ML19338F826

Discusses Secretary of Interior to NRC Re Impact of Dewatering at Facility.Util Is Preparing Detailed Response to Ltr & USGS Repts.Summary of Major Points Encl

ML19338F826
Person / Time
Site:	Bailly
Issue date:	10/21/1980
From:	Shorb E NORTHERN INDIANA PUBLIC SERVICE CO.
To:	Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
NUDOCS 8010270355
Download: ML19338F826 (10)

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'suesneu.suone-October 21, 1980 e.

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' Mr. Harold Denton,L Director

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Dear Mr. Denton:

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We have received a copy of the October 3,1980 letter from Secretary of the-Interior, Cecil D. Andrus, to Chairman Ahearne regarding the impact of dewatering at the site _of Bailly Nuclear-1 on the Cowles Bog area of "he Indians Dunes National Lakeshore. We understand that the letter has %en referred to you.

The Northern Indiana Public Service Company is preparing a detailed response to that letter and the USGS reports upon which that letter is based;

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lthis response will be furnished to you approximately November 15. It will

. document'why the allegedly new information referred to by Secretary Andrus is not significant and does not warrant preparation of a supplement to the environmental impact; statement for Bailly Nuclear-l.

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Meanwhile,1we would point out that the Secretary's letter draws conclusions which are not-supported by the reports which he referenced. Further, the ~-

reports themselves are inadequate;in many respects and, in our view, do not :

. provide reliable engineering predictions of the effects of dewatering at Bailly' Nuclear-1.

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Several of the major points that we will address in our response are summa-rized in th'e attachment to this letter..

t Very _truly yours, j

< ; EMStegs r Attachment '~

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-Attachment

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I. ( Aiprell'ainary review has been made by D' Appolonia' Consulting

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' Engineers.with. respect to'the: soil parameters used in,USGS 1

' Report No..78-138.(Ref. 1)'. 'The results-of.that re. view are

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Eset outiin Ref..:3*f and can-be summarized-as follows:

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A large My of field data = relative to soil parameters -

within;the study area has been collected over a 20-year-period).the.USGS reports do not reflect much of this L

data.

7 There are 'sighificant discrepancies between the actual

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7 field data and the data.or assumptions used by the USGS.

For exas.ple:

~ a.

The wrong permeabilit13s-were'used for Units 1 and 3 (upper'and, lower aquifers)4

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b.

At many locations the wrong surface elevations of Unit 2 were used in USGS repotts.

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c.

Unit 3 is connected to the s' ands above Unit 2 through many large openings and it is also connected to Lake Michig/

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Unit 2'is not continuous as'USGS j

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Units.1, 2 and 3 are diffarent ir shape and in-o.

thickness.from those.used.in.the model.

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There are major differencesibetween actual ground.

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. ater levels and those~ assumed by USGS.

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. / Copies' of(Ref.f3 were provided.to'the'NRC'by'Mr. Bohn's-

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- September 26,.1980: letter,to.-Mr. Youngblood.

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Two diffarentiaquifers l(unconfined and confined).

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'dolnot exist.throughout the study area-as assumed

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_bys thej USGS; -in many ' areas. they are. connected and iactfas-one.

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The radius of influence. for the pressure relief system 1

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b-was-ca cu a el t d using actual permeabilitiiss and pump test results-and found to be 'less than 950 feet.

Therefore, the system cannot have;any effect an Cowles' Bog which is located'over 8,000 feet from the Bailly Nuclear-l' site.

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The radius of influence from the pressure reliaf system

.will'not reach the-bog area even if it is assumed that

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-Unit 2 is. continuous throughout the study area' with.an-

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opening-(" window")'only under.the bog.

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For these ress6ns it is congluded that the model,~as 1

presently constructed, does not accurately predict l

groundwater movements and does not support any conclusion

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a that the pressure relief system will affect the Cowles Bag area.

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II.

The recent USGS' Report No R80-1105~(Ref. 2) is currently j

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being. reviewed. :Significant discrepancies discovered thus N

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far are as follows~:-

1 4.

