regulatory Guide 3.11 should be consulted when designing the evaporation ponds; in describing the geology of the site, some emphasis should be placed on describing the hydraulic properties and continuity of the rock layers confining the ore body; design, construction, testing and monitoring of wells used for injection and production should also be described in detail. NRC also stated there could be no construction at the site. until a license was issued.
Additional items pointed out by NRC included that the application should present descriptions of proposed restoration and reclamation plans; that it was imp ~ortant to establish meaningful groundwater and surface water baseline values and that an acceptable restoration criterion would be the return of all parameters as close as possible to baseline values.
Regarding solid waste disposal, it was stated that both NRC and WYDEQ favor disposal at an already licensed low level waste disposal site such as a tailings impoundment.
URANERZ representatives asked about the licensing schedule, involvement of.other Federal agencies such as the EPA, specific radiological measuring equipment and whether the NRC would allow the use of a leach field for waste disposal.
NRC responded that the facility could be licensed by r
November, but that it would depend on the information submitted and the evaluation.
As far as NRC staff knew there was no involvement by EPA in licensing the facility but that URANERZ may want to check.
Information l
was supplied by Eadie concerning radiological equipment.
Finally, the NRC staff indicated that they would look at the leach field disposal plan when it was submitted.
I Actions Prior to departure the applicant was provided with the standard 16 item NRC Mill Licensing Information Package and NRC staff indicated that a copy of the Ogle Petroleum, Inc. Bison Basin Project draft environmental statement (full scale in situ facility) would be sent to URANERZ when issued.
j Ronald S. Kaufmqnn Uranium Recovery Licensing branch Division of Waste Management cc:
Chris Froehlich, URANERZ
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