ML19341C928
| ML19341C928 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Wood River Junction |
| Issue date: | 10/03/1980 |
| From: | Grier B NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Hart R ENERGY, DEPT. OF |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19341C923 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8103040545 | |
| Download: ML19341C928 (3) | |
Text
ps J[" ; :.
"'c, UNIT E D STATES Exhibit 2.
Region I
'n NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Letter to DOE-0ak Ridga REGION I Operations Office c.
/
(Page 1 of 3)
G31 PARK AVENUE
%s KING OF PRUSSIA. PENNSYLVANIA 19406 OCT 03 M U.S. Department of Energy ATTN: Mr. R. J. Hart, Manager Oak Ridge Operations Office Oak Ridge,' Tennessee 37830
Dear Mr. Hart:
We request the Oak Ridge Operations Office provide this office with '.he information requested in our September 4 letter to Mr. B. M. Erickson, Manager, Schenectady Naval Reactors Office, which is attached.
It is our understanding that Mr. Erickson sent the information requested in our letter to Oak Ridge Operations Office for you to subsequently provide to us.
Apparently, this was done because your office contracted with UNC Recovery Systems to recover the uranium from the KAPL scrap material in question.
We also request that you provide us with information concerning any other special nuclear material scrap which was irradiated and was included in scrap you contracted with United Nuclear Corporation for recovery of uranium at their Wood River Junction facility during the period of 1969 through 1976 Mr. M. Theisen of your office has provided us with some preliminary information concerning this subject during previous telephone conversations.
We are most interested in receiving the information concerning the KAPL scrap sent to UNC Recovery Systems for processing after July 1976, and would appreciate receiving this information as soon as possible. The other information is not needed as urgently.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.
Sincerely, nn
/c g
,9 Boyce H. Grier Director
Attachment:
As Stated 81030 405f5 9
_3
~ -
/4
'l:,
UNIT E D sT ATES i
.' 3 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION j,p:- 1* ~;
Exhibit 2.
Continued REGION I (Page 2 of 3) c %7)!$ / !
sa PARK AVENUE
%,v"f KING OF PRUSSI A, PENNSYt.VANIA 19406 SEP 0 4 E U. S. Department of Energy ATTN:
Mr. B. M. Erickson, Manager D P?
Schenectady Naval Reactors Office A
3Dr3 }
Schenectady, New York 12301 W&
sM. 3U $
o
^
Dear Mr. Erickson:
Environmental water samples taken from test wells located in cicse proximity j
to the United Nuclear Corporation (UNC) Recovery facility at Wood River Junction, Rhode Island, have shown the presence of radionuclides, including fission products such as strontium 90.
This coupled with the fact that UNC is decertaissioning this facility has created much public and flRC interest.
The United Nuclear plant at Wood River Junction was authori:ed by 5, ecial o
Nuclear Material License No. 777 from May 1966 through July 1976 to recover uranium from fuel, containing microcurie quantities of fission products, used i
in low power critical experiments operated by the Atomic Energy Commission.
When the licensee applied for renewal of his license, he did not request permission to continue this operation; and when the license was renewed in 1976, it did not include this authorization.
An NRC inspection concerning che source of the radionuclide contamination of the aquifer flowing beneath the plant has disclosed that it likely came from waste from this uranium recovery process.
The inspection also disclosed that uranium containing fission products was processed after 1976.
The scrap material crocessed by UNC Recovery Systams after 1976 included KApt scrap lots 139C and 139D which had a special notation, "This material is unciad and has been exposed to hot water in critical assemblies..."
We need to know whethdr or not this material was indeed irradiated. And, if irradiated, we would also like to know at what pcwer level and for what period M
of time the material was irradiated.
We also need to know of any other irradiated enriched uranium scrac containing fission products sent from KAPL to Oak Ridge for recovery at the UNC facility or sent directly from KAPL to the UNC facility during the period frcm January 1976 to March 1980. We are interested in:
quantity of U-235; criticality experiment involved; available information concerning power level and time of exposure of the U-235; 741 number; Oak Ridge lot nucher; and i
scrap declaritier. r'.rber (S:lR
).
9u 02,0Y0I40 L& y, w
.y 1
i i
O Exhibit 2.
Continued (Page 3 of 3)
Mr. B. M. Erickson 2
SE? O 41935 Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.
Sincerely, t'O
,;/
- c. q.
,g, 9 :. ;:;
. < *:,e
/
Boyce H. Grier Director S
I i
-,