The storage properties of the' marsh (wetland) surrounding

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' CowlesLBog are not/ included.in the computer mode 1 k

~ developed by'USGS.. The. wetland west.of' Mineral Springs

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RoadJand~ surrounding the 10-acre, elevated portion of

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- 'i Cowles{ Bog consists of overL200Lacres.

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. assumed'that USGS model predictionsfare correcti

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changessin'- thel.cowlesL Bog : area as the 2003 acres of -

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e wetlands 1will offset any' groundwater; decline.

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Theffdilowingistatement appears ;at page 3 of"Ref. ;2:

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"The USGS and tM NPS have' collected new-4

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< hydrologic data:in the. vicinity-of cowles, Bog..

These data suggest that. (1)~ the confining unit-s

-(Unit'2), normally present between-the uncon-m.

fined _ aquifer- (Unit 1)' and the ' confined aquifer

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(Unit 3), 'mga _be thin.or absent; (2) the. vertical

-hydraulic. conductivity of Unit--2 mja be greater 1

than,it is1elsewhere; orl(3' a combination;of. items (1) and (2) may, exist in the area _of the bog.

This

" discontinuity" in the confining unit would greatly

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enhance the_ hydraulic connection between the unconfined and confined ~aquifars and could intensify c

the impact of construction dewatering on water levels

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at Cowles Bog, particularly g a large part of the y

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' water. pumped from the excavation case - from Wit = 3."

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. (Emphasis added)

That statement is qualified to such a degree that the

. Secretary cannot appropriately characterize it as e

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-concluding that dowatering at Bailly Nuclear y i

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...'will result in water level. declines at Cowles g,

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(Emphasis added).

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clevelL inLthe l'ower aquifer (Unit 3) c was at Elevation 4

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589.8 f(Nov." 7, '1979)11nsid's the excavationi for m

% % Nuclear-1.1 ThesUSGS performed?a model. simulation to

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';K reducestheihydrostatic pressure.to Elevation'583.7-7

.(pages 10 and l'5),-a'reduetion o'f'6.1:fest.- For this~

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1. small reduction at-the. excavation, the model predicted

- groundwater-deslines.in-the. bog area over 8,000 feet away.

This predicted reduction of the groundwater level:in.the1Cowles. Bog area is contrary to pumping-f d.

-tests and observed data at the NIPSCO*and Bethlehem u

4 Steel Co. sites.and to empirical data' presented in L

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engineering literature. - (See Ref. 3) In effect, the USGS by making-incorrect modeling assumptions, arrive's i-at a conclusion that-violates fundamental hydraulic l

principles and is contrary to observations of the effects of dewatering at ar.d near the site of Bailly:

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The following statement appears at page 27 of Ref. 2:

"Whether the actual ground-water system wil1~

i behave in the.same manner as the model simulation depends on how well the model simulates the physical properties.of the ground-water system and the V

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There-artificial recharge.of water for mitigation.

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? fore,'these modellsimuistions.should not be viewed c

.as. precise predictions of.what will occur in the.

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~ field (butrathera' san'estimationofwhatmla

? occur." T(Emphianis t added):

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'In other words,ithe results of any model will only

>be as: good as the data.and/or assumptions-incorporated in the model'.: Since,-as we have shown in Ref. 3, the i

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.USGS model does not simulate actual physical proper, ties

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of thh groundwater' system'i'n the' study area, the model

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cannot reliably predict groundwater movements in Cowles[ Bog.-- The'USGS. Report therefore does-not provide a

valid' support for any conclusion that-its estimates of n

.what "may occur" are accurate.'

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' "Be'cause the flow model has not been verified, w.

itican' ortly be' used in' a general way to evaluate the effect.of construction dewatesing

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and: decline-of the seepage mound on ground-water levels ~in'and near the Lakeshore.

Until the I

.'model-simulated estimates of' water-level-decline can be compared with measured declines, the f'

accuracy;of the simulated' declines cannot be i

u the flow model We would emphasize that this passage admits:

i has not-been. verified and conclusions drawn from its use are

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therefore speculative..

In fact, the actual-' field data shows

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'-that.-the'model is not' valid.

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is LIST:OF REFERENCEC

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" 1.-

Meyer, William and Tucci',_Patri$k, January, 1979,;

t Effacts of~ Seconee From Fly-Ash Settling Ponds and Construction Dewatering on Groundwater Levels in e

the Cowles-Unit, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, g"

JIndiana,-.U.s.. Geological Survey, Water-Resources

~ Investigations,78-138.

2.-

Gillies, Daniel:C..'and-Lapham, Wayne W., September L1980,?Reansessrent of the Effacts of Construction Dewatering on Glound-Water Levels in Cowles-Unit,

. Indiana Dunes National-Lakeshore Indiana,-Supple-f

. ment to Geological Survey Water-Resources Invastica-

-tions75-138, U.S. Geological Survey, Open File.

Eport;80-1105'.

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E D Appolonia Con'sulting Engineers, Inc. May 1980, L

3.

" Preliminary Review, Soil Parameters Used in USGS.

Report 138, ' Effects of Seepage from Fly-Ash -

Settling Ponds & Construction-Dewatering on Ground-s.

_ water Levels.in the Cowles Unit, Indiana Dunes

' National Lakeshore,: Indiana', Bailly Generating Station, Nuclear I, Baileytown,' Indiana," for Northern Indiana Public Service Company, Chesterton, Indiana.-

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- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE ATONIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD

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4 In the Matter of

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Docket No. 50-367

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~ NORTHERN INDIANA PUBLIC

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(Construction Pennit SERVICE COMPANY

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F.xtension) i

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(Bailly. Generating Station,

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October 21;'1980 Nuclear-1)~

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.i CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

'I hereby certify thsticopies of a Letter dated October 21, i

1980, addressed'to Mr. Harold Denton, Director, Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comunission, Washington, D.C.

205552from E. M. Shorb, Northern Indiana Public Service Company, together with the Attachment thereto, were served on the following by deposit in the United Stutes mail, postage prepaid, on this 21st day of. October, 1980

~ ~ Herbert Grossman, Esquire U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Consnission c Washington, D.C.

20555

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Glenn O. Bright U.S.-Nuclear Regulatory Commission

~ 20555 Washington, D.C.

Richard F. Cole U.S. Nuclear ~ Regulatory Connaission Washington, D.C.

20555

~ Docketing'and. Service Section Office of the Secretary

'U.9.

Nuclear Regulatory Conunission j

Washington, D.C.

20555-

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a Howard K. Shapar, Esquire Executive Legal Director U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C.

'20555 e

Steven Goldberg, Esquire'

~ Office:of the Executive Legal' Director U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission i

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- -1 Susan Sekular, Esquire Environmental Control Division 7,

188 West Randolph Street Suite 2315 Chicago,-Illinois 60601 j

Robert J. Vollen, Esquire c/o BPI

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109-North Learborn Street t

Suite 1300.

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Edward W..Osann, Jr., Esquire

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c Mr. Mike Olszanski Mr. Clifford Meso m.

United Steelworkers of America r

-3703 Euclid Avenue East Chicago, Indiana 46312 Diane B. Cohn, Esquire

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William B. Schultz, Esquire w

suite 700 2000 P' Street', NW Washington,.D.C.

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Richard L. Robbins, Esquire E

53 West Jackson Boulevard Chicago, Illinois 60604 Mr. George Grabowski

-Ms. Anna Grabowski 7413 W.-136th Lane

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in Cedar' Lake, Indiana 46303 Dr._ George Schultz 807 East Cool Spring

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s Michigan City, Indiana 46360

-John F. Ahearne, Chairman-s.

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.U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission f'q };

Washington, D.C.

20555 c.

Victor Gilinsky, Commissioner-U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Connaission 4

m Washington,~D.C.' 20555 2

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Joseph M. Hendrie, Comunissioner

~U.S. -Nuclear Regulatory Connaission Washington, D.C.

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DAVID C. asm6EN f Eichhorn, Eichhorn & Link 5243 Hohman Avenue Hasumond,' Indiana 46320 Attorneys for Northern Indiana Public Service Company

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